The digital and social media journalist: A comparative analysis of journalists in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru

Abstract

This study examines how journalists in Latin America, specifically in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, view their professional roles in today’s digital media landscape. This study is part of a larger research project of an online survey administered to journalists in Latin America. In particular, this study examines through a comparative analysis how journalists in Latin America perceive their journalistic role and what forms of digital and social media are becoming parts of the journalists’ daily work in this region. Survey findings show that the interpretive and populist mobilizer roles resonated the most among the countries sampled. Furthermore, these journalists are engaging in specific digital and social media tasks for daily newsgathering and reporting routines in their respective newsrooms.