Mujeres columnistas, liderazgos de opinión en un medio en línea colombiano

The aim of this article is to study which are the main topics that female columnists address in a Colombian regional newspaper, explore the intention and style of their opinion columns, and establish if female columnists can be classified as opinion leaders. To do so, we conducted a content analysis of 36 opinion columns, of the total of 95 written by women in 2015 and published in the online medium Vanguardia.com, from Bucaramanga, which allowed the identification of themes, styles and intentions of these publications. We concluded that their columns are analytical, preserving the informative style and interpretive attitude, and that the interaction of their readers on Facebook with their arguments would allow them to be considered as public opinion leaders. According to our findings, their position is the product of the deep and critical approach they have on current issues related to the environment, public management and gender violence, abandoning female stereotypes related exclusively to sex, beauty and fashion. These data support the evidence that shows that women are advancing in their position in the public eye, both politically and in the media, thus overcoming the habit of being only installed in private and discreet spaces, and increasingly reaching an open and explicit insertion in society and in decision-making.