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In recent years, fact-checking journalism has become one of the dominant strategies to tackle disinformation. For these entities to be effective and gain the trust of citizens, it is essential that they carry out their work under the principles of ideological neutrality, especially when they try to verify political discourse. This paper, groundbreaking in the Spanish context, aims to analyze the verification practices and possible partisan biases of political fact-checking in Spain through a specific study applied to Newtral, the main fact-checker specialized in politics in this country. The political verification practices used by this fact-checker since the beginning of its activity (October 2018-October 2022) were analyzed through quantitative content analysis. In a second phase, the same study was replicated, applied only to the discourse of the main national political leaders. The study used inferential statistics (chi-square hypothesis tests, correlational studies, Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test). No significant differences were observed between political parties in any of the variables analyzed in the phases of execution and verdict, neither in the general sample nor in the specific sample related to political leaders. However, greater attention is paid to the statements made by politicians belonging to Partido Popular, whose discourse is more checked, which could indicate a certain selection bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The audiences of generalist television’s newscasts reflect that the viewers’ interests and loyalties are constantly changing. Research shows that several elements influence the success of programs and formats, but in this paper, we draw attention to the factors that determine the credibility of newscasts. We also want to know how pluralism is safeguarded in newscasts, as we consider that credibility and pluralism are two intertwined values that influence one another. As credibility is a subjective value, it is required to find new information criteria that is suitable and of the utmost rigor. The main aim is to delve into whether there is a consensus on the basic parameters for the definition, identification, and assessment of credibility of nationwide public service media in Spain. Moreover, we are also interested in whether audience figures can be used to determine the degree of trust of newscasts. The analysis brings forward the observations of researchers, scholars and media professionals that offer a vision on the different approaches that integrate the multiple aspects affecting news consumption and interpretation. We conclude that credibility is a concept composed of multidimensional components, resulting from a process where different filters condition fact perception. That is why a story can have different meanings, related to the different point of views of citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the evolution and current situation of the topic Journalistic Production in the training of journalists when fifty years of university studies in Spain are marked with the creation of the first Faculties of Information Sciences. From the research field and from the university training field, a delimitation of Journalistic Production with respect to other areas has not been conducted yet. Our main goal is to know the representation of the subject Journalistic Production in the training proposal of Spanish public universities within the framework of the European Higher Education Area. We carry out a content analysis of the lecturing guides of 282 courses belonging to the study plans of the degrees and double degrees in Journalism of 22 Spanish public universities, where we quantitatively observe the offer of specific contents of Journalistic Production by kind of subjects, credits, courses and knowledge areas and, also, qualitatively the jargon of the subjects and the specificity degree in the treatment of the contents. We conclude that there is a stable presence of contents on Journalistic Production, although they are perceived as fragmented and scattered in varied courses, as well as a lack of recognition in the terminology of subjects and a low or very low level of specificity in the contents lectured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the data visualizations incorporated in the online versions of the main hybrid newspapers in Spain and the United States to find out their features and the role they play in the articles. In addition to this objective, the aim is to determine whether there are significant differences in the use of visualizations in the practice of data journalism in national and foreign newspapers. Through a content analysis, the articles published during the year 2021 in the web versions of El País, El Mundo, The New York Times and The Washington Post were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological transformations and, especially, the accelerated process of digitalization have changed the profiles and production routines of the media. At the same time, universities have had to adapt their journalism curricula to new training needs. This paper analyzes the evolution of the technical-digital training of the journalism degree in Spain over the last two decades through a comparative study of three stages: before, during, and after the adaptation to the EHEA (2000-2010-2020). The research brings together, as valuable reference material, the curricular offerings of 112 programs and 242 subjects that show the educational evolution of the digital environment over the last 20 years, with a longitudinal and epistemological approach. The trends identified by this diagnostic work confirm, among other aspects, how the design of journalism curricula has evolved at a slow and asynchronous pace in digital training until the last decade and with disparate speeds between universities. Added to this is the conformation of a highly varied epistemological heritage that, beyond the specific names of the subjects, denotes a progressive commitment to digital and multimedia teaching, combining generic hybrid knowledge with more specialized training in terms of languages and formats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication studies in Spain have now become consolidated based on their evolution over the last 50 years. The aim of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of