Construcción del relato informativo audiovisual y su impacto sobre la reputación de la radio y la televisión

Like all entities, media need to achieve a high level of reputation, which requires not only the provision of an excellent product or service but also for it to be perceived as such in order to create a positive image. The aim of this study is to confirm whether there is any correlation between the information content disseminated by audiovisual media and their level of reputation among their audiences. To this end, the notion of reputation is based on variables such as credibility, informative rigor, journalistic quality, professional ethics, and deontology. This study involved two phases. Firstly, we conducted a survey among communication professionals and audiences to determine their perception of media in terms of the aforementioned aspects. Secondly, we carried out a content analysis to gauge the degree to which the indicators that define these variables are present in news production. Finally, the study compares and contrasts the results from both phases. Overall, this case study covers the most important Spanish television channels and generalist radio stations, namely La primera (TVE), Telecinco, Antena 3, and La sexta, as well as COPE, Onda cero, RNE, and SER. The main results reveal correspondences between the assessments made by respondents and the results of the content analysis. In this regard, the channels and broadcasters that achieve the worst positions show greater correspondences. Therefore, it can be concluded that the information product contributes to the construction of media’s reputation, where the indicators play a key role, with informative rigor, professional ethics, and deontology being those that achieve the highest rate of reciprocity. Resumen Los medios de comunicación, al igual que el resto de las organizaciones, necesitan alcanzar un alto nivel reputacional, por lo que no sólo es importante ofrecer un buen producto o servicio, sino que también es necesario que se perciba como tal y que esto influya positivamente en la imagen de las entidades. El objetivo de este trabajo es comprobar si existen correlaciones entre el contenido informativo que difunden los medios audiovisuales y la reputación que de ellos tienen sus públicos. Partiendo de una configuración del concepto de reputación a partir de variables como la credibilidad, el rigor informativo, la calidad periodística, y la ética y deontología profesional, el estudio se diseñó en dos etapas. En la primera, se envió una encuesta a profesionales de la comunicación y a la audiencia con el fin de conocer la percepción que tienen de los medios en relación con los aspectos citados. En la segunda, se llevó a cabo un análisis de contenido para determinar en qué grado se manifiestan los indicadores que definen esas variables en la producción informativa. Esta investigación compara los resultados de ambas fases, tomando como muestra de análisis las principales cadenas y emisoras generalistas españolas (La primera de TVE, Telecinco, Antena 3 y La sexta, en el caso de la televisión, y COPE, Onda cero, RNE y la SER, en el de la radio). Los resultados revelan que existen correspondencias entre las valoraciones que hacen los encuestados y los datos del análisis de contenido, especialmente en el caso de los canales y las emisoras que logran las peores posiciones. El producto informativo contribuye así a la construcción de la reputación de los medios de comunicación, siendo los indicadores que intervienen en el rigor informativo y en la ética y deontología profesional los que consiguen un mayor índice de reciprocidad.

Indicadores transnacionales de calidad informativa basados en la experiencia de periodistas locales: estudios de caso en medios digitales de Alemania, España y Reino Unido

