How to cite this article: Mayo-Cubero, Marcos (2020). "News sections, journalists and information sources in the journalistic coverage of crises and emergencies in Spain". El profesional de la información, v. 29, n. 2, e290211.

The effective implementation of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in higher education is not guaranteed without serious and rigorous pedagogical reflection. It is essential to maintain an ongoing debate on the effectiveness of the learning process. A debate accelerated by the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and the growing role of virtual and remote learning in universities worldwide. This research aims to overcome the quantitative approach of previous work with qualitative evidence to contribute to the field knowledge. The designed case study is based on a Moodle teaching experience in communication studies at a Spanish university. This innovative methodology is developed within a hybrid teaching ecosystem (blended learning) with the support of a virtual platform (Aula Virtual). The sample analysed is composed of 77 students enrolled in the subject ‘Television Journalism’. The design of an original and novel data collection instrument has supplied various quantitative and qualitative data. The triangulation of four data collection techniques has provided a demographic profile, an activity report, a grading report and a satisfaction report. The findings suggest a high degree of student satisfaction, with the experience and a significant improvement in students’ television writing skills, thanks to the implementation of Moodle.

Resumen: El manejo de las fuentes informativas en la cobertura periodística de las crisis supone un enorme desafío para los periodistas. Esta investigación se enfoca concretamente en el uso como fuente informativa de las redes sociales oficiales (las pertenecientes a las organizaciones involucradas en la gestión de una crisis) y las no oficiales (víctimas, afectados, ciudadanos, etc.) en coberturas de emergencias y desastres. Los datos proceden de una encuesta online aplicada a los directores de los 30 medios de comunicación más relevantes de España en los cuatro soportes estudiados: televisión, radio, prensa y prensa digital. Los resultados demuestran que, en la cobertura periodística de las crisis, los periodistas confían mucho en la información de la Web oficial (Administraciones públicas, Policía, Bomberos, Protección Civil, etc.), bastante en la procedente de las redes sociales oficiales y poco en la suministrada por las RR.SS. no oficiales (víctimas, afectados, ciudadanos, etc.). De todas las redes sociales oficiales analizadas: Facebook es la que menos confianza inspira a los periodistas como fuente informativa en un contexto actual marcado por el riesgo de las fake news y la desinformación. En cuanto a la finalidad, la mayoría de los periodistas emplean la información de las redes sociales o RR.SS. para contrastar y conseguir contactos.Palabras clave: redes sociales; crisis; desastre; comunicación; fuente; confianza; medios; Twitter.Abstract: The use of sources of information in news media coverage of the crises is a huge challenge for journalists. This research focuses specifically on the use as an informative source of official social media (those belonging to organizations involved in the management of a crisis) and unofficial social media (victims, affected, citizens, etc.) in emergency and disaster coverage. The data comes from an online survey applied to the directors of the 30 most important media in Spain in the four-mass media studied: television, radio, press and online media. The results show that in journalistic coverage of crises, journalists rely a lot on the information from the official website (Public administrations, Police, Firefighters, Civil Defense, etc.), quite a bit on the one coming from the official social media and little in that provided by the unofficial social media (victims, affected, citizens, etc.). Of all the official social networks analyzed: Facebook is the one that inspires less confidence as a source for journalists, in a current context marked by the risk of fake news and misinformation. Regarding the purpose, most journalists use information from social media to verify news stories and get contacts.Keywords: social media; crisis; disaster; communication; source; trust; online media; Twitter.

This article explores how the main Spanish media have adapted to the digital convergence by describing the gender gap in the newsroom from a quantitative methodological approach. The data comes from a nationwide survey applied to the 30 editors-in-chief of the most relevant newspapers, radio stations, television outlets, and online media in Spain. With a high response rate (76.6%), a significant finding is that the gender gap has been overcome in the Spanish newsrooms. In 61% of the analyzed media, women represent 50% or more of the journalists. Findings also show a positive correlation of moderate-intensity between women's work in the newsroom and Society section's weight (rho= .420, p < .05). The article also suggests a current profile of the newsroom in the major media with the balanced weight of the news sections. Findings suggest that in the average newsroom: 23% of the total number of journalists work in the Political section, 18.5% in Society, 16.5% in Business, 16.5% in Sports, 14% in International, and 11.5% in Culture. Likewise, findings also show that the average newsroom has between 101-300 journalists and presents a moderate temporality level: 69.5% of the editors admit to having a temporality rate equal to or less than 20% in their newsrooms. Reuters is the preferred international news agency, while EFE and Europa Press are the most used Spanish news agencies.

Journalists play a key role in digital emergency situations. In the midst of the chaos generated by a pandemic like the COVID-19 crisis, the information transmitted by the journalist is crucial to save lives and minimize damage. This chapter explores journalists' reliance on and trust in official and unofficial digital information sources. Specifically, the authors explore the authorities' official information sources involved in crisis management and the unofficial information sources (i.e., victims and those affected). The research suggests a model for journalists' relationship with their digital information sources in covering crises by exploring dependence, type of contact, trust, and purpose. It also synthesizes the main communication errors of the public authorities that manage the response to the crisis.

Las redes sociales son una herramienta clave para la comunicación de emergencias. El análisis de métricas puede ayudar a evaluar la efectividad y colaborar en la mejora de la gestión informativa. Este estudio de caso analiza las publicaciones de la cuenta oficial de Twitter de Emergencias 112 Comunidad de Madrid, durante cinco meses. Se exploran las correlaciones entre variables utilizando una metodología cuantitativa. Los resultados muestran que las publicaciones que tienen mayor impacto no son las emergencias locales, sino las noticias internacionales relacionadas con la emergencia del Terremoto de Turquía y Siria. Observamos asociaciones positivas muy fuertes entre el número de retuits, likes y el alcance de usuarios. Sin embargo, no se encontraron asociaciones significativas entre estas variables y el número de clicks en la url. Estos hallazgos sugieren que las métricas de popularidad en Twitter no siempre se correlacionan con la efectividad de la comunicación de riesgos. Por tanto, sería imprescindible una evaluación más profunda y compleja de las estrategias de comunicación para mejorar la gestión de riesgos en el futuro.

The conceptualization of the EU as a normative power has become a central theoretical framework in the field of European studies. This concept highlights the EU’s role in the promotion of normative principles, particularly those concerning its core values as laid out in article 2 of the Lisbon Treaty: human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. While the majority of academic works on NPE have mostly focused on the EU’s external action, there is a growing trend to apply this concept to the study of member States that challenge the core values of the EU. This paper takes a step further in that endeavor through the analysis of Spanish media discourses on the EU, and their role in the discursive construction of the EU as a normative power, both internally and externally. Specifically, our research focuses on how the EU’s commitment to human rights norms and the rule of law are reflected in dominant media discourses on the EU in Spanish media. To conduct our study, six national Spanish media outlets were selected based on the following criteria: Ownership; ideology; consumption; and impact. A final sample of 540 news items published between July 2021 and March 2022 were selected for analysis. Using a qualitative methodological approach that includes content analysis and critical discourse analysis, we analyzed the major discourses identified in relation to the EU, focusing on those in which the construction (or deconstruction) of the EU as a normative power is more prevalent. We also attempted to unfold how this construction is projected internally and externally.