Enrique Castillo, 84; Journalist Headed Colombia’s Top Paper

Enrique Santos Castillo, 84, a top Colombian journalist who headed the country’s leading newspaper for more than half a century, died Sunday night of a heart attack at his home in Bogota.

Santos Castillo, who retired in September as managing editor of El Tiempo, and his brother, Hernando--who died two years ago--were news editors for decades at the family-owned newspaper and transformed it from a political party mouthpiece into a modern independent newspaper.

In 1997, the Columbia School of Journalism in New York City awarded Enrique and Hernando Santos Castillo its prestigious Maria Moors Cabot Prize for contributions to Inter-American understanding.

The journalism school described El Tiempo as a “bulwark in the struggle for democracy in Colombia with uncompromising, hard-hitting reporting and writing.”

Enrique Santos Castillo was El Tiempo’s news editor for 36 years then served for 20 more as its managing editor. When he retired two months ago, he said he wanted to spend more time with his four children and 14 grandchildren.