Abstract

On-line journalism completes 15 years of existence in 2009. The characteristics of journalism have evolved with information technology. Interaction and hypertextuality are two elements that configure the essence of the relationship between journalism and new information and communication technologies. This research analyzes the profile and elements of on-line journalism, as well as the transmitter and receiver in this communication process. The research corpus is 10 international media and the following Mexican media: 100 newspapers, 30 television stations and 30 radio stations, all with more than 10 years’ on-line experience. Also, two hundred e-mails were sent out to journalists, leader writers and webmasters.

Abstract

The ultimate goal of private hospitals in Spain is to increase their number of patients, or at least their revenues, whereas public hospitals do not have this goal because they do not necessarily need to attract more patients. Consequently, the communication carried out at each type of institution may be different. In order to find out if there are any differences and determine their impact on citizens, the communication of both public and private hospitals in two regions of Spain (Castilla y León and Galicia) is analyzed using personal interviews and a survey about public relations. In addition, an official health report is analyzed to determine the satisfaction, assessment, and selection of health centers. In conclusion, private hospitals have better public relations; but, citizens prefer and value public hospitals more. The preliminary image of each type of institution prevails over the communication processes they carry out.