WHAT do one and 485 have in common?
For most people, the answer is probably nothing. But for the Olive Press, both are rich with meaning.
In our very first issue, back in 2006, our front-page splash reported on a golf course mega-project in Ronda that threatened to carve up a protected area of virgin woodland and disrupt the water supply for thousands of residents in four villages.
It meant taking on billionaire ‘mafia-style’ developers and led to threats and much acrimony.
But that story set the course for much of our reporting since.
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For 20 years now, the environment and the lives of ordinary people on Spain’s many Costas have been at the heart of the Olive Press’ unique brand of fearless independent journalism.
It has often led to threats and even on two occasions thugs visiting our offices. So be it.
This week, two decades on, we launched our edition 485 – and it proved to be just as pivotal as the first.
Issue 485 is our first national edition, and has now become monthly.
And call it coincidence or not, with serendipity, it once again featured a golf course mega-project on its front page.
This time, we report on a proposed €311 million luxury tourism complex planned for protected farmland near the Maro Cliffs – a development that threatens to drive dozens of farmers and expat residents from their homes and carve up, yes, another protected area.
Issue one and issue 485 are equally historic – albeit for slightly different reasons.
But, perhaps more poignantly, they show that while decades may pass, we remain true to our purpose.
For 20 years, we have done our best to hold the powerful to account. This time it’s the Larios family, one of the wealthiest landowners in Spain.
From Ronda to Maro, from Madrid to Ibiza, we are there when it matters most.
The Olive Press has always been about people. Born in a barn – as our editor Jon Clarke wrote here this week – we have come a long way since those early days.
But who we are has not changed. Our purpose has not changed. And our commitment has never wavered.
Issue 485 marks a momentous milestone for us, and we are excited about what lies ahead.
We have delivered fiercely independent journalism for two decades – and now we set out to do so on a larger scale than ever before, with Madrid and Barcelona in our sights.
Many of you have been by our side since we published our first issue from that barn.
And we hope you will join us on this next chapter as well.
Please send us your thoughts and what you remember from back then. Send to newsdesk@theolivepress.es
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