A icle
Accep ing he Digi al Challenge: Business Models
and Audience Pa icipa ion in Online Na i e Media
Sa a Pé ez-Seijo * , Ángel Vizoso * and XoséLópez-Ga cía
Depa amen o de Ciencias da Comunicación, Uni e sidade de San iago de Compos ela,
15782 San iago de Compos ela, Spain; [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: [email p o ec ed] (S.P.-S.); [email p o ec ed] (Á.V.)
Recei ed: 30 Oc obe 2020; Accep ed: 23 No embe 2020; Published: 28 No embe 2020
Abs ac :
Since he mid-1990s, many jou nalis ic ini ia i es ha e en e ed he online en i onmen ,
ei he as a con inua ion o b ands al eady consolida ed in con en ional o ma s o as na i e p ojec s
o he new medium. In Spain, he online media scene has jus comple ed i s i s qua e cen u y
o li e. This said, he aim o his p oposal is o p esen he e olu ion o he digi al na i e media in
Spain in o de o compa e hei cu en si ua ion wi h Eu opean success s o ies. Fo ha pu pose,
we ha e conduc ed a compa a i e case s udy be ween h ee highligh ed Spanish digi al na i e news
ou le s and h ee om o he Eu opean coun ies. The esul s show a p og essi e shi owa ds a
membe - unded model, while news ou le s y o educe hei dependence on ad e ising. Howe e ,
he h ee Eu opean na i es seem o be mo e ad anced compa ed o he Spanish cases as hese emain
s ill dependen on ad e ising e enues o s and up igh . Fu he mo e, wo models o pa icipa ion
s and ou : he use communi y and, in pa icula , he model o collabo a ion ne wo ks. Ne e heless,
he s udy e eals how he analyzed Eu opean news ou le s a e changing he ole o he eade h ough
inno a i e o ms o pa icipa o y in e ac i i y.
Keywo ds:
digi al jou nalism; digi al na i e media; business models; audience pa icipa ion;
use in e ac i i y; membe ships; subsc ip ions; communi y; engagemen
1. In oduc ion
Jou nalism is a communica i e ac i i y deeply dependen on echnological changes. I has adop ed,
adap ed, and de eloped some o he mos impo an de ices and pa adigms, whe e echnology plays
a main ole. One o he majo changes—especially du ing he las h ee decades—has been he
in eg a ion o he In e ne bo h in hei ou ines (Robinson 2010) and in hei comme cial s a egies
(Ca pes da Sil a and G uszynski Sanse e ino 2020). Since he 1990s, we ha e a ended o he c ea ion
o online-only jou nalis ic b ands as well as he bi h o digi al e sions o enowned media ou le s
ha sough o ake as much ad an age as possible o his new pla o m. In his con ex , we ha e
also wi nessed he c ea ion o no el jou nalis ic o ma s ha ely only on his new pla o m, as could
be he case o mul imedia in og aphics (Co es 2004), while o he s ha e expe ienced a g ow h in i s
impo ance, as i has happened, o ins ance, wi h ac -checking (B and zaeg e al. 2017). Ve i ica ion,
which is a co e ac i i y in jou nalism p ac ice, is now expe iencing a ise in e ms o audience g ow h
and de elopmen o pa icula ools o de ec ake news, bo h o hem di ec ly linked o he eme gence
o online-based echnologies.
As pa o a majo esea ch p ojec on Spanish online media ou le s, his a icle add esses how
h ee Spanish online-only jou nalis ic b ands a e adap ing hemsel es o he changing en i onmen
o digi al jou nalism by compa ing hem wi h h ee o he Eu opean examples, each o hem wi h a
di e en s a egy. In pa icula , wo pa icula ields will be e iewed: new ways o mone iza ion o
hei ac i i ies o con en and spaces o ini ia i es o audience pa icipa ion. All o ha in an online
Jou nal. Media 2020,1, 78–91; doi:10.3390/jou nalmedia1010006 www.mdpi.com/jou nal/jou nalmedia
Jou nal. Media 2020,179
communica i e scena io wi h a qua e o a cen u y o li e and highly in luenced by he di e en
economic, cul u al, o linguis ic cha ac e is ics o he Spanish con ex (Sala e ía e al. 2019, p. 25).
2. Bi h and In eg a ion o he Media on he In e ne
The In e ne has been a sou ce o change and new chances o jou nalism (Fo una i e al. 2009).
