Observatorio (OBS*)

Transparency and Quality of Information on Local Administration Websites. Study of the Spanish Case

Abstract This article analyses the information and content of Spanish local administration websites following the application of the Law of Transparency. The aim is to analyze in depth issues related to the information available on political representatives, the management of economic resources, information on the municipality and the tools citizens have at their disposal for their participation. The quantitative method analyses the transparency of the city councils individually from a table of widely compared 52 variables (indicators), validating their compliance or not with each during the period February to November 2018. The sample analyzed in this study consists of 605 Spanish municipalities. Although within academic literature debate already exists that focuses primarily on theoretical abstractions, this study allows us to empirically determine whether after the national approval of transparency regulation there really has been an improvement in public information for citizens to be able to hold their local governments accountable. The results indicate that, based on regional and national transparency policies, the situation is better than in the years prior to the law, although there is still much room for improvement, especially in issues related to information regarding the management of economic resources such as budgets, salaries, hiring and subsidies.

Media pluralism and social inclusion: the accessibility of RTP children and youth programming for minors with disabilities

Resumen Este artículo investiga la accesibilidad de la programación infanto-juvenil de Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) en televisión lineal y online, tanto en su emisión en directo como en los contenidos a la carta. La accesibilidad de los contenidos para menores es esencial para el disfrute de los derechos fundamentales en igualdad, para conseguir la inclusión social de este colectivo y como reflejo del pluralismo mediático y del carácter de servicio público de la televisión. Además, el subtitulado, la audiodescripción y la lengua de signos son también herramientas de aprendizaje altamente valiosas para los menores y jóvenes con discapacidad visual o auditiva. El estudio parte de un análisis bibliográfico y documental sobre el marco regulatorio portugués que dicta cómo de accesible debe ser la programación televisiva en este país. Tomando como base la legislación, analiza su puesta en práctica en los contenidos infanto-juveniles de RTP mediante un análisis de contenido; discute los resultados a través de entrevistas cualitativas a la propia televisión, a la Entidade Reguladora para a Comunicação Social (ERC) y a la Federação Portuguesa das Associações de Surdos; y contextualiza la situación de la accesibilidad de los contenidos infanto- juveniles de RTP en el marco internacional actual comparándola con las televisiones públicas de Reino Unido y España. Las conclusiones apuntan a que la accesibilidad de los contenidos de RTP dirigidos a la infancia y la juventud es insuficiente para garantizar su accesibilidad en igualdad y debe ser mejorada, aunque se aprecian iniciativas altamente positivas en la implantación de la Língua Gestual Portuguesa (LGP).

Abstract This article investigates the accessibility of Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) children's and youth programming on linear and online television, both in its live broadcast and on-demand. The accessibility of content for minors is essential for the enjoyment of fundamental rights on an equal footing, to achieve the social inclusion of this group and as a reflection of media pluralism and the public service character of television. Furthermore, subtitling, audio description and sign language are also highly valuable learning tools for children and young people with visual or hearing disabilities. The study is based on a bibliographic and documentary analysis of the regulatory framework that dictates how accessible television programming should be in Portugal. Based on the legislation, it analyses its implementation in RTP children's and young people's programming through a content analysis; discusses the results through qualitative interviews with the RTP itself, the Entidade Reguladora para a Comunicação Social (ERC) and the Federação Portuguesa das Associações de Surdos (FPAS); and contextualises the situation of accessibility of children’s contents of RTP in the current international context by comparing it with public television channels in the United Kingdom and Spain. Conclusions suggest that the accessibility of RTP content aimed at children and young people is insufficient to guarantee their accessibility on an equal footing and must be improved, although highly positive initiatives can be seen in the implementation of the Língua Gestual Portuguesa (LGP).

