Research on journalism innovation has become increasingly relevant for science and practice. The literature shows a great variety of innovations in a wide range of media fields. However, the question of what the most important innovations in different media systems are has not been addressed. This article attempts to fill this research gap by providing a theoretical framework that deals with the function of journalism in society as well as with the multifaceted meaning of innovation in a time of constant media change. We identify and analyze the most important journalistic innovations in Austria, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom in the last decade. Interviews with 100 experts reveal diverse innovation efforts. From a total of around 1000 mentions, 50 different types of innovations could be identified; from them, 34 made it into the selection of the 20 most relevant innovations in the countries. Different innovations were found to be of varying importance for journalism development in each country. However, some innovations were ranked high everywhere including data journalism, collaborative and investigative networks, audience participation, journalism in social media and the establishment of paywalls. Further comparative analysis of the media policy frameworks, journalism cultures and contexts for the contribution of journalism to democracy is required.

Worldwide audiences became interested in COVID-19-related news, as the health emergency generated a sharp increase in information consumption. Drawing on the literature of crisis innovation, this study aims to understand the transformations that have taken place in the Spanish journalistic industry and the innovations implemented during the pandemic. The research questions are: How has COVID-19 fostered innovation in work organisation in the Spanish newsrooms? What other innovations were launched by the Spanish media during the pandemic? The methodology is based on semi-structured interviews conducted with a purposive sample of 20 media practitioners and 20 experts on journalism innovation (academics and journalists) in Spain. Results show that newsroom practices have evolved through telework, collaboration and other factors, and that digital transformation was accelerated in legacy media. In many outlets, the science section was increasingly relevant, working in a coordinated way with the areas of data visualisation and design to produce relevant content. Also, fact-checkers played an important role in fighting misinformation. The pandemic has speeded up some ongoing innovations in news production, newsroom organisation, distribution, and commercialisation in a significant way. Thus, COVID-19 understood as a crisis situation has had an impact on news products and it has affected journalistic culture.

The constant changes in the media and increasing competition oblige news organizations to develop a solid leadership that promotes innovation. Transformational leadership has been recognized as an optimal style in this context, as it fosters organizational creativity and a collaborative culture, which are essential factors to anchor innovation within organizations by aligning workers with the company’s vision and empowering them to take their own decisions. This article analyses the leadership style in digital-only outlets and how it influences aspects such as intrinsic motivation, which leads to creativity, organizational culture and, ultimately, innovation. We studied Quartz and El Confidencial, selected from among the most innovative in the United States and Spain, respectively, using a method based on their social, professional and expert relevance. In both organizations, participant observation processes were carried out in addition to in-depth interviews with professionals. The results indicate that these digital-only news outlets try to promote innovation through transformational leadership, identified through the recommendations set out in the literature, despite observing the emergence of certain features of traditional transactional leadership style in strategic decision-making. Our study supports previous research that shows an interrelation between leadership and innovative performance, filling an existing gap about digital-only news outlets.

The emergence of new players and technological platforms, changes in consumer habits, and the transformation of the digital ecosystem accelerated the process of journalistic innovation in the last decade (2010-2020), emphasized by the Covid-19 pandemic. Journalism has undergone a process of permanent change, affecting practices, products, and professionals. In this context, this study identifies the most prominent journalistic innovations, describes their characteristics, and analyzes their impact in terms of the value provided in organization, their scope in the industry, and their contribution to society. To achieve this, semistructured interviews were conducted with a group of experts (n = 22) made up of academics and professionals. Once the innovations (n = 60) from a total of 253 references were coded and added up, the scope of these changes in the organizational, industrial, and societal fields was analyzed to obtain a list of the 20 most relevant. The results indicate that innovation emerges incrementally in how journalism is produced, organized, distributed, and sustained. Some innovations have substantially influenced organization and society, such as the membership model or fact-checking; however, they are still far from being widely adopted in the industry. Data journalism has been catalogued as the most relevant journalistic innovation because it implies changes in production, generates quality journalism, and encourages its implementation by other representatives in the sector. Resumen La aparición de nuevos actores y plataformas tecnológicas, los cambios en los hábitos de consumo y la transformación del ecosistema digital han acelerado el proceso de innovación periodística en la última década (2010-2020), acentuado por la pandemia por Covid-19. El periodismo atraviesa desde hace años un proceso de cambio permanente que afecta a las prácticas, los productos y los profesionales. Este estudio identifica las innovaciones periodísticas más destacadas, describe sus características y analiza su impacto en función del valor aportado en la organización, de su alcance en la industria y de su contribución a la sociedad. Se han realizado entrevistas semiestructuradas a un grupo de expertos (n=22), integrado por académicos y profesionales. Codificadas y sumadas las innovaciones (n=60) de un total de 253 menciones, se analiza el alcance de las mismas en los tres ámbitos –organización, industria y sociedad– para obtener el listado de las 20 más relevantes. Los resultados indican que la innovación surge de forma incremental en cómo se produce, organiza, distribuye y sostiene el periodismo. Algunas innovaciones han influido de manera sustancial en la organización y en la sociedad, como el modelo de socios o el fact-checking; sin embargo están aún lejos de ser adoptadas de modo generalizado en la industria. El periodismo de datos se ha catalogado como la innovación periodística más relevante por implicar cambios en la producción, generar un periodismo de calidad e impulsar su adopción por otros agentes del sector.

La industria mediática está inmersa en un proceso de constante cambio. Las empresas informativas deben adaptarse a las nuevas tecnologías y hábitos de consumo. Sin embargo, las grandes infraestructuras y la rigidez de los procesos y mentalidades en la mayoría de medios dificultan esta adaptación y dejan espacio para nuevos actores innovadores y flexibles: las startups. Metodología: En este artículo se emplea el método del estudio de casos para analizar cuatro iniciativas en el ámbito español, Politibot, Cuonda, Datadista y Newskid. Se emplean cuestionarios realizados a sus fundadores y al estudio del alcance de los proyectos mediante documentación. Resultados y discusión: Se aprecia que estas empresas apuestan por explorar nuevos formatos, canales de distribución y vías de ingreso mediante el uso de la tecnología y dirigen sus esfuerzos a nichos temáticos. Se realza así la importancia de la flexibilidad, la mentalidad abierta y los equipos de trabajo multidisciplinares.

Twitch se ha consolidado como la plataforma digital de referencia para las emisiones en directo y, en este contexto, el periodismo deportivo ha experimentado un gran crecimiento. Para examinar esta tendencia, la presente investigación elabora un estudio de caso sobre LaLiga Casters, un proyecto de retransmisión de partidos liderado por el creador de contenidos Ibai Llanos. El estudio se lleva a cabo a través de un análisis de contenido y de una encuesta a heavy users (n=50). Los resultados revelan que estas retransmisiones guardan amplias similitudes con espacios de radio y televisión, y también se observan los primeros pasos de un proceso de convergencia mediática, en el que los usuarios de las retransmisiones deportivas convencionales pueden seguir los encuentros con un tono más desenfadado en determinados momentos, como los postpartidos, y los streamers de Twitch incrementan la calidad periodística de sus contenidos gracias a fórmulas propias de los medios tradicionales.