Abstract

MIRANDA, João. Responsibility and Quality of Journalism: Digital Accountability Instruments and Practices in the Portuguese Media. Comunicação e Sociedade [online]. 2023, vol.44, e023022.  Epub Dec 31, 2023. ISSN 1645-2089.  https://doi.org/10.17231/comsoc.44(2023).4750.

Although the public debate on the quality of journalism and media responsibility and accountability efforts is not novel, the recent online and digital transition context has facilitated the emergence and expansion of new forms of media responsibility and monitoring of the quality of journalistic information. This study draws on a literature review to explore the relationship between media accountability and the quality of journalism while also examining how new forms of media responsibility could enhance information quality. Three facets of this relationship are emphasised: accountability as a dimension or hallmark of media quality, accountability as a mechanism for controlling or assessing the quality of journalism, and accountability as a space for defining the quality of news information. Additionally, this paper presents and discusses findings from an exploratory study mapping and analysing the level of implementation of digital responsibility and accountability mechanisms of six Portuguese editorial projects. The mapping of instruments highlights the heterogeneous reality and potential underlying the adaptation of conventional responsibility models to online formats, as well as underscores the mandated nature of media accountability and transparency processes in the Portuguese media. The analysis of the level of implementation of these mechanisms indicates asymmetries in their application.

Keywords : media accountability; digital journalism; quality of journalism; media responsibility; transparency.

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