Photojournalism and Violence in the Online Press of El Salvador

Abstract

Introduction: At present, the significance and the impact that digital photography has in online press is due to its fast dissemination around the world and nationwide. In regards to violence, El Salvador has been considered as one of the countries with the highest homicide rate, mainly because of gangs; throughout the years, this has been reflected in mass media, particularly on the written press and online press.
 Methodology: Online press and photojournalism in El Salvador were analyzed via a cross-sectional study; with a random sampling of 384 university students.
 Results: In relation to the news published with a high content of violence, 75% of the sampled people said that they had seen them; a low percentage (18.2%) stated not seeing online publications with a high content of violence. More than 69% of participants affirm that all digital media should go through a filter prior to publishing their news articles and photographs. More than 93% stated that social media is the go-to source to be informed on events and facts taking place in El Salvador and the rest of the world.
 Conclusions: The dissemination of news with a high content of violence via digital media indicates that the scenes published by this media are too graphic and shocking in all its versions, and this could have a direct incidence in the circle of violence Salvadoreans live in. News articles, especially those with high violent content can exert great influence in the population in a persuasive manner and/or in the dissemination of violence.