Women's soccer on the media agenda: a thematic analysis of the 2019 FIFA's World Cup coverage on Brazilian news websites

Resumo Este artigo apresenta uma análise da cobertura da Copa do Mundo de futebol feminino de 2019, em sites jornalísticos esportivos brasileiros (Globo Esporte, UOL Esporte, ESPN, Torcedores.com e Placar). O objetivo é mapear o espaço concedido ao mundial deste ano, em que houve aumento considerável na cobertura midiática televisiva, com partidas transmitidas pela TV Globo, líder de audiência no país, em comparação a edições anteriores. O artigo discute a relação entre os conceitos de agendamento e critérios de noticiabilidade para interpretar o crescimento quantitativo e qualitativo na cobertura dos portais sobre o futebol de mulheres, modalidade até pouco tempo praticamente invisível aos olhos da grande mídia. O método utilizado para processar e classificar as 926 unidades do corpus foi a análise de conteúdo, a partir da qual foi possível identificar padrões e recorrências temáticas na cobertura midiática da Copa. Entre os principais resultados, destacamos um crescimento de 533% no número de notícias entre as Copas de 2015 e 2019 nos sites esportivos brasileiros. A pesquisa é uma contribuição teórica à Sociologia do Jornalismo, à Ciência da Comunicação e aos estudos acerca do futebol de mulheres no Brasil.

Abstract This paper presents an analysis of the media coverage of the 2019 Women's Soccer World Cup, in Brazilian sports news websites (Globo Esporte, UOL Esporte, ESPN, Torcedores.com and Placar). It aims to map the space granted to this year's World Cup, in which there has been a significant increase in television media coverage, which included TV Globo, the country's leading network, compared to previous editions. The theoretical framework discusses the relationship between the concepts of agenda-setting and newsworthiness to interpret the large quantitative and qualitative growth in coverage on women’s soccer, until recently practically invisible in the eyes of the mainstream media. The method used to process and classify the 926 units present in the corpus was content analysis, from which it was possible to identify patterns and thematic recurrences in the media coverage of the World Cup. Among the main results, we highlight a 533% growth in the number of news between the 2015 and 2019 World Cups on Brazilian sports websites. The research is a theoretical contribution to the Sociology of Journalism, Communication Science and studies about women's football in Brazil.

Twitter’s impact in building reputed hospital brands in USA

Abstract Social media have become a strategic tool for hospitals interested in boosting their corporate communication and achieving several organizational objectives such as improving patient’s engagement or reinforcing their own corporate reputation. These platforms help hospitals adapt their communication strategies to a new context (new patients’ demands, increasing competition between health organizations, development of health technologies, etc.). This paper aims to analyse Twitter’s impact in branding initiatives led by hospitals. To do that, we carried out a literature review about corporate communication, branding and social media; and then, we analysed Twitter’s corporate profiles of the best US hospitals in the treatment of oncological diseases. This paper concludes that hospitals interested in effectively using Twitter as a corporate communication tool for branding initiatives need to carry out a strategic reflection before launching any initiative on this platform, improve Twitter’s integration with other social media platforms and mobile applications, and facilitate better collaborations between health professionals and communication experts.

All aboard?! Co-viewing with and within connected platforms in the Eurovision Song Contest

Abstract Based on co-viewing and connected viewing literature (Pires & Roig, 2016), this article analyses connected co-viewing practices within and with the use of media platforms around a live television event, using the Eurovision Song Contest as a case study. This popular event has a long-running tradition which has fostered extensive use of different kinds of connected platforms, including an official app. Using a case study approach and focusing on the Spanish context, we have analysed connected co-viewing in three main platforms: Facebook (through unofficial groups), Twitter (through live conversation and hashtagging practices around the event) and by exploring the Eurovision official second screen app. The study indicates that: (1) co-viewing is mutually shaped by the affordances and interface features of the platforms, the viewers’ practices and uses given to these platforms; (2) co-viewing can be expanded by platforms when designed for collective use; (3) user-generated content and data production are central elements to enhance co-viewing when using connected platforms; (4) platform affordances can create digital spaces, which might channel the way co-viewers perform and enjoy this activity.

