The Adoption of Technology and Innovation Among Native Online News Media in Colombia

Authors

  • Víctor García-Perdomo Universidad de La Sabana
  • María Isabel Magaña Universidad de La Sabana

Keywords:

technological innovation, online news, entrepreneurs, online native media

Abstract

This study analyzes how entrepreneurial native online newsrooms in Colombia are implementing digital technologies and innovation in their workspaces. The article uses technology studies and entrepreneurial journalism as frameworks to investigate eight relevant case studies. The method used in-depth interviews with the directors of these online media. Results show that native online outlets value people, quality of content, access to information, and journalistic standards more than digital technology and platforms. For them, innovation is not strictly related to implementing new technology, but it is somewhat linked to the type of journalistic innovation products they are creating. They believe they are an alternative voice to mainstream media content but use traditional outlets to distribute their stories and increase their relevance. The integration of users into their editorial process is a goal, but it is still limited.

Author Biographies

Víctor García-Perdomo, Universidad de La Sabana

Víctor García-Perdomo, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the School of Communication at Universidad de La Sabana in Bogotá, Colombia, where he works as a director of the Master Program in Digital Communication and Journalism. He received his Ph.D. in Journalism and his M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. A Fulbright Fellow, García-Perdomo’s research addresses the impact of digital technology on media. His work has been published in the Journal of Communication, Journalism, Journalism Studies and the International Journal of Communication, and Mass Communication & Society. He is part of Colombian Research Group in Journalism (GIP). Until 2013, he was the director of the Journalism Department at La Sabana University. He worked for 14 years as a professional journalist for different media: El Espectador newspaper, Univision Online, Univision Radio, and Terra TV. You can find him on Twitter via @Victorgap.Víctor García-Perdomo Ph.D., Associate Professor School of Communication, Universidad de La Sabana, Bogotá, Colombia Kilómetro 7 Autopista Norte Bogotá, Campus Puente El Común, Chía, Colombia Email: victor.garcia2@unisabana.edu.co Cell phone:  (+57) 3165250361 Orcid: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7187-1618 Twitter: @victorgap

María Isabel Magaña, Universidad de La Sabana

María Isabel Magaña is an assistant professor in the School of Communication at Universidad de La Sabana in Bogotá, Colombia. She received her Masters in Investigative Journalism, Data and Visualization from the Rey Juan Carlos University, in Spain (2015), and her B.A. in Social Communication and Journalism from La Sabana University, in Chía (2014). Magaña worked as an investigative data journalist in Colombia and Spain. She has been nominated for awards such as the WanIfra Latam 2017, and the Data Journalism Awards 2018. Her research focuses on the impact of automatic technologies and artificial intelligence in reporting techniques, as well as the relationship between users, journalists, media and new technologies. She teaches Data Journalism and Transmedia at La Sabana.

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Published

2020-05-27

Issue

Vol. 14 (2020)

Section

Articles

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