La negatividad en las informaciones políticas de los medios españoles

María Rosa Berganza Conde; Carlos Arcila Calderón; Roberto  de Miguel Pascual

doi:10.4185/RLCS-2016-1089

Authors

María Rosa Berganza Conde University Rey Juan Carlos https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9862-2550
Carlos Arcila Calderón University of Salamanca http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2636-2849
Roberto de Miguel Pascual University Rey Juan Carlos http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8911-8272

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2016-1089

Keywords:

Political news, citizens, participation, indifference, negativity

Abstract

Previous studies link higher degree of negativity in the news to cynicism and indifference of citizens through politics and politicians (theory of Spiral of Cynicism). Methods: We content analysed 563 news pieces of 10 Spanish media (3 newspapers, 2 TV stations and 5 online media). The degree of negativity was measured through index, conformed by indicators of tonality, conflict, incapability and unfavorability, proposed by Leanguer, Esser and Berganza (2012). Results and conclusions: Data confirmed that Spanish media depict political news in a negative way, although levels of negativity were lower than those of other European countries. A higher degree of negativity was found in items related to controversial topics, produced in formats of higher implication, and published by private, print or traditional media.

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Author Biographies

María Rosa Berganza Conde, University Rey Juan Carlos

Specialist in political communication and research methodology applied to Communication.

She has extensive experience in the empirical application of different social research techniques and in data analysis and is the author of several works on the subject. Research lines: political communication, gender and communication and communication theory.

She is the author of various works and articles in Spanish and foreign publications. Her books include: Investigate in Communication. Practical guide of methods and techniques of social research in Communication (coord. With José Antonio Ruiz San Román, McGraw-Hill, 2005); Specialized Journalism and Communication of the European Union (EIUNSA, 2005); Published woman, abused woman. Style book for informing the media about women (Instituto Navarro de la Mujer, 2003); The magic mirror. The new image of women in current advertising (Instituto Navarro de la Mujer, 2002); Training itineraries for university graduates (Government of Navarra, 2001); and Communication, Public Opinion and the Press in the Sociology of Robert E. Park (CIS, 2000).

His latest articles include: “The (dis) trust of Spanish journalists towards public institutions from the study of organizational factors." Dissertations, 2016 (co-authored); "Explaining Journalists' Trust in Public Institutions across 20 Countries: Media Freedom, Corruption and Ownership Matter Most "”. Journal of Communication 62 (2012) 794–814 (co-authored); "Negativity in political news: A review of concepts, operationalizations and key findings." Journalism, vol. 13 (2), 179-202 (co-authored); “Becoming Journalists: A Comparison of the Professional Attitudes of British and Spanish Journalism Students,” European Journal of Communication, 23, 2, pp. 133-152, 2008 (co-authored); and “Men and women in television advertising: images and stereotypes,” Zer, Communication magazine of the University of the Basque Country, December 2006, pp. 166-177 (co-authored).

Carlos Arcila Calderón, University of Salamanca

Member of the Observatory of Audiovisual Content (OCA) of the University of Salamanca. European Doctor in "Communication, Social Change and Development" from the Complutense University of Madrid and Master's Degree in Journalism from the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC).

Director of the Electronic Yearbook of Studies in Social Communication "Dissertations". Author of more than 40 scientific articles in prestigious magazines, as well as at least 5 books on the subject of communication and technologies.

He has been a professor at the Universidad del Rosario (Colombia), the Universidad del Norte (Colombia), the Universidad de Los Andes (ULA) (Venezuela); post-doctoral researcher at URJC; and associate researcher at the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB) (Venezuela).

In addition, he has been visiting professor at the National University of Distance Education (UNED) (Spain), the University of Santiago (Spain), the University of La Sabana (Colombia), the Universidad Mayor (Chile) and the Universidade Estadual Paulista ( Brazil).

Roberto de Miguel Pascual, University Rey Juan Carlos

He has a doctorate in Information Sciences, with a mention of a European Doctorate, from the Complutense University of Madrid. Postgraduate in Data Analysis and Applied Social Research from the Center for Sociological Research (CIS) and graduate in advanced studies in Political Science and Administration from the Autonomous University of Madrid.

He is the author of several monographs in the field of communication theory and public opinion, and has published numerous articles in national and international scientific journals in his specialty.

He has carried out research assignments at Syracuse University (New York), Harvard University (Massachusetts) and Cologne (Germany). He currently works as a professor at the Faculty of Communication Sciences of the Rey Juan Carlos University (Madrid).

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