Journalism in Digital Native Media: Beyond Technological Determinism

Abstract

This article reflects on the conceptualisation and practise of journalism in European digital native media. The way news is produced and consumed in the digital era knocks down the boundaries that once divided professionals, citizens, and activists. At the same time, significant changes highlighted in recent studies call for a new theoretical and practical approach that goes beyond the dominant perspective of technological determinism. In relation with previous research, we have selected innovative digital media platforms (<em>De Correspondent</em>,<em> Heidi.news</em>, <em>Eldiario.es</em>, <em>IlPost</em>, <em>Mediapart</em>,<em> </em>and <em>Observador</em>), and we have analysed the types of journalism they set out to produce, as gleaned from their public-facing communications and interviews with the platforms’ founders and editors, comparing their stated goals with the journalism they produce and, lastly, we commented on changes in journalism. Digital native media explore renewed fields for journalism. The present analysis allows identifying the emergence of a series of trends in digital native media, which show a coexistence of traditional and new principles. Beyond the technological impact, the new media respond to the needs of society by incorporating the citizen as a reason for its purpose and as a collaborator in production processes. On the other hand, new players and an updated role of journalists come into play with innovative proposals designed for the current multiplatform and mobile scenario.

Periodismo y Crisis Sanitarias

“…En medio de la vorágine tecnológica que ha supuesto la transformación de algunas dinámicas y la continuidad de otras (Örnebring, 2018;Cohen, 2019), el trabajo periodístico sigue mayoritariamente supeditado a las políticas editoriales, las lógicas organizacionales, las presiones comerciales y políticas, las fuentes de información, la lógica de la inmediatez, el impacto de la audiencia y los ideales como condicionantes de la materialización de los principios y roles de la profesión (Shoemaker & Reese, 2013;Waisbord, 2013). Ante estas presiones, las transformaciones tecnológicas y los nuevos patrones de producción y consumo digital de noticias ya de por sí suponían la adquisición de perfiles polivalentes y nuevas habilidades digitales y multi-plataforma (Scolari et al, 2008;Barrios & Zambrano, 2015;López-García, Rodríguez-Vázquez & Pereira-Fariña, 2017;García-Orosa, López-García & Vázquez-Herrero, 2020), pero también mayores cargas de trabajo y menos tiempo para corroboración y verificación de la información. La inmediatez y la competencia por el rating o el llamado clickbait son la puerta de entrada a la desinformación, el sensacionalismo o la alarma en la cobertura de diversos temas (Bazaco, García & García, 2019;Peña Salas, 2020), como suele ocurrir con las coberturas de pandemias (Waisbord, 2010).…”

Democracy, Freedom and Truth at a Time of Digital Disruption: An Equation with Three Unknowns?

“…["The rise of social networks and their effect on mediated communication in present societies, as well as mobile communication, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality, and transmedia strategies, have encouraged the search for experimental and innovative responses […] which encourages extensions of the person for services, personalisation of content, and [an] updated meaning of place and time. [50]"] A third shift has occurred in the realm of information itself, which has been democratised beyond censorship, is now shared instantly across borders [51] and has been radically liberalised, to such an extent that any individual, often anonymously, can produce and share information and opinions and can judge and take a stance on the basis of their own truths and values. Information now finds itself within a transitional ecosystem in which traditional and innovative media coexist and old concepts are co-opted to deal with new challenges.…”

Digital Competencies for New Journalistic Work in Media Outlets: A Systematic Review

“…For some authors (Berganza et al, 2017;Cruz-Álvarez & Suarez-Villegas, 2017;García-Orosa et al, 2020;Lugo-Ortiz, 2016;Sánchez-García, 2016), the future of journalism relies on keeping its essence instead of training students in new technologies. Accordingly, Lazo et al (2020) stress that there are traditional competencies in journalism that graduates should always acquire, regardless of whether professionals operate in online or offline environments since the absence of these skills would lead to an "identity crisis of journalism, with deep and disastrous consequences for the profession, the society and democracy" (p. 55).…”