Bo h jou nalis s and hei audiences now ha e he possibili y o in e ac ing, gi ing eedback, and
en iching jou nalis ic con en by using he main cha ac e is ics o his no el en i onmen : in e ac i i y,
mul imodali y, and hype ex uali y (Fonde ila 2015). Since he media has been adap ing i sel o
his changing scena io, his has, in ac , a o ed he de elopmen o digi al na i e na a i e o ma s,
he eme gence o new habi s in he ela ion be ween jou nalis s and hei audiences (Ing am 2014),
as well as he appea ance o new business models (Ca pes da Sil a and G uszynski Sanse e ino 2020).
News ooms and jou nalis s ha e abandoned he single-medium model in o de o ake pa in
he cu en mul imedia scena io (Sal zis and Dickinson 2008). I all began on 19 Janua y 1994 when
Palo Al o Weekly—acco ding o Ca lson (2003), he i s news publica ion si e on he In e ne —s a ed
i s ac i i y. No wi hs anding, i is necessa y o highligh ha jou nalis ic b ands such as he Chicago
T ibune s a ed o sha e con en h ough he Wo ld Wide Web wo yea s be o e h ough Ame ican
OnLine (D
í
az-Noci and Meso-Aye di 1998). These—among o he s—we e he pionee s in he use o
he In e ne wi h a jou nalis ic pu pose. Fu he mo e, be ween 1994 and 1996, many o he mos
impo an jou nalis ic b ands s a ed o be pa o his digi al en i onmen by opening hei online
spaces (Sala e
í
a 2019). Meanwhile, a new ield in he s udy o communica ion and jou nalism
s a ed wi h he bi h o he i s online media ou le s. Thus, in he pas 25 yea s, we ha e a ended o
he g ow h o esea ch ocused on he analysis o na a i e s uc u es, media managemen sys ems,
p oduc i e ou ines, and echnologies associa ed exclusi ely wi h he news co e age made digi ally.
This pa icula communica i e space o e s many no el oppo uni ies o p o essionals and news
ou le s (Fo una i e al. 2009). As a consequence, digi al jou nalism saw, du ing i s ea ly yea s, he g adual
in eg a ion o legacy jou nalis ic b ands wi h he aim o aking ad an age o he eme ging pla o m
(Co le and Ash on 1999).
Ini ially, his o m o jou nalism was basically an online ep oduc ion o he
p in ed o b oadcas ed con en ollowing he s a egy known as sho elwa e (D
í
az-Noci and Meso-Aye di
1998). O e he yea s, his model mo ed owa ds he p oduc ion o con en exclusi ely o he In e ne .
Wi hin he amewo k o con e gence p ocesses, media g oups ha e op ed o mul imedia s a egies, whe e
each pla o m wo ks oge he wi h he o he ones—such as a p in newspape , adio, o ele ision—bu
by p oducing con en adap ed o he pa icula i ies o each channel (Menke e al. 2016).
I should be no ed ha e en hough he bi h o digi al jou nalism is deeply linked o legacy
media ou le s, he cu en news media landscape could no be unde s ood wi hou digi al na i e
media ou le s, as hese ha e changed he way in which jou nalism is made in almos e e y cul u al o
economic con ex (Tandoc 2018). In sum, wha s a ed by expe imen ing wi h he use o he In e ne
as a new way o sha e in o ma ion o y new in o ma i e p oduc s a consolida ed media b ands
has become a place whe e coun less jou nalis ic p ojec s coexis , ega dless o hei in e nal ea u es
(Sala e ía 2020).
Fu he mo e, he In e ne has p o ided a e ile g ound o jou nalis ic inno a ion. In his con ex ,
o e he las wo decades, we ha e a ended o he de elopmen o di e en ways o doing and
p ac icing jou nalism. One o he mos ele an examples could be ha o so-called slow jou nalism
(Masu ie 2015). This end wan s o change he p e ailing publishing sys em o online news, closely
linked o b eaking news (Ushe 2018). In ecen yea s, his long- o m and in es iga i e jou nalis ic
p ac ice has eached a place o p i ilege wi h he eme gence o some news media ou le s o ally
commi ed o a mo e in-dep h app oach o in o ma ion.
In essence, he pas wo and a hal decades ha e changed he way in which we see jou nalism.
The adop ion o he In e ne a news ooms as a publishing space has modi ied many aspec s o his
ac i i y as well as he size and he hema ic pu pose o many media ou le s. Thus, wi h he a i al o
Jou nal. Media 2020,180
digi al jou nalism, online media a e now global—e en hose ini ia i es based on hype local s o ies
(Teno 2018)—in a con ex whe e gene alis and specialized p ojec s sha e he same space.
