Jot down, Anfibia and Panenka: Three audacious forms of understanding digital narrative journalism in the midst of the crisis of the printed press

Abstract

Introduction. This article is part of a large international study on the health of Spanish-language digital narrative journalism. To this end, ten online magazines have been analysed in depth: Five from Spain (Jot Down, Contexto, 5W, Yorokobu and Panenka), two from Mexico (Gatopardo and Letras libres), two from Colombia (La silla vacía and Arcadia) and one from Argentina (Anfibia). This article offers the results corresponding to three of these magazines: Jot Down, Anfibia and Panenka, as representative examples (within their respective fields) of narrative journalism in Spain and Argentina and, in the case of Panenka, of specialised journalism. Methods. The case study has been the central method used in this study, which involved nine in-depth interviews with the people in charge of these magazines and the content analysis of their digital and printed versions during the first half of 2018. Results. The three magazines emerged between 2011 and 2012 in the midst of the economic crisis and decadence of the printed press. In addition, all three magazines have managed to build their own brand image; have proudly exhibited hybridisation in their genres; have connected with a share of the audience that enjoys their narrative texts; and have had an interesting (although different) reception on the Internet. Jot Down has 700,000 monthly unique visitors; Anfibia about 200,000 and Panenka 86,000. However, there are notable differences between the three magazines in terms of their origins, sources of funding, dominant genres, reader profiles, and their relationship with current news and affairs. Discussion and conclusions. The three magazines have shown audacity in their approach, becoming a model of reference in their respective fields. Nevertheless, this does not dispel the uncertainties looming over their future. Despite all the difficulties and the limited impact of the model, it could be argued that the new age of journalism is giving birth to an alternative and audacious model that rebels against the monotony and boredom of the market.