L'independent de Gràcia

L'independent de Gràcia is a free, Catalan-language weekly newspaper published in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and distributed across the five neighbourhoods of the city's Gràcia district: Vila de Gràcia, El Coll, Vallcarca i els Penitents, La Salut, and Camp d'en Grassot-Gràcia Nova. Founded on 14 August 2000, it began as a monthly publication under the direction of journalist Xavier Borràs, before evolving into a weekly. Its editorial scope is hyperlocal: municipal politics, neighbourhood associations, culture, sport, education, and civil society in Gràcia. The paper is edited by the Associació Cultural L'independent de Gràcia, a non-profit cultural association created in 2014 to give the publication continuity and to allow district residents who support the medium to participate in its general assemblies. The association is a member of the Associació de Mitjans d'Informació i Comunicació (AMIC). Around 8,500 copies are distributed each Friday at more than 700 points across the district, in addition to copies reaching the homes of members. The full archive of issues since 2008 is available on the newspaper's website. Beyond print, L'independent de Gràcia has developed a digital and community dimension. It maintains a website, an Instagram channel, a Telegram channel, and thematic online sections covering gastronomy, sport, interculturality and spirituality, history, games-based learning, and youth. It has launched the podcast La Gràcia de la Cultura and the audiovisual space Independent TV on YouTube. In 2024 it helped organise the first edition of the Vila Màgica – Festival Internacional de màgia a Barcelona, and it collaborates with the Orfeó Gracienc in running the Sala Nusos cultural space. As a community medium, the newspaper is closely tied to the civic life of the district. It covers local institutions, clubs, and events, and it partners with initiatives such as the Cinemes Verdi for La Marató de 3CAT, the Concurs Literari Vila de Gràcia, and the Minerva Dones Creadores de Gràcia collective. Its editorial line is local and participatory, and its ownership structure is associative rather than commercial.

L'independent de Gràcia was founded on 14 August 2000 as a monthly publication, with journalist Xavier Borràs as its first director for the initial eight issues. It subsequently became a weekly newspaper. Journalist Albert Balanzà then took over the direction for 24 years, guiding the paper through to issue 1000. From January to August 2025, journalist Jordi Notó served as director. Coinciding with issue 1030, Biel Minguell was appointed the new director, working alongside editor-in-chief and Culture editor Andrea Muñoz and Sports and digital editor Martí Pernía, supported by a team of occasional contributors. In 2014, the Associació Cultural L'independent de Gràcia was created to give the weekly continuity and to act as its publisher. The association model allows district residents who wish to support the medium to influence it through their vote at general assemblies and to carry out initiatives as an entity to bring culture closer to its members and the district's residents. Examples include collaboration with Cinemes Verdi for La Marató de 3CAT, participation in the Concurs Literari Vila de Gràcia, and the promotion and organisation of the Vila Màgica Festival Internacional de màgia a Barcelona. In 2020, under a new board led by Emeteri Frago as association president, the website was reformulated with a new visual line and more comfortable navigation, and an Instagram channel was created to give visibility to both news and the entity's activities. Although a large celebration for the paper's 20th anniversary could not be held because of COVID-19, and the economic complications of that episode had to be faced, in 2022 the association organised a series of activities to celebrate 900 issues and created a short cinema advertisement for the occasion. At the end of 2022, with the intention of promoting digitalisation and neighbourhood participation, the association created a Telegram channel to reach interested people directly, and inaugurated a new exclusive space on the website consisting of three thematic channels related to gastronomy, sport, and interculturality and spirituality, through which different collaborators coordinate and give voice to district initiatives, people, and projects. In 2023, this space expanded with three more channels related to history, learning through games, and youth, and the podcast La Gràcia de la Cultura was launched. Audiovisual content on YouTube also began to be considered through the Independent TV space. In 2024, a Telegram group divided by themes called Participa was created, including an open chat space for suggestions and discussion among members. During this period, the Minerva Dones Creadores de Gràcia collective, made up of women artists connected to the district, joined the association, and a podcast was started to promote their visibility. That same year, from 10 to 13 October, the association promoted and organised the first edition of the Vila Màgica – Festival Internacional de màgia a Barcelona, in a joint collaborative effort with various district entities. At the end of the year, it also established a collaboration with the Orfeó Gracienc to inaugurate and manage the Sala Nusos, a space dedicated to culture, where works from different disciplines and by women authors are exhibited and where debates, talks, and other cultural activities are also organised.

• L'independent de Gràcia is founded as a monthly publication, directed by Xavier Borràs.

• The publication becomes a weekly newspaper.

• Associació Cultural L'independent de Gràcia is created as publisher.

• New board led by Emeteri Frago; website reformulated and Instagram channel created.

• Activities held to celebrate 900 issues; cinema advertisement short created; Telegram channel and thematic website channels launched.

• Three more thematic channels added; podcast La Gràcia de la Cultura launched; Independent TV on YouTube begins.

• Participa Telegram group created; Minerva Dones Creadores de Gràcia joins; first Vila Màgica magic festival held 10–13 October; collaboration with Orfeó Gracienc for Sala Nusos.

• Jordi Notó becomes director (until August 2025).

• Biel Minguell appointed director coinciding with issue 1030.

Hyperlocal, free, Catalan-language community journalism for Barcelona's Gràcia district, run by a non-profit cultural association.

• L'independent de Gràcia weekly newspaper

  Free Catalan-language weekly distributed on Fridays at over 700 points in the Gràcia district; about 8,500 copies per week.

• independent.cat website and archive

  Online edition with all issues since 2008 available in the hemeroteca.

• La Gràcia de la Cultura podcast

  Podcast launched in 2023.

• Independent TV

  Audiovisual space on YouTube.

• Thematic online channels

  Channels on gastronomy, sport, interculturality and spirituality, history, games-based learning, and youth.

1. 1L'independent de Gràcia - Tota la informació de Gràciaindependent.cat
2. 2Del 25 de setembre al 2 d'octubre - L'independent de Gràciaindependent.cat
3. 3Sobre el torneig Vila de Gràcia de Basquet - L'independent de Gràciaindependent.cat
4. 4Junts i BComú demanen més informació als veïns del Park Güell - L'independent de Gràciaindependent.cat
5. 5L'independent de Gràcia - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6L'independent de Gràcia - Viquipèdiaca.wikipedia.org