Digital-native news organizations have grown steadily in Spain since the mid-1990s and they have become established as a major force in the media market. Paradoxically, their biggest expansion coincided with the Great Recession (2008–2014). In fact, their numbers increased most during 2012–2013, when traditional media were cutting staff in response to the economic crisis, and unemployment rates in the media sector as a whole hit their peak. However, these digital-native news startups have yet to prove their sustainability and stability. This study uses our own database of 3,862 native and non-native digital news outlets in Spain and the Reuters Institute Digital News Report to analyze a number of characteristics of these media, such as the percentage that have gone inactive, the relative popularity of legacy brands vs. digital natives, multi-platform synergies, content subject matter, geographical location, ownership, and funding sources. Based on these quantitative parameters, this study reviews the structural strengths and weaknesses of digital-native media in the Spanish news market. Taking into account these findings, we conclude that the surge in digital-native news media observed in Spain during the Great Recession followed the pattern of creative destruction described by several economists.

This study introduces the concept of “nobody-fools-me perception”, a cognitive bias consisting of overconfidence in one’s own ability to detect disinformation, associated with the belief that one is more immune to false content than almost everyone else. Specifically, it examines the extent to which variables such as age and education determine the conviction that one is able to spot false content, and influence the skills and habits of checking and sharing potentially unverified information on health, a serious problem in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on two face-to-face focus groups and one online focus group made up of Spanish people between the ages of 25 and 54, this qualitative research study explored the behaviour of regular citizens when assessing the truthfulness of health-related news, and their habits about believing it. The results reveal that younger people tended to distrust the ability of older people to spot false content, and vice versa. They also show that people with a higher educational level were more confident about their own immunity to disinformation. By introducing the concept of “nobody-fools-me perception”, this study contributes to our understanding of how subjective perceptions lead to believing in false news.

This research aims to portray the way young adult people interact with news and how their consumption is affected by advertising and personal data sharing. 'Digital News Report Spain 2018', a questionnaire on the consumption of digital media undertaken by a national panel of 2,023 Internet users, is used as a main source. Among the users mentioned, there were 293 young people from 25 to 34 years old who belong to the Millennial generation. Data from this report was completed with a qualitative study in which two focus groups were held, featuring people of that age frame residing in Navarre. The paper concludes that young adult people are generally interested in news, which they access mainly via mobile devices. Their interest grows when the content affects them directly, but also if they empathize with the topic. On the other hand, their familiar background and social routines shape the way they receive information. Young adult people still make use of traditional media, although they consider it ideologically biased. Advertising is something annoying, although they generally have little knowledge and even less intention to use ad-blockers. Finally, their review of the personalized services is negative, but they tend to give away personal data to media if this facilitates their news access. Esta investigación tiene como objetivo caracterizar cómo interactúan los jóvenes adultos con las noticias, en qué medida su consumo se ve condicionado por la presencia de publicidad y si se preocupan por la cesión de datos personales. Para ello, se toma como punto de partida el «Digital News Report Spain 2018», informe elaborado a partir de un cuestionario sobre consumo de medios digitales a un panel nacional de 2.023 internautas; de ellos, 293 son jóvenes de 25-34 años, que pertenecen a la generación «millennials». Estos datos se completaron con un estudio cualitativo, realizando dos grupos de discusión con personas de esa franja de edad residentes en la Comunidad Foral de Navarra. Entre las conclusiones de la investigación se señala que los jóvenes adultos se interesan por las noticias, a las que acceden de manera prioritaria por dispositivos móviles. Este interés es mayor cuando el contenido les afecta directamente o si empatizan con la temática de la noticia. Por otra parte, el entorno familiar y las rutinas sociales condicionan su manera de informarse. Siguen accediendo a medios tradicionales, aunque los consideran ideologizados. La publicidad la perciben como molesta, si bien no hay conocimiento ni un uso generalizado de bloqueadores. Finalmente, valoran negativamente los servicios de personalización actuales, aunque ceden algunos datos personales a los medios si le facilita el acceso a la información.

A punto de cumplir su primer cuarto de siglo, los medios periodísticos digitales de España continúan con su crecimiento constante. La presente investigación presenta un mapa actualizado, a marzo de 2018, de los cibermedios periodísticos en España. Metodología: En concreto, identifica y analiza una muestra compuesta por 3.431 medios digitales, localizados gracias a una revisión de directorios especializados y al empleo de diversas estrategias de búsqueda avanzada. Se trata de la mayor muestra de publicaciones digitales de España hasta el momento. Resultados: Sobre el conjunto de medios identificado, se estudian aspectos como el estado actual de las publicaciones (activas o inactivas), número y tipo de plataformas donde se publican, tema, alcance, distribución territorial, lenguas de publicación, titularidad y modelo de financiación. Discusión y Conclusiones: El resultado es un mapa actualizado y minucioso, aunque no exhaustivo, de los cibermedios en España, que retrata estas publicaciones como un medio altamente consolidado y en expansión.

Los podcasts de noticias están acaparando el interés de las empresas periodísticas a medida que crece su consumo, que se espera mayor a medida que se generalice la implantación de los altavoces inteligentes. Estas nuevas modalidades de acceso a los contenidos informativos abren nuevas oportunidades narrativas para contar las noticias a través del audio y pueden ayudar a consolidar el prestigio informativo de las grandes marcas periodísticas en el entorno digital. Este trabajo es una primera aproximación teórica al fenómeno de los denominados daily news podcasts o podcast de noticias, su definición, sus características, sus tipologías y sus peculiaridades narrativas. A partir de la revisión bibliográfica de este formato novedoso y del análisis de contenido de tres casos —The Daily (The New York Times), Today in Focus (The Guardian) y Las noticias de ABC (Vocento)— se concluirá que el éxito de los podcasts de noticias permitirá a los medios de comunicación digital llegar a nuevas audiencias, crear comunidades de marca a partir del audio, explorar nuevas narrativas y abrir nuevas oportunidades de negocio.

The growing popularity of podcasting is an opportunity for the news industry to identify new ways of delivering journa­lism and to find solutions to the challenges of digital transformation. Podcasts are tools that help the media adapt to the digital sphere by giving prominence to audio to extend their journalistic influence in the sonosphere. Given its disruptive nature, and since it breaks with the traditional content choices available, the analysis of this article focuses on what is offered in the form of podcasts by digital native media brands in Spain. It looks at the extent to which they are committed to this audio content and the type of journalism-based productions they promote and publish. To do this, a qualitative and quantitative content analysis methodology was used. This included an interpretation of data recorded in the Digital media map 2021 (Mapa de medios digitales 2021), updated as part of the Diginativemedia project (2019-2021). An in-depth study of a corpus –or sample– of 29 titles or series of podcasts published by 7 native news brands is also provided. These brands were selected because they publish podcasts and because, according to the Digital news report Spain 2021, they have the largest weekly reach among Spanish internet users. The results of the research show that only 1 in 4 digital media brands that offer podcasts (925) are native (232), and that it is the specialist native media outlets that are most committed to podcasting (140). Native media brands view podcasts as part of their journalism-based products and services, whose presence is beginning to grow as an exploration of their informative and expressive potential. In addition, it is podcasts that tackle current affairs using conversational formats –both audio and video– through serialised, original productions for the media outlet’s website and to provide a range of platforms.