Abstract

The creation of media by journalists has seen a strong increase in Spain in recent years in tandem with the crisis experienced within the news sector. This phenomenon, known as entrepreneurial journalism, is a case of innovation within the field of information. The aim of this paper is to critically examine the contributions of entrepreneurial journalism in the fields of information, labor, and business; examine its socio-political effects; and its chances of consolidation. To do this, the challenges it faces to ensure survival are analyzed.

Abstract

The aims of this article are twofold: to examine attitudes towards news media in Spain in order to measure to what extent consumers are critical about them, and to establish possible predictors that characterize the individuals who are the most skeptical. A national survey showed that, in general, Spaniards trust their media, although they do not consider them to be impartial; it also revealed a set of typical characteristics of the more incredulous media consumer group: they are mainly middle-aged men with a high level of education living in large cities in the north of Spain who are distrustful towards interpersonal relationships and watch less TV than the average.

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has confined millions of citizens in their homes. The situation of isolation has many consequences at multiple levels: social, psychological, economic, educational..., and also communicative. Based on a survey to 1,122 people during the most severe confinement phase, this article aims to analyze how information consumption has been modified during this period of time, and how citizens assess media coverage of Covid-19. The results show citizenship get more news and more frequently than before the health crisis. All in all, citizens maintain a critical attitude towards media coverage of the outbreak, which is, according to the results, conditioned by the media ideology, and reported in a sensationalist way, generating unnecessary social alarm. 

Abstract

News media organizations have been experimenting with immersive journalism formats in recent years. The search for new ways to tell stories is driven by technology and has given rise to new –and not so new– forms of expression. The initial enthusiasm has dissipated over the years, so the uncertainty of the future of immersive journalism justifies the study of the most potential ways of using this technology in journalism. This research was carried out in Finland and Spain, and it is based on a textual narrative analysis and a reception study comparing the online article and 360º video versions of the report Fukushima: Contaminated Lives from El país. The results identify the affordances of both formats and confirm that immersive journalism has the capacity to generate a greater emotional effect based on a greater perception of presence, realism and involvement, also having a positive impact on increasing interest and changing opinions on related topics. The narration of online article seems to work better only if there is large amount of information that has to be understood and contextualized. However, authors claim that, instead of an essential break, there are similarities between both formats, which are situated on the same continuum of emotionality and rationality. These findings also indicate that immersive storytelling can be an important part of the emotional or affective turn in contemporary journalism. The sensation of presence and empathy towards distant and complex realities emerge as the main distinguishing values of the kind of immersive journalism that Fukushima: Contaminated lives represents.