Traditional Press in the Face of Competition from Digital Journalism

Abstract

Studies keyed to analyzing the advances, virtues and defects of digital journalism are increasingly more commonplace. In this context, to talk of the traditional press researching its trends, development and, ultimately, functioning in a world dominated by technology seems to have become an obsolete, uninteresting task. But it should not be forgotten that the written press is still alive and kicking, and in Spain there are still a large number of people that remain faithful to their daily print newspapers to keep themselves up to date on the latest political, economic and social news. This precise moment in Spanish journalistic history is therefore marked by the coexistence of both types of journalism: traditional and digital. So much so that mixed news printed news items that direct readers to the digital version for more in-depth information — are increasingly more in vogue. Thus, research finto the traditional press should not be abandoned so hastily, aboye all as regards the repercussions electronic media have on the conventional kind. In this paper, new trends in the Spanish press will be analyzed by exploring several of the country's national and local newspapers, focusing on three quality indicators: the predominant type of journalistic discourse; the depth of news coverage; and the preservation and defence of traditional journalistic values. The study of these indicators makes it possible to check whether printed newspapers are doing their utmost to increase the quality of their information products so as to be able to compete with the digital media on an equal footing.