Publication: Periodismo de datos: el big data como elemento diferenciador sociocultural e insuficiencia de la Ley de Transparencia en España
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2019-07-30
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2019-06-27
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Abstract
Periodismo de precisión (PP) y periodismo asistido por ordenador o CAR (Computer Assisted Reporting) son términos que han acompañado desde las dos últimas décadas del siglo XX al periodismo de datos (PD) y al periodismo basado en datos (DDJ por las siglas en inglés de Data Driven Journalism), tanto en el campo profesional como en el académico. Sin embargo, desde finales de la primera década del siglo XXI y más concretamente desde las primeras filtraciones masivas de Wikileaks en 2010, el periodismo de datos ha tenido un importante desarrollo hasta nuestros días al incorporar elementos de un contexto tecnológico y sociocultural no existente cuando surgieron el PP y el CAR el siglo pasado: el big data.
En España esto se ha visto reflejado en el nacimiento de diversos equipos de periodismo de datos tanto en medios de comunicación tradicionales como en recientes nativos digitales, los cuales a su vez están relacionados de alguna manera con los primeros colectivos de emprendedores y activistas por la transparencia que ejercieron por vez primera esta disciplina en nuestro país. Como fenómeno, el PD ha ido creciendo en España en paralelo a la promulgación de la primera ley de transparencia. Por esta razón nos hemos propuesto abordar el estudio del PD español y su relación con la Ley 19/2013 de transparencia, acceso a la información pública y buen gobierno tomando en consideración al big data como contexto sociocultural y tecnológico en el cual se ha estado desarrollando.
La presente investigación busca diferenciar el PD como disciplina periodística de otras ya existentes -como PP y CAR- desde el enfoque que proporcionan los estudios de ciencia, tecnología y sociedad, al centrar la noticia como objeto limítrofe entre periodistas, programadores, diseñadores y otros actores culturales que ahora forman parte del proceso de producción noticiosa. Además, tomando en cuenta que, según la sociología del periodismo computacional, sus prácticas dependen de diversas instituciones sociales y artefactos tecnológicos que yacen fuera de su campo, buscamos determinar qué elementos de la ley de transparencia española han afectado al ejercicio del PD y como ha respondido este sector profesional a estos efectos.
Para alcanzar estos objetivos se han realizado 14 entrevistas semi-estructuradas en profundidad entre 2015 y 2017 a periodistas de datos españoles (8), de EEUU (1) y Finlandia (1); a expertos académicos de España (1) y Finlandia (2) en PP, PD y transparencia, y a una experta en leyes de transparencia y acceso a la información pública en España, Europa y América Latina. Además, se ha realizado un análisis de contenido -basado en la agenda setting- con una muestra que cuenta con 231 unidades de análisis, el cual describe la manera en que algunos medios de comunicación españoles con unidades de datos (Eldiario.es, El Mundo y Elconfidencial.com) han posicionado la transparencia como tema relevante de cara a la opinión pública entre junio y diciembre de 2015, en contraposición a un medio sin unidad de datos (El País). Las fechas de esta muestra han sido idóneas para medir como los medios de comunicación con unidades de datos influyeron a través de la opinión pública en la agenda política, coincidiendo con la irrupción de nuevas fuerzas políticas a mediados de 2015 y las elecciones generales a finales de ese año. En este período también se cumple el primer aniversario de funcionamiento del portal de transparencia, lo cual supone meses de experiencia por parte de los periodistas de datos en peticiones de información pública a través de este.
De esta manera, mientras con las entrevistas en profundidad hemos podido demostrar que el big data es un elemento diferenciador del PD debido a que se trata de un contexto sociocultural en donde la filosofía de datos abiertos, el software libre, el trabajo colaborativo y en equipo forman parte de su identidad, tanto con las entrevistas como con el análisis de contenido logramos probar lo siguiente: 1- la Ley 19/2013 de transparencia, acceso a la información pública y buen gobierno ha impulsado al periodismo de datos en España a pesar de su insuficiencia e incumplimiento, 2- la insuficiencia de la ley ha estancado al PD en un estado todavía incipiente, y 3- el incumplimiento de la ley se debe a una falta de cultura de transparencia en la administración pública española. Además, a través del análisis de contenido también comprobamos que el sector del periodismo de datos en España ha influido en la agenda política al exponer a la opinión pública las mismas insuficiencias de la ley señaladas en las entrevistas en profundidad.
