Puerto Rico Daily Sun marks its 1st Anniversary.

It was a year ago today that a group of 90 newspaper professionals showed its entrepreneurial spirit, launching the Puerto Rico Daily Sun, the island’s only English-language daily newspaper. For the last 12 months, the award-winning publication has kept readers informed of all of the island’s major news events with a keen and objective eye.

The newspaper’s first year is just the latest milestone for the publication that is operated as a cooperative of workers, who incorporated as Cooperativa Prensa Unida, joining the island’s thriving cooperative movement.

Since launching in October 2008, the newspaper’s circulation has tripled to 35,000 daily editions seven days a week. The publication is sold at more than 1,300 points of sale, including stoplights and retail establishments in all 78 municipalities, according to information certified by Distribution Integrated Services Inc. The Puerto Rico Daily Sun is also sold in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“I must congratulate all of the employees of the Puerto Rico Daily Sun for their effort and courage to develop this project, which began a year ago,” said Marisol Lora Cruz, Executive Editor of the Puerto Rico Daily Sun. “I am grateful to each one of them, as well as to all of the people who in one way or another have supported us during this first year.”

While the publication is young, its staff of reporters and photojournalists is experienced and, over the past year, has demonstrated its ability to pursue the story, earning several awards for their work. In June, the Puerto Rico Photojournalists Association bestowed honorary mentions to photographers Francesca von Rabenau O’Reilly and Humberto Trías, while reporter Xavira Neggers earned the award for best spot news reporting from the Overseas Press Club in August. Early in the year, the newspaper’s Economy team received a special recognition from the Small Business Administration, for reporting on relevant issues to that segment of society.

“We are committed to continue offering serious reporting to benefit our Island and to offer a real alternative to our readers and advertisers,” Lora Cruz said.

Next on the agenda is launching our much-anticipated Web site, through which the Puerto Rico Daily Sun will offer readers – on the island and abroad – the ability to read the newspaper online.

“The Daily Sun is entering into a second phase of it’s presence in Puerto Rico as a key news information vehicle,” said Rafael Matos, Editor of the Puerto Rico Daily Sun. “We are now working with the digital edition which will give the Daily Sun and its readers, editors, reporters, photographers and advertiser a news window about Puerto Rico, on a global scale.”