In-Depth Analysis of Exclusives Stories in the Spanish
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
LAMELAS, M., PONT-SORRIBES, C. y ALSIUS, S. In-depth analysis of exclusives in the Spanish political journalism CUADERNOS.INFO Nº 38 ISSN 0719-3661 Versión electrónica: ISSN 0719-367x http://www.cuadernos.info doi: 10.7764/cdi.38.673 Received: 11-06-2014 / Accepted: 12-01-2015 In-depth analysis of exclusives stories in the Spanish political journalism: monitoring and factors of competition Radiografía de las exclusivas en el periodismo político español: seguimiento y factores de competencia Radiografia do ‘furo’ no jornalismo político espanhol: monitoração e fatores de concorrência MARCOS LAMELAS, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, España ([email protected]) CARLES PONT-SORRIBES, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, España ([email protected]) SALVADOR ALSIUS, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, España ([email protected]) ABSTRACT RESUMEN RESUMO Scoops in Spanish political journalism are La exclusiva en el periodismo político español A exclusividade no jornalismo político rare, despite the significant weight given es una rareza, pese al importante peso que espanhol é uma raridade, apesar do to this kind of content in the whole of the se le otorga a este contenido en el conjunto peso significativo que é dado a este tipo press and to the symbolic importance de la prensa y a la relevancia simbólica de de conteúdo em toda a imprensa e da of its topics. This paper analyzes the los temas que le son propios. Este trabajo importância simbólica das questões que scoops published by the five major analiza los scoops que publicaron los cinco lhe são inerentes. Este artigo analisa Spanish newspapers in their politics principales diarios españoles en sus secciones os furos que publicaram os cinco sections on 2012. The study includes de Política durante el año 2012. El estudio principais jornais espanhóis nas suas both the amount as the similarities and contempla tanto la cantidad como las seções de Política em 2012. O estudo differences between what was published semejanzas y diferencias entre lo publicado contempla tanto a quantidade quanto in the paper and digital versions of each en papel y en las versiones digitales de cada as semelhanças ou diferenças entre o media. The methodology used is based medio. La metodología utilizada se basa en trabalho publicado em papel e as suas on a quantitative work, under the variant un trabajo cuantitativo, bajo la variante de versões digitais. A metodologia utilizada of discourse analysis. análisis del discurso. baseia-se num trabalho quantitativo a partir de análise de discurso. Keywords: Journalism, scoop, source, Palabras clave: Periodismo, exclusiva, Palavras-chave: Jornalismo, furo, fontes, investigative journalism, newspapers, fuentes, periodismo de investigación, diari- jornalismo investigativo, jornais, Internet. Internet. os, Internet. •How to cite: Lamelas, M.,CUADERNOS.INFO Pont-Sorribes, Nº C. 38 y /Alsius, JUNE 2016 S. (2016). / ISSN 0719-3661Radiografía / deE-VERSION: las exclusivas WWW.CUADERNOS.INFO en el periodismo / ISSNpolítico 0719-367X español: seguimiento y factores de competencia. Cuadernos.info, (38), 121-136. doi: 10.7764/cdi.38.673 121 LAMELAS, M., PONT-SORRIBES, C. y ALSIUS, S. In-depth analysis of exclusives in the Spanish political journalism INTRODUCTION all themes and sections; it is multimedia, because it Journalism and scoop are two words that often is desired in any media; and global, since it happens should appear together. More even in the case of in any developed country. A scoop is appreciated newspapers, because it is assumed that print media not only by the audience, that in the current 2.0 is still the one managing the so-called agenda setting environment will validate or censor it with a Tweet (Cohen, 1983; Luhmann, 1995; McCombs & Shaw, thirty seconds later, but above all by the broadcaster, 1972). However, it seems not be so, neither in the from journalists to directors, going trough all the practice of the profession in Spanish newspapers – chain of command to get to editors or multimedia where the majority of the information or even of their entrepreneurs. front pages does not correspond to exclusive themes The scoop will be the thermometer that will mark developed by the editorial department– nor in the the difference between the success or failure of the academic environments of the country, where the scoop most discerning journalism, with the aggravating has scarcely been studied as a main field. circumstance that not all can win: the scoop of others The importance of analyzing the scoop is higher in is one’s fiasco and vice versa. an environment where many voices are calling for a new Thus, it will be its legendary feature that will give newspaper model. In the values of