2.1. Online Jou nalism in Spain
Simila ly o wha we can see in he in e na ional con ex —and especially o he Uni ed S a es as
he s a ing poin o his new way o jou nalism—online media ou le s in Spain began hei ac i i y in
he mid-1990s. The digi al e sion o a cul u al magazine named El Temps—published in he sp ing
o 1994—ma ked he beginning o Spanish online jou nalism (Sala e
í
a e al. 2018). A ew mon hs
la e , newspape s such as El Mundo and El Pe i
ó
dico de Ca alunya s a ed o publish online h ough
a pla o m called Se icom (D
í
az-Noci 2005), e y simila o he Ame ican model desc ibed abo e.
Since hen, he online media landscape in Spain has g own cons an ly o he p esen day, wi h a
signi ican mul iplica ion ha ook place du ing he pe iod 2008–2014, coexis ing wi h one o he
bigges ecessi e pe iods in he his o y o he coun y. As a esul , he e we e 3862 digi al news media
ou le s wi h ac i i y in he las mon hs o 2019 (Neg edo e al. 2020).
On he o he hand, a s udy conduc ed by Sala e
í
a e al. (2019, p. 26) shows how he Spanish
online media landscape is closely connec ed o he la ge popula ion cen e s in a eas such as Mad id o
Ba celona. Mo eo e , e i o ies wi h a p ope language—such as Galicia o Basque Coun y—ha e a
highe numbe o digi al media ini ia i es han could be expec ed om i s popula ion. Ne e heless,
hese au ho s poin ou he weaknesses o a signi ican po ion o he online jou nalis ic landscape in
Spain. E en hough he e a e s ong ini ia i es suppo ed by enowned media ou le s, mos o hem
a e local and egional ones and, hus, a e mo e likely o su e du ing a c isis.
Hence, he online media landscape in Spain e eals a dualism among media ou le s wi h a g ea e
size and budge and hose bo n om small local and p i a e ini ia i es. In his con ex , specialized
digi al na i e ini ia i es a e ema kably signi ican because hey ha e en iched he Spanish jou nalis ic
en i onmen by co e ing ma ke niches no explo ed be o e.
2.2. Challenges and Oppo uni ies o Online Jou nalism
As poin ed be o e, online jou nalism—jus like o he o ms o his communica i e discipline—has
i s pa icula i ies. Howe e , he changes in oduced by he in eg a ion o he In e ne in news ooms’
daily ou ines a e subs an ially g ea e han he shi s added by o he echnologies. This echnological
de elopmen o ced jou nalis s o adap hemsel es o acqui e new skills and compe encies (Ga c
í
a
A il
é
s e al. 2004) o dealing wi h hei daily asks. A his junc u e, he main inno a ion has been he
24/7 p oduc ion low and he end o deadlines—o he beginning o a con inuous deadline—in he
news epo ing sys em (Vonbun e al. 2016).
Fu he mo e, he media ha e explo ed he in oduc ion o many na a i es and new o ms o
jou nalism, whose sp ead seemed o be impossible be o e he a i al o he Wo ld Wide Web. This is
he case o mobile jou nalism (Wes lund 2013), so-called imme si e jou nalism (de la Peña e al. 2010),
in e ac i e in o ma ion isualiza ion (Webe and Rall 2012), use -gene a ed con en (Ha ison 2010),
o e en da a jou nalism (C ucianelli 2013), disciplines ha ha e ound a new en i onmen o de elop
hei pa icula ea u es. Addi ionally, he eme gence o social media (Moon and Hadley 2014;Tandoc
and Vos 2015) a decade and a hal ago and he p og essi e deploymen o sma phones ha e opened a
new scena io o 21s cen u y media.
This new eali y demands no only he adap a ion o p o essional p o iles and jou nalis ic ou ines
bu also he adjus men o business models and he way in which audiences can consume and ake
pa in he p oduc ion p ocess (Su
á
ez 2020). Wi hin he ollowing sec ions, we will explo e how h ee
o he main Spanish digi al na i e media ou le s a e dealing wi h he challenges o his new e a by
compa ing hem wi h h ee success ul Eu opean cases.
Jou nal. Media 2020,181
3. Me hod
The aim o his p oposal is o p esen he e olu ion o he digi al na i e media in Spain in
o de o compa e hei cu en si ua ion— ega ding s uc u e capabili ies, business models, and use
pa icipa ion possibili ies—wi h Eu opean success s o ies. Fo ha pu pose, we ha e conduc ed a
compa a i e case s udy be ween h ee highligh ed Spanish digi al na i e news ou le s—Eldia o.es,
El Con idencial, and El Español—and h ee om o he Eu opean coun ies—Mediapa (F ance), De
Co esponden (Ne he lands), and To oise Media (Uni ed Kingdom). The selec ion o he Eu opean cases
was made aking he Digi al News Repo 2019 as a e e ence (Newman e al. 2019). Table 1suma izes
he main ea u es o he six analyzed cases.
Table 1. Digi al na i e media included in he sample.