Precision Journalism (PJ) and Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR) are terms that have been accompanied by Data Journalism (DJ) and Data Driven Journalism (DDJ) the last two decades of the Twentieth century, both in the professional and academic field. However, since the late 2000s and more precisely since the first massive leaks of Wikileaks in 2010, DJ has been having an important development till our days by incorporating elements of a technologic and sociocultural context non existing when PJ and CAR emerged the last century: Big Data. This has been reflected in Spain with the birth of several data journalism teams in both traditional and native digital media, which in their turn are related somehow with the first entrepreneurs’ collectives and transparency activist that exercised this discipline in our country. As a phenomenon, DJ has been growing in Spain while the first Transparency Act was enacted. For this reason, we have proposed to address the study of Spanish DJ and its relation to the ‘Law 19/2013 of transparency, access to public information and good governance’ (Transparency Law) taking into consideration Big Data as a technologic and sociocultural context in which it has been developing. This research aims to differentiate DJ as a journalistic discipline from others already existing -such as PJ and CAR- from a viewpoint taken from the science and technology studies, focusing the news as a boundary object between programmers, designers, journalists and other cultural actors that now are part of the news production process. Besides, taking into account that according to the sociology of computational journalism, its practices depends on diverse social institutions and technological artifacts that lie outside its field, we aim to determine which elements of the Spanish Transparency Law have affected the DJ practices and how this professional sector has responded to these effects. In order to accomplish these objectives 14 in-depth interviews were made from 2015 to 2017 to data journalists from Spain (8), EEUU (1) and Finland (1); PP, PD and transparency academic experts from Spain (1) and Finland (2); and one expert in transparency acts y access to public information in Spain, Europe and Latin America. Besides, a content analysis -based on Agenda Setting- has been made with a sample of 231 units of analysis, which describes the way that some Spanish media with data desks (Eldiario.es, El Mundo y Elconfidencial.com) have positioned transparency as a relevant theme to the public opinion between June and December 2015, in contrast to a media without a data desk (El País). The dates of this sample have been suitable to measure how the media with data desks have influenced the political agenda trough the public opinion, coinciding with the irruption of new political forces in the middle of 2015 and the general elections at the end of that year. In this period is also the first anniversary of the transparency web site functioning, which means month of experience by data journalists in asking for public information through it. Thus, while with the in-depth interviews we have proven that Big Data is a differentiating element of DJ because is a sociocultural context where the philosophy of Open Data, free software, collaborative and team work are part of its identity, with both the in-depth interviews and the content analysis we have accomplished to prove the following: 1- the ‘Law 19/2013 of transparency, access to public information and good governance’ has impulsed data journalism in Spain despite of its insufficiency and breach, 2- the insufficiency of the law has stagnated DJ in a still incipient state, and 3- the breach of the law is due to a lack of transparency culture in the Spanish public administration. Besides, through the content analysis we have also proved that the DJ sector in Spain have influenced the political agenda by exposing to the public opinion the same insufficiencies of the law identified in the in-depth interviews.
Precision Journalism (PJ) and Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR) are terms that have been accompanied by Data Journalism (DJ) and Data Driven Journalism (DDJ) the last two decades of the Twentieth century, both in the professional and academic field. However, since the late 2000s and more precisely since the first massive leaks of Wikileaks in 2010, DJ has been having an important development till our days by incorporating elements of a technologic and sociocultural context non existing when PJ and CAR emerged the last century: Big Data. This has been reflected in Spain with the birth of several data journalism teams in both traditional and native digital media, which in their turn are related somehow with the first entrepreneurs’ collectives and transparency activist that exercised this discipline in our country. As a phenomenon, DJ has been growing in Spain while the first Transparency Act was enacted. For this reason, we have proposed to address the study of Spanish DJ and its relation to the ‘Law 19/2013 of transparency, access to public information and good governance’ (Transparency Law) taking into consideration Big Data as a technologic and sociocultural context in which it has been developing. This research aims to differentiate DJ as a journalistic discipline from others already existing -such as PJ and CAR- from a viewpoint taken from the science and technology studies, focusing the news as a boundary object between programmers, designers, journalists and other cultural actors that now are part of the news production process. Besides, taking into account that according to the sociology of computational journalism, its practices depends on diverse social institutions and technological artifacts that lie outside its field, we aim to determine which elements of the Spanish Transparency Law have affected the DJ practices and how this professional sector has responded to these effects. In order to accomplish these objectives 14 in-depth interviews were made from 2015 to 2017 to data journalists from Spain (8), EEUU (1) and Finland (1); PP, PD and transparency academic experts from Spain (1) and Finland (2); and one expert in transparency acts y access to public information in Spain, Europe and Latin America. Besides, a content analysis -based on Agenda Setting- has been made with a sample of 231 units of analysis, which describes the way that some Spanish media with data desks (Eldiario.es, El Mundo y Elconfidencial.com) have positioned transparency as a relevant theme to the public opinion between June and December 2015, in contrast to a media without a data desk (El País). The dates of this sample have been suitable to measure how the media with data desks have influenced the political agenda trough the public opinion, coinciding with the irruption of new political forces in the middle of 2015 and the general elections at the end of that year. In this period is also the first anniversary of the transparency web site functioning, which means month of experience by data journalists in asking for public information through it. Thus, while with the in-depth interviews we have proven that Big Data is a differentiating element of DJ because is a sociocultural context where the philosophy of Open Data, free software, collaborative and team work are part of its identity, with both the in-depth interviews and the content analysis we have accomplished to prove the following: 1- the ‘Law 19/2013 of transparency, access to public information and good governance’ has impulsed data journalism in Spain despite of its insufficiency and breach, 2- the insufficiency of the law has stagnated DJ in a still incipient state, and 3- the breach of the law is due to a lack of transparency culture in the Spanish public administration. Besides, through the content analysis we have also proved that the DJ sector in Spain have influenced the political agenda by exposing to the public opinion the same insufficiencies of the law identified in the in-depth interviews.
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Keywords
periodismo de datos, big data, transparencia, open data, visualizacion, periodismo de precisión, periodismo asistido por ordenador, data journalism, transparency, visualization, precision journalism, computer assisted reporting