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Challenges and Perceptions of Ecuadorian Journalists in the Transition to Cybermedia

Abstract:

There are reconfigurations and combinations between old and new media, resulting in better experiences for users, including a repositioning of local media. Millions of people have smartphones on which they read the news, which means that journalists must develop skills to inform through emerging narratives for audiences that are regular Internet users. This metamorphosis is not the same in all countries, there are particularities that must be known because the technological and economic background and capabilities are different. The purposes of this research are to know the challenges that journalists in Ecuador perceive in the transformation to digital media and to identify their opinions about the irruption of software in newsrooms. The questions are (1) What challenges do journalists face in the transition to digital media, (2) Will manual news writing be replaced by specialized software? The research is descriptive and relational, using qualitative methodology through semi-structured interviews. The main challenges perceived by journalists are to maintain the professional practice with high standards, to face the disinformation that spreads on the Internet, a continuous learning of new forms and technologies of communication, the search for funding to cover education and to maintain good relations with government agencies for the delivery of information, as well as in lobbying for the promotion of public policies of communication.