The state of art of Organizational Communication: the trends of the 21st century

Resumo A comunicação no contexto das organizações está em constante reconfiguração. As novas formas de informação, de interação, de partilha e de consumo que caracterizam as sociedades atuais trazem novos desafios às organizações e às suas estruturas comunicativas e tal justifica, sempre que possível, uma incursão pelo campo da Comunicação Organizacional com a principal motivação de compreender o estado atual da disciplina e acompanhar as suas tendências de investigação. Tal é o propósito deste estudo: averiguar o estado da arte da Comunicação Organizacional recuando, para isso, às origens da disciplina e às suas preocupações fundacionais, as quais são fundamentais para compreender as abordagens que descrevem o campo no século XXI. Com esta análise pretendemos traçar as tendências de investigação da disciplina a abordar os principais desafios que caracterizam a relação entre comunicação e organização na atualidade. Para cumprir este objetivo, recorremos a uma metodologia qualitativa, através da análise de vários artigos científicos e de livros publicados no âmbito dos estudos da Comunicação Organizacional (desde o aparecimento da disciplina), os quais nos permitiram entender e descrever as abordagens, os paradigmas, as metodologias, os temas e as tendências que protagonizaram a criação e o avanço desta disciplina. Trata-se, portanto, de uma revisão da literatura que privilegiou os trabalhos de académicos e investigadores reconhecidos nesta área científica. A sua análise foi fundamental para descrever os quatro paradigmas que se desenvolveram campo da Comunicação Organizacional: o positivista, o interpretativo, o crítico e o constitutivo. Percebemos, como conclusão, que estas abordagens convivem harmoniosamente na tentativa de explicar o ambiente organizacional atual, o qual parece ter como principais desafios a constante evolução das tecnologias de informação e comunicação, que atribuem mais poder aos públicos e enfatizam os processos de comunicação relacional e a importância de comportamentos organizacionais éticos e responsáveis no seio de uma sociedade cada vez mais exigente e informada. Assim, também a comunicação enquanto estratégia tem conquistado espaço nas tendências de investigação em Comunicação Organizacional, como um tipo de comunicação que procura apoiar a missão da organização ao mesmo tempo que procura estabelecer relações profícuas entre a organização e os seus públicos. Este é, portanto, um trabalho de sistematização de abordagens e de tendências que procura identificar o estado atual do estudo da Comunicação Organizacional, destacando-se quer pela apresentação da evolução do campo no século XXI quer, principalmente, pela sua apresentação em língua portuguesa, algo que é pouco comum nesta disciplina.

Abstract Communication in the context of organizations is constantly being reconfigured. The new forms of information, interaction, sharing and consumption that characterize today's societies bring new challenges to organizations and their communicative structures and this justifies, whenever possible, an incursion into the field of Organizational Communication with the main motivation to understand the current state of the discipline and follow its research trends. Such is the purpose of this study: to investigate the state of the art of Organizational Communication, going back, for this, to the origins of the discipline and to its foundational concerns, which are fundamental to understand the approaches that describe the field in the 21st century. With this analysis we intend to trace the research trends of the discipline to address the main challenges that characterize the relationship between communication and organization today. To fulfill this objective, we use a qualitative methodology, through the analysis of several scientific articles and books published in the scope of the studies of Organizational Communication (since the appearance of the discipline), which allowed us to understand and describe the approaches, paradigms, methodologies, themes and trends that led to the creation and advancement of this discipline. It is, therefore, a literature review that privileged the work of renowned scholars and researchers in this scientific area. Its analysis was fundamental to describe the four paradigms that developed in the field of Organizational Communication: the positivist, the interpretive, the critical and the constitutive. We realize, as a conclusion, that these approaches coexist harmoniously in an attempt to explain the current organizational environment, which seems to have as main challenges the constant evolution of information and communication technologies, which give more power to audiences and emphasize the processes of relational and the importance of ethical and responsible organizational behaviours in an increasingly demanding and informed society. Thus, communication as a strategy has also gained ground in research trends in Organizational Communication, as a type of communication that seeks to support the mission of the organization at the same time that it seeks to establish fruitful relationships between the organization and its audiences. This is, therefore, a work of systematizing approaches and trends that seeks to identify the current state of the study of Organizational Communication, standing out both for the presentation of the evolution of the field in the 21st century and, mainly, for its presentation in Portuguese, something that is unusual in this discipline.

The dilemmas of parental mediation: Continuities from parenting in general

Abstract This article examines how much parent-child interactions around the online world reflect broader, more long-standing parent-child relations and parenting dilemmas. It does so through exploring the meanings that parents give to their parenting practices and the beliefs that underlie parental mediation of their children's online activities as well as the reasons for any differences between their broader normative approach to parental mediation and their actual practices. Qualitative in-depth interviews conducted with 26 Spanish parents of children aged 9 to 16-years-old found that many parents favoured the managed progression of children towards more autonomy and gave reasons why it was important to trust older children. However, the analysis explores a range of dilemmas parents experience when trying to implement these ideals, where issues of privacy, trust and managing that progression all proved to be problematic.

