Leadership of the native digital press versus the mainstream press in spain. The cifuentes case in eldiario.es, el confidencial, el país and el mundo

Abstract

Introduction. This paper analyses the Spanish media coverage of Cifuentes’ case. Methodology. The sample included Eldiario.es, a newspaper that led the case by publishing the scoop, and El Confidencial, that adhered to the coverage and the progress of the research. El País and El Mundo were selected for the comparative analysis with the mainstream media, two newspapers of different political stance and national circulation. Results. As main findings, we stress the leadership of the native digital press in the coverage of the Cifuente’s case. The mainstream media reacted to the latest developments, by providing special coverage to the statements of the main political leaders. Conclusions. This research clearly denotes the change that is taking place in the 21st century journalism: the native digital media with a more agile business model, adapt more easily to the new demands of the public.