Media convergence and the big data universe

New professional profiles and Journalism training needs

Authors

Abstract

COVID-19's coverage of the health crisis has contributed to the rise of data journalism as a specialisation with new narrative possibilities and employability prospects. In its different aspects, this journalistic modality promotes new professional profiles with a strong technological accent, capable of working in multidisciplinary newsrooms. We wonder whether the university is contributing to the training of journalists who can meet a growing labour demand and face challenges such as disinformation. Our research is based on the RUCT to design a sample of official university degrees, and master's degrees related to data journalism offered in 2022/23 in Spain. The content analysis technique is applied to the websites of the centres and especially to the teaching guides of the related subjects. The results reveal that the number of degrees with training in data journalism is insufficient, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. In the first case, the skills acquired are generic and are acquired in the second cycle. In the second, there is greater specialisation and a practical nature, within an educational offer to which public and private universities contribute equally.

Author Biographies

Eduardo Castillo Lozano, Antonio de Nebrija University

Coordinator of the Bachelor's Degree in Journalism at the Antonio de Nebrija University. Graduate in Journalism from San Pablo CEU University. PhD student in Communication at the Complutense University of Madrid, where he is carrying out doctoral research on data journalism and new professional profiles. As a lecturer at Nebrija University, he teaches subjects related to journalistic writing, specialised journalism, communication skills in writing and public speaking, radio broadcasting and television presentation. Master's degree in Economic Information from the Association of Economic Information Journalists at the Complutense University of Madrid, postgraduate degree in Public Affairs Management from the Pontificia de Comillas University. Radio journalist specialising in economics. He is currently director and presenter of "Afterwork" on Capital Radio (programme for which he received a Golden Antenna in 2017). He has been the presenter of the TV programme "Conecta con el Mercado" on TVE's La2. For the last twenty years he has developed his professional career in the media.

 

Marta Saavedra Llamas, Antonio de Nebrija University

PhD accredited with a six-year active research period (2015-2020). Graduate in Journalism and Postgraduate Degree in Stock Market Communication and Financial Sectors from the Complutense University of Madrid. Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Arts at Nebrija University since March 2021 and member of the University's Board of Directors since 2016, when she was appointed Director of the Department of Communication (2016-2021). She teaches on the Journalism and Audiovisual Communication degrees.
She belongs to the Innomedia Research Group. Previously, she was part of the Research Group on Journalistic Analysis and Anticipation, which participated in privately funded projects on journalism, specialising in health, environment and communication strategies. Her priority lines of research are communication industries, communication strategies, social audiences, professional skills and profiles in communication and communication studies. As well as teaching innovation projects and active teaching methodologies. He has published four books in publishers of scientific impact; he has fourteen articles in indexed journals and some thirty book chapters. He has participated in more than ten international conferences.

 

Mercedes Herrero de la Fuente, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija

PhD in Information Sciences (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Master in Radio Journalism (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and Master in Applied Linguistics (Universidad de Nebrija). She is a member of the Innomedia research group and is part of the R&D&I research project "Disability and digital competences in the audiovisual sector" (PID2019-105398RB-C21), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. She has been a research fellow at: Cornell University (USA), Saldford University (UK), Radboud Univesiteit (Netherlands) and Karlova Univerzita (Czech Republic). His research interests include: transmedia storytelling, augmented reality applied to audiovisual media, new professional profiles and new documentary formats. On these topics he has published in highly indexed journals and has written in numerous books (collective authorship). She also participates regularly in international conferences in the field.
Professor accredited for public and private universities by the Agency for Quality, Accreditation and Foresight. Professor at Nebrija University, where she teaches different subjects related to television production, reports and documentaries and international journalism. She has been director of the Master's Degree in Digital and Data Journalism and the Master's Degree in Television Journalism.
In the audiovisual field, she has worked as a producer for Telemadrid News, taking part in many national and international current affairs events.

Published

2022-12-23

How to Cite

Castillo Lozano, E., Saavedra Llamas, M., & Herrero de la Fuente, M. (2022). Media convergence and the big data universe: New professional profiles and Journalism training needs . Sphera Publica, 2(22). Retrieved from https://sphera.ucam.edu/index.php/sphera-01/article/view/469