Do digital platforms really make a difference in content? Mapping journalistic role performance in Chilean print and online news

Claudia Mellado, María Luisa Humanes, Andrés Scherman, Auska Ovando

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Previous research has largely explored the differences and similarities between print and digital media in terms of news cycles and specific content characteristics. However, fewer studies have addressed the extent to which the media platform accounts for differences in the performance of key journalistic roles. Based on a content analysis of 1519 stories from Chilean print and online news outlets, this study found that, while media affordances did have an influence on the way journalists performed their work, thematic beat and media audience orientation were more crucial to explaining differences in the presence of different roles across print and digital media. The findings support a position that is midway between the generalist and particularistic approaches regarding the influence of the media platform on role performance, thereby underscoring the multilayered nature of journalistic practice.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)358-377
Number of pages20
JournalJournalism
Volume22
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Digital media
  • generalist approach
  • journalism
  • journalistic role performance
  • media affordances
  • media platform
  • online news
  • particularistic approach

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