Journalism has always played a decisive role in shaping society. For the city of Valencia, if there is a key figure in its recent history, it is journalist María Consuelo Reyna. She was the director of Las Provincias from 1978 to 1999, an influential newspaper during the Valencian Transition, in the decade from 1972 to 1982.

During this period, the journalist and the newspaper where key figures in what is known as the Battle of Valencia, an identity conflict that confronted Valencian society during the transition and caused a social and political fracture in the city.

In the book ‘Las Provincias y María Consuelo Reina. Liderazgo y poder en tiempos de cambio (1966-1982)’, Doctor in Contemporary History from the University of Valencia Ana María Cervera narrates the evolution of the newspaper from its origins. She focuses especially on last years of Francoism and the consolidation of democracy during the Transition.  

Maria Consuelo Reina was a key figure throughout this period at the head of Las Provincias. The book also reflects her power, which was capable of determining the political and social life of a city that was in the midst of a change process.

This book is part of the Aldea Global collection, co-published by University of Valencia, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Jaume I University and Pompeu Fabra University. This collection specialises in the publication of works on communication and other social sciences and humanities disciplines related to social communication.

It has also been awarded the Seal of Academic Publishing Quality (CEA-APQ) granted by UNE, ANECA and FECYT since July 2017, which means a quality guarantee for the works that comprise this inter-university collection.