Quality is a priority objective of journalism, linked to the fulfillment of the social function of the press. To make this concept evaluable, it is essential to know the degree of satisfaction of the expectations of journalists and audiences. In a context of online journalism, local news continues to be a key element in the shaping of local communities. Bearing these trends in mind, this research aims to develop a proposal for journalistic quality indicators that come from the profession itself, based on the experience and self-criticism of local journalists. We choose to focus on the local area because of its current explanatory capacity for transnational phenomena. In addition, local publications address the everyday needs of their readership. To achieve this aim, a multiple-case-study research strategy is used, following a hypothetical-deductive approach. First, the variables that are identified with journalistic quality in the literature are reviewed. These are then compared and completed with information obtained in the cases studied (digital newspapers from three countries). To study the perception of journalists regarding journalistic quality, semi-directed interviews are conducted with local media professionals in Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, representing countries with different journalistic cultures, framed also in different quality schools. However, all three are characterized by a strong tradition of local information. The results reveal the existence of differences in the conception of journalistic quality. The degree of self-awareness about the work carried out is higher among German and British journalists than in the case of Spain. Likewise, codes that refer to the news production process (gatekeeping), such as commitment, transparency, or product quality, are preferred over those related to its reception (newsmaking). Resumen La calidad informativa es un objetivo prioritario de la actividad periodística, en cumplimiento de la función social de la prensa. Para transformar en evaluable este ideal es imprescindible conocer el grado de satisfacción de las expectativas de periodistas y audiencias. En un contexto de ciberperiodismo, la información de proximidad sigue siendo un elemento central en la construcción de vínculos comunes. Teniendo esto en cuenta, el objetivo principal de esta investigación es desarrollar una propuesta de indicadores de calidad informativa derivados de la propia profesión, a partir de la experiencia y autocrítica de los periodistas locales. La elección del ámbito de la proximidad se encuentra motivada por su actual capacidad explicativa de fenómenos transnacionales. Además, las publicaciones locales se encargan de las necesidades cotidianas de la audiencia. Para la consecución del objetivo fijado se emplea el método del estudio de caso, siguiendo un planteamiento hipotético-deductivo. Primero se revisan las variables identificadas con calidad informativa en la bibliografía, para posteriormente contrastarlas y completarlas a partir de la información obtenida en los casos estudiados (diarios digitales de tres países). Para indagar sobre la percepción que de calidad informativa tienen los periodistas se efectúan entrevistas semidirigidas a profesionales de medios locales en Alemania, España y Reino Unido, países de culturas periodísticas distintas, enmarcados a su vez en diferentes escuelas sobre calidad. No obstante, los tres se caracterizan por una fuerte tradición de información de cercanía. Como resultado, se observa la existencia de diferencias en la concepción de calidad informativa. El grado de reflexividad sobre el trabajo efectuado es mayor entre los periodistas alemanes y británicos que en el caso de España. Asimismo, se prefieren los códigos que aluden al proceso de producción de la noticia (gatekeeping), como compromiso, transparencia o calidad del producto, sobre los propios de la recepción (newsmaking).

Metrics at Work

When the news moved online, journalists suddenly learned what their audiences actually liked, through algorithmic technologies that scrutinize web traffic and activity. Has this advent of audience metrics changed journalists' work practices and professional identities? This book documents the ways that journalists grapple with audience data in the form of clicks, and analyzes how new forms of clickbait journalism travel across national borders. Drawing on four years of fieldwork in web newsrooms in the United States and France, including more than one hundred interviews with journalists, the book reveals many similarities among the media groups examined—their editorial goals, technological tools, and even office furniture. Yet the book uncovers crucial and paradoxical differences in how American and French journalists understand audience analytics and how these affect the news produced in each country. American journalists routinely disregard traffic numbers and primarily rely on the opinion of their peers to define journalistic quality. Meanwhile, French journalists fixate on internet traffic and view these numbers as a sign of their resonance in the public sphere. The book offers cultural and historical explanations for these disparities, arguing that distinct journalistic traditions structure how journalists make sense of digital measurements in the two countries. Contrary to the popular belief that analytics and algorithms are globally homogenizing forces, the book shows that computational technologies can have surprisingly divergent ramifications for work and organizations worldwide.

Embedding, quoting, or paraphrasing? Investigating the effects of political leaders’ tweets in online news articles: The case of Donald Trump

Journalists frequently turn to Twitter for quotes from elite and non-elite sources to include within their online news articles. While recent research has found that including posts from ordinary people can influence news consumers’ issue perceptions, there is limited research on the impact of including politicians’ posts. We conduct two similar survey experiments, with Republican and Democrat respondents, to test the relative impact of including Donald Trump’s tweets in a news article either in embedded format, quoted in plain text, or quoted in paraphrased format. Among Republicans, embedded tweets were unique in eliciting positive emotions which mediated higher ratings of Donald Trump’s warmth and competence. Among Democrats, no significant differences were elicited by tweet format on perceptions of Trump. However, Democrats rated articles containing verbatim Trump tweets as significantly lower in journalistic quality. Results are discussed in relevance to journalist–politician power relations and perceptions of journalistic quality.

