Diario Extra (Costa Rica)
Diario Extra is a tabloid newspaper in Costa Rica, established in 1979 and the first issue was released in October of that year.
Overview
La Extra is one of the most read newspapers in Costa Rica, with the largest number of copies printed daily. It is notable for its use of red ink in its headlines and for including more left-wing political voices in its editorial section in comparison with other Costa Rican newspapers.
Its candid writing style has given it a wide following amongst working-class readers in Costa Rica. Most of its pages are filled with short, sensationalistic news items. Most of the time, images of very graphic, disturbing scenes are displayed on the front page. For example, graphic, detail photographs of fatal accidents. Some of its reporters use slang understandable only to the Costa Rica population. Nevertheless, it also conducts serious investigative reporting and often features lengthy interviews with important political figures.
La Extra was founded in the late 1970s, originally containing pictures of semi-nude women on the front page in order to increase circulation. To this day, the use of scantily-clad young females is a popular item; including on the front page. It is not unusual to see a Diario Extra front page that contains two photos side-by-side: A graphic photo of a fatal car crash or shooting juxtaposed with a photo of a young woman smiling over her shoulder while giving maximum exposure of her buttocks. One of its most read sections is called "Sentimientos en Conflicto" (Translated as "Conflicting Feelings"), a popular spin-off of a Dear Abby US-style column.
Additionally, there is a section called Tia Zelmira (published only Fridays), which is a summary of the local "jet-set" activities (the "jet-set" in Costa Rica is often called "avioneta-set").