It's a topic which has been in the media for several years now ...

It's a topic which has been in the media for several years now ...
The above is translated , in my book as ..
es un tema que ya lleva varios anos apareceindo en los medios

My question is , why is 'lleva' in the present ? Surely it should be in a past tense .

Thanks
Chris

The real translation of "It's a topic which has been in the media for several years now" is: "Es un tema que ha estado en los medios por varios años. The word "estado" is the past tense of "estar". Estar = Be. Ex. "Voy a ESTAR ahí" = "I will BE there"