classic journalism, value to the scoop. However, some analysts of this the scoop has become an important qualitatively dimension have denounced its little practical sense element to consider. However, the works on the quality (Fernández, 2010), literally defining the scoop as a of the press in Spain, more focused on ethical problems, social obsession and as a “carrot for all rabbits”, meaning have left it aside as a strict analysis object. that beyond its symbolic status, it can bring little The Cambridge Dictionary defines a scoop as “a concrete value to the media. Something more than story or piece of news discovered and published by one evident in Spain, where the media is drowned by the newspaper before all the others”. And for its equivalent crisis of advertising and of the business model. in Spanish, the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy This paper attempts to clarify who gives the states in its entry number 4 that the exclusive is a exclusives, which format –paper or digital– prevails, “news obtained and published by only one media, how sources are used, what resources are dedicated, to that reserves the rights to its diffusion”. To this general what extent the most basic ethical aspects are respected approach we must add that this front-page stories must and if the media manages to make them profitable. To not only be new, but, in addition, the competition must do so, we have assembled a significant sample during have lost them (Lewis & Cushion, 2009). a concrete period, the year 2012, considered crucial In the conception of traditional journalism we can by the number and meaning of the cases produced in perceive a certain “scoop mentality”, a valuation of the analyzed Spanish newspapers. “being the first in giving an information” (Gahran, 2011), notoriety that not only implies prestige within a closed community of reporters, but also drives sources THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK to talk to journalists reputed by their scoops which, in This study takes as frame of reference the theory of theory, leads readers to read their stories. agenda setting, because if the publication of a scoop has In a historical imaginary shared by the professional any meaning, is to set the agenda. When an exclusive collective of the Western reporting, exclusive fails to draw the attention of the audience, then it has information adds value, that both justifies a greater failed in its primary objective. In regards to the agenda remuneration of the star journalists of each media setting, Lang and Lang (1966) indicate: and implies an influence on the rest of the media environment or a –theoretical rather than real– impact The mass media force attention to certain issues. They build on sales. A scoop is one of the most valued contents up public images of political figures. They are constantly by a certain way of understanding free press. Its presenting objects suggesting what individuals in the mass appreciation is transversal, because it equally affects should think about, know about, have feelings about. (p. 177) CUADERNOS.INFO Nº 38 / JUNE 2016 / ISSN 0719-3661 / E-VERSION: WWW.CUADERNOS.INFO / ISSN 0719-367X 122 LAMELAS, M., PONT-SORRIBES, C. y ALSIUS, S. In-depth analysis of exclusives in the Spanish political journalism As a first approach to the effects on the media continue to be more influential in setting the agenda. we would have to consider the ideas about liquid However, the pressure of the Internet makes that journalism (Deuze, 2006) or how the evolution of traditional media have increasingly more difficulties the consumer society leads to a faster reporting, that to set an agenda (Boczkowski & Mitchelstein, 2013). expires sooner and depends much more than before During electoral periods or of political crisis it would on a news consumer which, in turn, also produces be easier to exercise this power, while in calm times it information, recommends them, endorse them or would be more difficult, since audience’s preferences distribute them. Other classic references (Tuchman, –as crimes, sports or curiosities– impose. 1978) also supported their theories on the news and The reputation of the media often depends on the construction of reality on the agenda setting. procuring exclusive information (Gentzkow & Shapiro, The mechanism of scoops makes that the media 2008), which they will look for at any price. Some imitate one another (Lim, 2013), although the press authors (Diezhandino, 2012) consider that the scoop develops certain strategies to avoid that the exclusive is a rara avis limited to newspapers and that it is very theme of a competitor marks the agenda, for example, expensive in these days. Despite this, the scoop is the ignoring the issue or appropriating it through an main battlefield in the competition between media and update. In general, this factor of competition