Benjamin Morales Melendez

I’m a Puerto Rican journalist with extensive editorial and digital experience with a specialty in the processes of transforming roles, structures and workflows in newsrooms.

I began my career working for radio stations in Puerto Rico and as a reporter for the Caribbean Services of AP and EFE News Agencies. Then, I worked as a correspondent in the Caribbean for Televisa’s defunct Mexican TV Network ECO.

As my career developed, I went back to my native Puerto Rico, where I became the Executive Editor of the newspaper Primera Hora and led its digital transformation. From there, I became Managing Editor of Puerto Rico’s leading newspaper, El Nuevo Día, and from that position I headed the creation of an integrated, multi brand, multimedia and multiplatform newsroom for GFR Media. Throughout this process I became Deputy Editorial Director for GFR Media and led the digital and print operations of El Nuevo Día, Primera Hora and Indice.

After this adventure, I created my own consulting company, advising media companies on digital journalism and newsrooms transformations to news organizations in Puerto Rico, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Mexico.

Between 2015 and 2020, while maintaining a role as a consultant, I also worked as bureau chief and lead correspondent in Cuba and columnist for El Nuevo Día, and provided editorial services to the newspapers of the ¨Grupo Diarios las Américas (GDA)¨ network.

Currently, I’m the Managing Editor of Diario Libre in the Dominican Republic, responsible for their print and digital operations.

On a personal note, in 2018 I won the National Puerto Rican Literature Award, in the Journalism category for my columns in El Nuevo Día. In a previous life, as an athlete, I was the Most Valuable Player of the Final Series of Puerto Rico's amateur baseball national championship in 1992. I also wrote the book "Be Smart, Communicate Like Journalists: 5W's & 1H, Six Questions That Will Change Your Message", available on Amazon.