Francisco Mariano Nipho

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Francisco Mariano Nipho (1719 in Alcañiz – 1803 in Madrid) was a Spanish writer and journalist.

Nicknamed as the "freak of nature", he is regarded in Spain as one of the best journalists of all time. During the reign of Charles III, he established himself as the founder of modern journalism and the first professional journalist. Born Francisco Manuel Mariano Nipho in Alcaniz, as a young boy his family moved to Madrid where he grew up, worked, and spent the rest of his life.

Nipho founded a number of newspapers that went under different pseudonyms such as, "Mariano de la Say" and "Manuel Ruiz de Uribe". Nipho’s work highlighted the artistic and social responsibility of journalism, but did not benefit him economically. He said that journalism was "a painful and unprofitable occupation", but that the real task of journalism is to "educate and moralize." Like many European journalists of the period, he made extensive use of translation, and may be credited with publishing the earliest known direct English-to-Spanish translations of a literary text.

It was not until his later years that he would begin to establish himself economically and professionally, serving as a censor in the late 18th century. Provided by Wikipedia