When journalism and games intersect: Examining news quality, design and mechanics of political newsgames

The use of games to convey the news involves wrestling with two different narrative logics: the professional culture of journalism, based on the verification of information and the standards of objectivity and truthfulness, and the culture of games, characterized by the creation of imaginary worlds, the persuasive potential of entertainment and the mechanics of the gaming experience. This article examines a sample of eight newsgame designs and the mechanisms through which they transmit information on issues related to political activity. We designed a qualitative analysis tool to examine the journalistic and gaming quality of the newsgames by analysing 28 parameters in four categories: formal parameters, content parameters, quality of use and architecture and design. Our results show that the use of playful elements is compatible with the fulfilment of journalistic quality standards and the choice of mechanics and dynamics determines how the user perceives and interacts with the information. However, the balance between both aspects does not guarantee that a newsgame provides the narrative resources to understand the information autonomously. Thus, newsgames are a genre with great journalistic potential when using the correct choice of mechanics and dynamics that allows communicating information according to news standards.

Negativity Wins at Last

A number of studies show that user comments on news websites can affect news-related judgments and perceptions. However, with news organizations increasingly shifting their comment sections to social network sites (SNS), questions arise about whether this alters previously observed effects. Instead of encountering comments “below the line,” SNS provoke a reversed direction of exposure, suggesting that comments might be read before the news article. Addressing the implications of this shift in direction of exposure, we conducted a preregistered experiment with German participants ( N = 630), in which we varied comment presentation order (before vs. after the article) and comment valence (positive vs. negative) and assessed how these factors influence the way individuals perceive the journalistic quality of commented news articles. The data provide evidence for a negativity bias and presentation order effects, with negative comments showing distinct effects on quality perceptions, particularly when presented after the article.

Journalists' Safety and Multifaceted Censorship in Colombia

Safety of journalists has been studied as part of freedom of expression. This chapter seeks to address issues surrounding journalists' safety and censorship in Colombia by shedding light on a triple menace: the decrease in journalistic quality, citizens' right to information, and the influence on journalists' professional behavior by analysing the multifaceted press censorship from 2008 to 2012, which occurred before the Peace Accord between FARC guerrilla and former president Juan Manuel Santos. Media ethnography and in-depth interviews were used. Employing the Bourdieu's theory of professional field, the praxis, rationale, and censorship of journalists during the conflict were mapped. The findings shed light on how the censorship went on during a more stable period in the conflict and how journalists were silenced and threatened.

Who trusts the news media? Exploring the factors shaping trust in the news media in German-speaking Switzerland

Although a decline of trust in the news media can be observed in many countries, in international comparison, Switzerland is still considered one of the countries with a relatively high level of media trust. Nevertheless, knowledge concerning the factors that promote and hinder media trust in Switzerland is still limited. Building on the research on media trust and media scepticism, this study investigates the effects of political orientation, political disenchantment, populist attitudes, and news exposure on media trust. The study uses survey data (N = 1 019, 50% females, 50% males) on the Internet-using population of the German-speaking part of Switzerland, collected in June 2017. Examining media trust by assessing the characteristics of media coverage, two dimensions of trust were revealed: (1) trust in journalistic quality and (2) trust in the independence and impartiality of media coverage about political issues. Overall, the results demonstrate that the level of trust concerning these two dimensions is rather low, whereas the level of trust in journalistic quality is slightly higher than trust in the independence and impartiality of media coverage on political issues. Regarding possible explanations, the findings show that political disenchantment and populist attitudes, anti-establishment attitudes, and demand for people’s sovereignty are negatively related to media trust, while belief in the homogeneity of the people is positively related. Moreover, the results reveal that exposure to news via public television in Switzerland is positively associated with trust in journalistic quality, while the use of special news websites is negatively associated with both dimensions of trust. The implications for future research on media trust are discussed.

Viability of Alternative Online News Media Organizations in Developing and Transformation Countries

Media development cooperation is based on the assumption that free and independent media are a precondition for good governance and thus the effective functioning of democratic societies. In order to holistically approach the area of media development a concept that combines media sustainability and journalistic quality is needed – this call laid the foundation for the concept of media viability. This publication is one of the firsts that reveals general characteristics that shape, enhance and restrict media viability of online news organizations in developing countries and economies in transition. Further, the comparative approach serves to highlight the challenges and chances alternative online news media face with regard to media viability in the developing world and thus is a first step in the search for clues on how to best promote media viability. This analysis focuses on five countries within different world regions: Ecuador, Uganda, Cambodia, Ukraine and Tunisia.