In gratitude to Yamid Amat, a master of interviews

He has plenty of accolades. But they will never be enough to thank him for the contribution his name represents to Colombian journalism. Therefore, to speak of Yamid Amat is to allude to a tireless reporter, a visionary director, and a master of interviews in any format, be it radio, television, or print.

EL TIEMPO has had the privilege of being the print media outlet where his interviews have appeared. His interviews with national and international figures have been published in its Sunday pages.

The list is long: presidents, judges, athletes, ministers, governors, mayors, guerrillas, paramilitaries, figures from the world of entertainment, culture, and celebrity... mentioning them all is impossible, given that the publications exceed a thousand in these 23 years.

Yamid Amat's first interview in this newspaper was published on April 28, 2002, with Andrés Pastrana, the then-outgoing president of Colombia, and generated a huge media stir.

Since then, much ink has been spilled; names, emotions, and controversies have filled the pages of this newspaper, both digitally and in print. As this section closes its cycle, it's time to express our gratitude and pay another tribute to Yamid Amat, a beacon of Colombian journalism and a master of the art of questioning.

And along the way, Yamid has faced thousands of challenges and accumulated countless anecdotes about each character. He has stories like this one, which he tells us today, and which was the most difficult interview he's ever conducted.

“It was when César Gaviria was elected president and I learned he had traveled to Spain. I traveled and was staying at the Mandarin Hotel. I found him. Gaviria was surprised and asked me how I had found him. Gabo told me. He agreed to give me the interview on one condition: he pointed me to someone sitting in the living room. It was King Hussein of Jordan. Gaviria told me he would give me the interview if I could speak to the king.”

"It's impossible," I replied. "My English isn't up to the task of having a conversation."

–Then I won’t talk, he told me.

I resorted to imagination. I stood up and walked toward the king. Several camouflaged agents appeared from the shadows. I said to them: “I am a journalist from Colombia. I need, please, one question to Your Majesty. It is a message from Mr. Arrieta.” They consulted the king. He agreed. I asked him in terrible English: “What do you think about peace?” And King Hussein answered me in perfect English, which I obviously didn’t understand. He said: “It depends on which peace you are asking me about. There is peace between North and South. Peace between East and West. Peace between Arabs and Jews. Peace between the United States and Russia... which peace are you asking me about?” I replied: “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

For Yamid Amat, the secret to being a versatile interviewer lies in being informed, and the success of an interview lies in listening and understanding.

“The best interview I have done is with Fernando Botero Zea, during Proceso 8,000.

"Did you know that you knew?" I asked.

"And Botero replied: 'No. I didn't know.' I asked back: 'And if you didn't know, how did you know that Samper knew? Did you know that Samper knew?'" Yamid recalled for this tribute.

José Yamid Amat Ruiz was born in Tunja on December 2, 1941. His connection with the media is long, beginning in the mid-1960s, when he started his career at Emisora Monserrate. During that time, he worked at RCN Televisión, the EFE news agency, and the now-defunct newspaper El Espacio—where he wrote the famous column "Juan sin Miedo" (Juan without Fear). He was the presenter and director of the program Reportajes Caracol (on Caracol Televisión). In radio, he created the "6 AM - 9 AM" program on Caracol Radio, where he remained until 1990. He also founded Radionet, a 24-hour news program, seven days a week. He was the director of Noticias Caracol Televisión and the Noticiero CM& (Newscast CM&), until the latter ceased broadcasting in November 2024.

In 2016, Intermedio Editores (from this publishing house) published Amat's first book – and the only one to date – which is a selection of his Sunday interviews in EL TIEMPO, entitled ¡Cuidado con lo que dice!

As a good interviewer, Yamid rarely grants interviews; however, on the occasion of this release, Amat recalled his meeting with singer Miguel Bosé.

“I remember when I went to interview Miguel Bosé, there were several of us journalists, all on separate occasions, and they told me I only had five minutes. Miguel was very cautious because he doesn't like being asked about his private life. I started the report, and obviously I talked to him about everything, except for the completely personal matters he didn't want to cover. After five minutes, they came in and said, 'Your time's up.' Then Miguel told them, 'Leave it, I want to continue.' We spent an hour and a half talking about everything that had been published,” he said on that occasion.

"The big difference between working for the press or for radio or television is that information in the press remains a written document," he added.

There is no doubt, then, that this and other memorable moments are part of this publishing house's gratitude toward a symbol and master of journalism.