the current state of Spanish higher education in Communication. To this end, an analysis is carried out of the structure and composition of the undergraduate and postgraduate degrees (master and PhD studies) in Communication at public and private universities in Spain, paying special attention to the centers that host these studies, the people who contribute to their operation, and their offerings and distribution. Using a descriptive methodology and the content analysis technique, an analysis form is applied to the universities composing the system of Communication studies in Spain, based on their offerings and the information available and accessible on their institutional websites. The results reveal the difficulty of accessing such data and the lack of common criteria (or compliance) for presenting such information on official websites. The results reveal a greater offering at the national level but a wide dispersion of the higher education offering in terms of type, location, type of university, and territorial distribution. We also highlight the gender gap in terms of faculty leadership as well as among teaching staff. We emphasize the phenomenon of double or combined degrees, especially at private universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thie main objective of this paper is the conceptual study and characterization of slow journalism from an academic and professional perspective. As a methodological process, a total of 76 files have been analyzed, of which 58 correspond to publications of authors from the academic world and 18 to journalism professionals. Thie publications come from the academic world on information and journalistic quality, on digital journalism and narrative journalism, as emerging journalistic routines with potential and creative dynamics in the media sector. Thie other part of the analysis corresponds to 18 professional journalism experts. Among the most outstanding results is the preeminence of the academic world when it comes to studying the phenomenon, given that among those who practice journalism there is less production of works in this regard compared to those coming from the university environment. Also in academia there is a greater profusion of denominations to refer to the phenomenon in Spanish, although both in academia and in the journalistic profession itself the most commonly used term is the Anglo-Saxon term slow journalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade there have been several debates about the relevance of online news comments. While some question the hate speech that is verified in these spaces, others highlight the possibility of exchanging opinions. This paper proposes a methodological tool to measure the quality of online news comments, using a sample of 300 comments on highly visible websites in Portugal (Público; Sapo), Spain (El País; 20 Minutos) and Brazil (UOL; Folha S. Paulo). The results determine that commentators tend to use a little personal argumentation (82.3%), although relevant to the discussion in question (60.3%), with few grammatical errors (14.7%) or aggressive interventions (31.7%). Following the Online Comment Policy Evaluation Model (Known in Spanish as MPONC), it is concluded that websites with quality comment moderation systems attract more relevant and timely interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines databases of female experts as tools to promote gender parity in the sources consulted and cited by journalists. To do this, we conducted a search of databases available online (n = 88) and carried out in-depth interviews with people in charge of these databases (n = 4) as well as a survey among female scientific researchers included in the database of the Association of Women Researchers and Technologists of Spain (AMIT) (n = 919). The main results reflect the great potential of these tools but indicate that, to be effective, they require fluid communication with the media and a design that allows their incorporation into the regular routines of journalists. In Spain, their impact is still low and, as in the rest of the world, there is great fragmentation of resources accompanied by very weak interaction among the different initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This paper analyses the pressures that journalism has exerted or attempted to exert from politics. Methodology: The study uses a combination of qualitative methodologies, such as focus groups discussion, and quantitative ones, such as surveys of journalists; both methodologies allows to know how politics influence journalists and how it can limit media instruments of accountability. Results: this study presents the results of an investigation that shows that journalists and citizens share the perception that political influence is one of the main assumptions that affect the development of good journalism. Discussion/conclusion: Although journalists recognize political and government pressures, the study concludes that they do not give in or feel responsible to political parties or governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses different discourse strategies used by the journalist Jesús Duva in his report "Los siete días que hicieron temblar la Transición" (The week the Spanish Democratic Transition trembled), in which features typically associated with melodrama are used to narrate the concatenation of events that culminated in the tragedies of 23rd and 24th January 1977, when Spain was immersed in the process of transforming the structures of a dictator-ship into those of a democracy. The specific nature of political journalism in the construction of the discursive identity of a social group plays an important role here, as Duva's text not only aims to retrieve the historic memory of the Transition period, but it also mythologizes it. The passing of time contributes to this effect, as it has put the account of this political process into perspective, while also charting the schematic narration of a crucial event in the future that awaited that Spanish people. Specifically, one of the formulae adopted by the narration is melodrama, a fictitious system used to imbue the experience with meaning that explains how and why the episodes took place and that also presents a polarized world vision. One of the mechanisms used to enhance this melodramatic representation is, in fact, metaphor, which lends shape and substance to a