Abstract

This article discusses the opinions of Spanish journalists on the quality of their professional work and how it is being affected by the current economic, technological, commercial and professional context. The results are based on a questionnaire in which 363 Spanish journalists participated, all with a minimum of three years experience. Their answers reflect on the structure and behavior of media companies and current production of news. The article specifically focuses on exposing the journalists’ opinions on the quality of their work. The results show that 81% of the participants state that standards of quality in journalistic production has deteriorated. This deterioration is believed to be connected to the effect of the economic struggles in the sector. They suggested that the principle motives of this decline lie in the lack of economic and political independence, a lack of private investment and in the problems caused by technological changes. These situations all fall into the context of a precarious labor market within the sector. The article also links the results with academic works that have analyzed the quality of journalism over recent years. It offers, for the first time in the Spanish academic context, the Spanish journalists’ own point of view on these issues.

Abstract

The traditional need to collect, care for and make available a huge collection of physical items has shaped the education, work and even the sense of identity of information professionals, as well as the services provided by libraries. As the infrastructure related to physical items increasingly disappears from our responsibilities, we need to fundamentally rethink how we go about our mission to collect, organize, preserve and make available the information resources of the human enterprise. Various topics that are transforming the information professional’s environment are discussed, including digitization, digital collections, open access, information abundance, etc.

Abstract

The perception of specialized journalists about the transformations of public communication of health and biomedicine in Spain in the last two decades was analysed. Twenty semi-structured interviews were performed. In the analysis, the metaphorical concept of "ecosystem" has been used. According to the interviewees, the main "environmental" changes have been technological (highlighting the expansion and diversity of online information and the impact of social networks). There is a multiplication and diversification of the "species" of information sources. Within this, specialized sources (researchers and health professionals) and civil associations (patients and consumers) have increased their visibility, but "opportunistic species" have also emerged, such as the promoters of fake-news and pseudotherapies. Despite recognizing that their work "environment" has worsened and perceiving the dependence on clickbait and network positioning as a threat, health journalists value their profession with satisfaction.