César di Candia was born in Florida in 1929. He worked as a journalist for the newspapers El País, El Dedo, Guambia, La Mañana, Marcha, and the weekly Búsqueda, among others. He has also published dozens of books. He currently lives in La Paloma, in the department of Rocha.
On Monday, October 24, he visited the Introduction to Journalism class, taught by Professor Juan Pablo Mosteiro, where he shared stories about his experience as a journalist.
“You have to describe, not opine, because the reader must draw their own conclusions,” he told the students. “I believe a journalist must know their limits, because what is written is very dangerous: it’s very dangerous for the country and for the authorities,” he remarked.
When asked about his interviewing style, he said he never writes down his questions and relies on his memory. However, he praised the work of Ma. Esther Gilio—a journalist and writer who passed away in 2011. “She had a little notebook where she’d write down her questions the day before—I don’t know, maybe thirty questions. Her reports turned out great; it’s a technique that shouldn’t be dismissed. She conducted some incredible interviews.”
“Direct questions and those slightly impertinent ones—because let’s be honest, there are questions that are a bit impertinent, excessive, a little out of line, going beyond what one should ask… people love them; I started asking them when I turned 60,” he remarked. “There’s an issue of respect when you start working. When you’re 60 or 70, you feel free to ask anything.”