Rebuilding investigative journalism. Collaborative journalism: sharing information, sharing risk

Abstract This article details the role of collaborative journalism during the process of rebuilding investigative journalism at its core thus assuring enduring investment in its quality. We will start by characterizing the concepts of investigative journalism and collaborative journalism, using leading scholars in both of these complementary areas; we will, then, identify the pressures that constrains investigative journalism, and analyse how journalistic collaboration has a potential for resistance that can protect both investigative journalism and the journalists who practice it. Our article path will be complemented with the case study of the “Daphne Project”, the first project of the consortium “Forbidden Stories”, the international platform created by Laurent Richard. This project will be characterized through a documentary analysis and with interviews we conducted with both its founder, Laurent Richard, and Mathew Caruana Galizia, the son of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Maltese journalist murdered on October 16th 2017, during her investigations. The Daphne Project was created for the purpose of keeping alive stories of journalists who have been killed, imprisoned or, for some reason, were unable to pursue their investigations. Not only does collaborative journalism protect investigative journalism and investigative journalists, but cross-borders collaboration also allows “sharing the risk across a wide range of international players” (Sambrook, 2017). If the absolute exposure of the lonely investigative journalist turns him/her into a target in territories where freedom of speech is threatened, the murder of this Maltese journalist, followed by the murder of Slovakian Ján Kuciak, in 2018, placed Europe as an unlikely set on the risk map. While acknowledging the problems caused by international consortium of journalists, this research highlights, above all, how these partnerships, anchored in "radical sharing" (Guevara, 2016)1, are contributing to enhance investigative journalism.

Radar XS: a newscast under a veil of contradiction

Resumo Neste artigo, o telejornal infantil da RTP, Radar XS, lançado em setembro de 2019 e dirigido a crianças entre os oito e os 12 anos de idade, é analisado a partir das lentes da Semiótica Social e da Análise Crítica do Discurso. Tendo em conta nomeadamente o contexto em que este telejornal é produzido, bem como os signos visuais, plásticos e linguísticos presentes, procurou-se compreender qual a conceção de criança que está subjacente à sua produção, acedendo a camadas de significação escondidas no discurso. Pierre Bourdieu afirma que a figura do camponês só pode ser compreendida tendo em conta a sua relação com o citadino e com a vida urbana. Acreditamos que o mesmo acontece com a criança e com a sua relação com o adulto e o mundo adulto. Daí que o Radar XS seja analisado tendo implícita uma comparação com os telejornais dos adultos. Resgatámos, ainda, de Bourdieu, o seu entendimento do espaço de comunicação como mercado simbólico, atendendo às relações de poder que se manifestam no ato comunicativo: quem fala? Que legitimidade tem para falar? Que ideologia está implícita à mensagem? Que espaço é dado ao interlocutor? Concluímos que o Radar XS é um objeto antagónico que, por um lado, veicula uma visão da criança como sujeito de direitos limitados, mas, por outro, a empodera.

Abstract In this paper, RTP's children's newscast, Radar XS, which was launched in September 2019 and is aimed at children of ages between eight and 12, is analysed through the lens of Social Semiotics and Critical Discourse Analysis. Bearing in mind the context in which the newscast is produced, as well as the visual, plastic and linguistic signs which are present in the programme, we have tried to understand the conception of a child underlying its production, and have looked for layers of meaning which may be hidden in the discourse. Pierre Bourdieu argues that the notion of a peasant can only be understood by taking into account its relationship with the city and the urban life. We believe the same happens with the child and his/her relationship with the adult and the adult world. Thus, Radar XS is analysed departing from a comparison with adults newscasts. We also revisited from Bourdieu’s understanding of the field of communication as a symbolic market, by taking into account the power relations that exist in the communicative act: who speaks? What legitimacy does he/she have to speak? What ideology is behind the message? What space is given to the interlocutor? We concluded that Radar XS is an antagonistic object that, on one hand, conveys a view of the child as a subject with limited rights, but, on the other, empowers him/her.