Spanish media facing new media: a challenge to journalists?

This paper analyses the development of mobile Internet messaging and the opportunities it presents for journalism in Spain. It discusses whether or not a role will emerge for a specialized online journalist and identifies pure journalists and eproduction journalists as the basic roles in an ideal online media production scenario. SMS (Short Message Service), WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) and MMS (Multimedia Message Service) technologies are discussed as journalistic tools. The authors suggest that new media enable new formats, strategies and products that need to be designed by journalists in collaboration with technical and design staff. This position is supported on the case study of El da en cinco imgenes (Today in five pictures), an MMS news service offered by La Vanguardia (a leading Spanish newspaper) and Amena (a Spanish mobile company). Although new technologies pose new challenges for professional newsmaking, the article criticizes technological deterministic approaches to online journalism and argues that the main criteria of traditional journalism are still valid in the new media landscape.