To Tweet for Solidarity or Just Report the News? Comparing Social Media Strategies of Spanish- and English-language TV Networks

Abstract

This article examines Twitter use among the top U.S. Spanish- and English-language television news networks during a significant breaking news event: the Orlando, Florida, shooting at Pulse Night Club on June 12, 2016. The study used a qualitative methodology and used the conceptual framework of ambient journalism to compare how Spanish- and English-language networks used social media to cover both the Latinx and LGBTQ communities, and to what extent these networks attempted to engage with audiences. The study found that Spanish-language media engaged with the Latinx and LGBTQ communities to a greater extent than English-language media. Findings also suggest that despite the advent of new digital that news networks have at their disposal, such as Twitter, their production and dissemination behaviors have not changed in a significant way.