narrative that brings a social group cohesion. Its capacity for simplification makes metaphor an extremely efficient tool in the sphere of politics, constituting an ideal resource for the transmitting of large amounts of information in a simple fashion. In our case, this means of conceptualization is an essential mechanism for the shaping of melodrama. As our analysis will show, several conceptual domains metaphorically shape a melodramatic account that moves the reader, provoking feelings of admiration and fear. These domains lend coherence to the text, working together and showing that melodramatic narration is an example of metaphorical systematization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first reported case of transmission of the Ebola virus in Europe occurred in Spain. The subsequent management of communication surrounding the 'outbreak' brought about a crisis with implications for both health authorities and the media. This paper explores the management of institutional communication by the Ministry of Health, within the first forty-eight hours leading up to the diagnosis, as well as the Spanish press' coverage of the "crisis of Ebola". Focus will be placed on the analysis of the front pages of 6 Spanish newspapers (with the largest national circulation) as well as 17 regional newspapers, and their possible sensationalist impact within those first forty-eight hours (October 7th and 8th, 2014). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mass media have a strong impact on International Relations. Foreign Correspondents are the key pieces of international information. This paper presents the model of peace journalism as a tool to analyze the frames that journalists give in covering a conflict. The case of study is the coverage made by correspondents in the Spanish press to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict in 2007 -2008. The results show that all journalists analyzed were prone to a peace journalism frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of the information via databases is one of the big innovations since the arrival of the computer science and telecommunications to the journalism. In this paper, we present the results of a project which studies ways of managing information and memory in four representative cases of media in Spain and Brazil. This research uses content analysis, observation and interviews as methodological tools and shows the importance of a correct management and recovery of the data at every stage of the journalistic process: documentation, production, recovery, circulation and consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyze how main Spanish talk radio stations are using Twitter. We start from the hypothesis that this application is being underused. To check it, we have conducted a content analysis of the official Twitter accounts of the main 5 talk radio stations during two weeks, from January, 28th to February, 10th, 211. The results of the 342 analyzed messages certify some positive indicators, together with a widespread use of a 2.0 tool with a mentality that, in many aspects, still remains 1.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has an approach to the different characteristics which make up the public's image of journalists, analysing the motivations behind the decision of those who became and those who want to become journalists. In the case of professional journalists, there is a theoretical framework from which to analyze the essential influences on the decision to become a journalist: we can underline the development of personal talents, and the social influence of journalism and its existential possibilities. These reasons help explain some professional behaviour and attitudes, and point to why journalism is a questionable profession in Spain nowadays. The ideal profile of a journalist inevitably influences the value placed on the work of journalists, and also affects the Decision of those who contemplate a career in journalism. Moreover, these youngsters who want to become journalists - whose motivations are contrasted in an investigation into students in the final year of High School and the first year of university - accept the usual stereotypes of journalists, even those which present a kind of mythical image, but these youngsters are also conscious of the need for personal criticism. They call for the return to the most important values and qualities of journalism to develop professional competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has an approach to the different characteristics which make up the public's image of journalists, analysing the motivations behind the decision of those who became and those who want to become journalists. In the case of professional journalists, there is a theoretical framework from which to analyze the essential influences on the decision to become a journalist: we can underline the development of personal talents, and the social influence of journalism and its existential possibilities. These reasons help explain some professional behaviour and attitudes, and point to why journalism is a questionable profession in Spain nowadays. The ideal profile of a journalist inevitably influences the value placed on the work of journalists, and also affects the decision of those who contemplate a career in journalism. Moreover, these youngsters who want to become journalists — whose motivations are contrasted in an investigation into students in the final year of High School and the first year of university — accept the usual stereotypes of journalists, even those which present a kind of mythical image, but these youngsters are also conscious of the need for personal criticism. They call for the return to the most important values and qualities of journalism to develop professional competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we want to analyze the pictures publishing in the Spanish and international newspapers before the Madrid terrorist attack, March, 11. With this research we get some ideas about freedom speech limits: the respect of the privacy and, in special, the respect of the pain. At the same time, we'll remark the importance of the photography in the press and their communication power. For this research we used the March, 11 and 12 newspapers of most important Spanish editors and the digital edition of international press. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]