Less than a week ago, we at the ARA newspaper celebrated our first 15 years, and this Tuesday we celebrate the first ten of the supplement Tarragona countrysideThroughout this time, in the pages of this supplement, we have tried to explain the reality of Tarragona to the people of Tarragona and also to the rest of the country. Quite a challenge, but exciting and necessary.
The second largest metropolitan area in Catalonia is becoming increasingly central, and its potential is unstoppable: growing tourism, the chemical industry, agriculture, the talent of the Rovira i Virgili University, the interest of technology companies, and the Roman remains whose proper conservation is finally guaranteed. All these achievements come with significant challenges that must also be considered: tourism generates benefits but further complicates access to housing and causes a process of gentrification that must be avoided; the chemical industry is already moving towards decarbonization, but the public administration must be able to guarantee that the air Tarragona residents breathe remains within safe health parameters; and farmers need tools and knowledge from research centers to adapt to drought. Taking all these challenges into account, it is clear that more administrative organization is needed—I'm thinking of the body that should manage the metropolitan area—and also better public transport connections. These are challenges that have been identified for some time, widely debated, but still haven't been resolved.
It is in this very interesting context that the newspaper ARA decided, more than three years ago, to strengthen its news coverage of Tarragona with an additional journalist. An increasingly complex territory needs more eyes and more space to explain it.
In an increasingly fragmented society and with the massive use of social networks infected by dangerous algorithms that spread fake news, the commitment to journalism and to the truth must be clearer than ever. The newspaper ARA has been committed to this model for 15 years and, thanks to all of you, we hope to be able to defend it for many more years.
