Informative pluralism in the era of digital deliberation: Perceptions of journalists and citizens

Abstract

In a complex and ever-evolving landscape, the interaction that digital communication provides has irreversibly changed the meaning of media pluralism. In the era of digital deliberation, channels have multiplied, allowing perspectives to be con-trasted across an international user community. Likewise, new participatory practices through the web and social networks require greater transparency from media organizations, which helps citizens make responsible decisions. Using quantitative and qualitative methodologies (a survey of professionals and six focus groups with citizens), this research aims to determine the perception of Spanish journalists and citizens on pluralism and, specifically, transparency and user participation in the current communication ecosystem. The results indicate that both groups favor the publicization of the institutional, com-mercial, and political links of media outlets, but they are skeptical that the digital environment has encouraged new forms of transparency, especially among legacy media. The opinion of journalists and citizens, however, is different on a large number of the issues raised. For citizens, participation and the possibility of channeling complaints and suggestions through the web, Twitter, and Facebook is considered to be positive and to represent an increasingly frequent practice. However, journalists still show a certain reluctance to interact with readers and respond to their comments on social networks.