Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

This work has the overall goal of creating a tool to assess the quality of information in newscasts of four Spanish regional TV stations, based on the following indicators: formal features; construction and prioritization of the topic; agenda, newsworthiness, typology and treatment, and geographical distribution. We applied a content analysis with its own variables matrix on a sample of 32 prime time newscasts and 1327 units and tested its utility to evaluate informational quality. The analysis detects, for the examined stations, a tendency towards an infotainment model, with peculiar dynamics depending on the ownership

The aim is to establish whether women are more involved than men in uploading videos related to television fictional programs. To that end, we analyzed the number of videos uploaded by men or women and the kind of narrative content shared by each gender. The methodology applied was a quantitative analysis, based on a selection of videos from YouTube regarding the 21 series premiered in 2013 in Spanish networks. The research suggests interesting results, mainly that men upload more videos than women do, and that they have more visits and reviews. However, the fanmade videos uploaded by women are more creative and more richly elaborated.

This paper shows the results of a study that analysed how the Spanish TV series Hospital Central (Telecinco: 2000-2012) portrays illness: which diseases are shown and which is the profile of the patients. The analytical method used was a quantitative content analysis of a sample of 43 episodes and 256 characters. The research concludes that both the ailments and the patients’ profile (age, sex, geographical origin, etc.) portrayed in ‘Hospital Central’ do not correspond accurately to medical statistics.

This paper shows the results of an analysis of the health communication needs of 181 autonomous Chileans over 60 years, aimed to design the prototype of a system of preventive health communication for these audiences and their support networks. A questionnaire regarding personal information, sociability indicators, media and technology use habits, subjective well-being and health self-perception was applied, to define the communication objectives with preventive and educational health purposes, as well as the editorial view, and the production of content in different formats, under the active ageing perspective. The research team is interdisciplinary: communications, public health and sociology

This paper presents the communication strategies on Facebook of non-profit organizations from four Hispanic speaking countries where cancer is the second cause of death. The content analysis of the messages posted during three months shows how these organizations are more active when they are celebrating cancer days or when a campaign is taking place. Most of the messages address the disease in general instead of a specific one. They aim to inform and create awareness among their followers and they use images as their main resource. Followers prefer to use the “like” button or to share posts instead of making comments.

This work analyses the unlawful advertising of products with alleged health benefits through the complaints received by the Spanish self-regulatory organization for advertising between 2010 and 2015. A total of 323 complaints are characterised according to the profile of the claimant, the advertiser, the broadcasting media and the decision of the jury. The work also examines the conduct of advertisers, in breach of general advertising regulations on unfair or misleading advertising contents and of specific regulations on the advertising of products with alleged health benefits.

Scoops in Spanish political journalism are rare, despite the significant weight given to this kind of content in the whole of the press and to the symbolic importance of its topics. This paper analyzes the scoops published by the five major Spanish newspapers in their politics sections on 2012. The study includes both the amount as the similarities and differences between what was published in the paper and digital versions of each media. The methodology used is based on a quantitative work, under the variant of discourse analysis.

This study, linked to the theory of uses and gratifications, analyzes the reasons for using Facebook and contrasts how those motives predict behavioral and attitudinal patterns. The questionnaire used, applied to a sample of Spanish students (n=268), included a scale about the reasons to use Facebook, and information on the consumption and satisfaction with that social network. An exploratory factorial analysis revealed six motivational dimensions: entertainment, virtual community, relationships maintenance, coolness, companionship and self-expression; the first three are the main reasons of use. Moreover, the search for entertainment showed the stronger statistical relationship with satisfaction with Facebook.

The purpose of this research is to analyze the impact of a political corruption scandal in Spain (the Bárcenas case) in the production of games developed for mobile devices across all major platforms for content distribution. The data were obtained with questionnaires to developers, content coding sheets and the feedback given by the users of the games. The results indicate a growing influence of viral aspects, their role of strengthening of opinion and the growing role of these platforms as distributors of information contents.

Chilean television is facing a new phenomenon: the production and broadcast of national fiction series that have reached an important place in television programming and in the loyalty of the audience. Los 80, Los archivos del Cardenal and El reemplazante are representative productions, both by the audience reached and the social debate they provoked. In this research, we examine these series analyzing the narrative and the gender representation. The results allow us to relate the socio-political context of the country to the choice of fictional contents. These series begin with innovative and original intentions, but as they develop they become more simplify and stereotyped proposals.