Carlos Mendo

Carlos Mendo (26 June 1933 – 23 August 2010) was a Spanish journalist. In 1972, Mendo co-founded El País, Spain's most widely circulated daily newspaper.^[1]

Born in Madrid, Mendo began his career in journalism in 1958 when he joined the Spanish news agency, EFE.^[1] He later left EFE in order to join United Press International (UPI).^[1] He became United Press International's first correspondent in Rome, Italy, before becoming UPI's Spain bureau chief.^[1]

In 1965, Mendo rejoined EFE as a managing director.^[1] He oversaw much of EFE's expansion until his second departure in 1969.^[1]

Mendo was hired by PRISA publishing group, where he became part of the team that founded and launched El País in 1972.^[1] The newspaper's other co-founders at PRISA included José Ortega Spottorno, Jesús de Polanco, and Juan Luis Cebrián. Although El País is considered a leftist publication, Mendo was a conservative.^[1] He remained active at El País after the newspaper was founded, including a stint as a reporter in Washington, D.C.^[1] In 1979, Mendo became the newspaper's London correspondent.^[1]

Carlos Mendo died on 23 August 2010 at the age of 77, after several weeks in hospital.^[1][2]