Journalistic Hypertextuality in Observation. A Study of Professional and Documentation Routines in the Newsrooms of Valencian Newspapers

Abstract

This article offers indicative data regarding the practical application of semantic links in the three main Valencian digital newspapers. The field research is based on a qualitative empirical analysis: participant observation, a technique not used yet in the research of the use of hypertext on Spanish newspapers; furthermore, it is applied to local media, an area barely considered by the case studies previously done. Participant observation in the three selected newsrooms is key to find out which are the journalistic routines regarding hyperlinks, specially under the view of journalism and documentation. A significant evolution of hypertextuality is certified in the newsrooms, whose use is mainly determined by audience goals and web positioning. Hypertext routines are different when comparing news sites having a paper edition with native digital media. The level of use of links is primarily determined by the time available to carry out this task. Hyperlinks in the observed Valencian news sites are mostly internal or self-referential, despite the limitations in the documentary process of their digital archives. News companies do not take enough measures to evaluate and refine the practice of hypertextuality.