Short answers, pulled from the story.
El Mundo was first published on the 23rd of October 1989. Its founders, including Pedro J. Ramírez, Alfonso de Salas, Balbino Fraga, and Juan González, all came from Grupo 16, the publisher behind the newspaper Diario 16.
Pedro J. Ramírez was the founding editor of El Mundo and held that role from 1989 until January 2014. He was fired in January 2014 and argued publicly that his reporting on corruption scandals involving Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was the reason for his dismissal.
El Mundo had 34,485 daily sales in 2024, down from a peak of 338,286 copies in 2008. Its circulation had also reached 337,172 copies in the period between June 2006 and July 2007.
El Mundo uncovered embezzlement by the commander of the Guardia Civil, exposed accusations of insider trading and tax fraud by the governor of the Central Bank of Spain, and revealed connections between the Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación (GAL) and the Socialist administration of Felipe González. That last investigation contributed to González's defeat in the 1996 elections.
El Mundo is owned by Unidad Editorial, a Spanish subsidiary of the Italian publishing company RCS MediaGroup. Unidad Editorial was formed in 2007 when El Mundo's original owner, Unedisa, merged with Grupo Recoletos. RCS MediaGroup also controls Marca and Expansión through the same subsidiary.
El Mundo defines its editorial line as liberal with a secular, centre-right orientation. It is generally critical of left-wing politics and peripheral nationalisms. The paper's columnists, however, display notable heterogeneity and are sometimes openly critical of the editorial line itself.