News Ou le Coun y Since Annual Billing
(2019) Team Membe s A e age Visi o s
(Mon hly)
Susc ibed-
Reade s
Eldia io.es Spain 2012 EUR 6.9 M 59 12.9M
(Sep embe 2020) +55,000
El Con idencial Spain 2001 EUR 19.3 M
27 (managing posi ions)
21.1M
(Sep embe 2020) +18,000
El Español Spain 2015 EUR 7.2 M
23 (managing posi ions)
23.2M
(Sep embe 2020) +12,000
To oise Media Uni ed Kingdom 2019 EUR 5.1 M * 19 N.F. +62,000
De Co esponden
The Ne he lands 2013 EUR 2.7 M 82 N.F. +70,000
Mediapa F ance 2007 EUR 16.8 M 87 (49 news oom,
38 egula collabo a o s)
5.5.M (Ma ch 2020) +170,000
Sou ce: own elabo a ion. * Annual billing om 2018, las pe iod a ailable. In o ma ion on eam membe s was
e ie ed om each media ou le ’s webpage. Visi o s’ da a om To oise Media and De Co esponden we e no ound.
This s udy is based on he assump ion ha , a he p esen ime, he Spanish digi al na i e media o
e e ence do no ha e a s uc u al capaci y, a business model, and mechanisms o audience pa icipa ion
ha can be compa ed o simila ini ia i es bo n in he o he Eu opean coun ies. To con i m o ejec his,
an explo a o y s udy was ca ied ou wi h he objec i e o examining each media’s cha ac e iza ion
in e ms o s uc u e, business model, connec ion be ween media and eade s, ole o he use ,
and mechanisms and s a egies o allow in e ac i i y and pa icipa ion. In e ac ion was analyzed
on he basis o he ca ego ies p oposed by Masip e al. (2015)—selec i e in e ac i i y, pa icipa o y
in e ac i i y, and p oduc i e in e ac i i y—and pa icipa ion was measu ed aking he models p oposed
by Masip and Suau (2014) as a e e ence—ca ch all, use communi y, and collabo a ion ne wo ks.
This analysis will allow us o igu e ou simila i ies and dispa i ies among he abo e-men ioned cases,
as well as s eng hs and weaknesses o each na i e.
4. Resul s
The esul s e idence a p og essi e shi owa ds a membe - unded model, while news ou le s
y o educe hei dependence on ad e ising. In his sense, he h ee Eu opean na i es seem o
be mo e ad anced compa ed o he Spanish ones as hey s ill need ad e ising e enues o s and
up igh , e en hough Eldia io.es,El Con idencial, and El Español p esen mixed models. Mo eo e ,
wo models o pa icipa ion s and ou : he use communi y, which is obse ed in news ou le s ha
p omo e in e ac ion be ween use s h ough ools and mechanisms o pa icipa o y in e ac i i y—e.g.,
lea ing commen s and joining mee ings wi h he news oom—such as in he case o El Con idencial
o To oise Media, and especially he model o collabo a ion ne wo ks, in which he communi y is
c ea ed by enhancing, o a g ea e o lesse deg ee, p oduc i e in e ac i i y—w i ing opinion a icles,
ha ing a pe sonal blog, being an expe sou ce, and so on—as in he case o Eldia io.es,El Español,
De Co esponden , and Mediapa . Table 2o e s a summa y o he esul s ound ega ding business
model and in e ac i i y and pa icipa ion s a egies o he six digi al na i e media.
Jou nal. Media 2020,182
Table 2. Main esul s ound du ing he analysis o he news ou le s.
Eldia io.es El Con idencial El Español To oise
Media
De
Co esponden Mediapa
Business
model
Mixed
(ad e isemen s
and subsc ibe s)
Mixed
(ad e isemen s
and subsc ibe s)
Mixed
(ad e isemen s
and subsc ibe s)
Membe ship Membe ship Membe ship
Access o
con en Open access
Mos ly open
access, bu wi h
con en
es ic ed o
subsc ibe s
Mos ly open
access, bu wi h
con en es ic ed
o subsc ibe s
Res ic ed o
membe s
(jus p e iew
o non-membe s)
Res ic ed o
membe s
Res ic ed o
membe s
In e ac i i y
Selec i e • • • • •
•
Pa icipa o y
• • • • • •
P oduc i e
• • • •
Speci ic mechanisms
Use as
eade and
sou ce
•
Commen s • • • • •
Mee ings
wi h he
news oom
• •
Communi y • • • • • •
Sou ce: own elabo a ion.
4.1. Eldia io.es
Eldia io.es has a mixed business model based on membe s and ad e isemen s. Howe e ,
his medium ies o enhance he ole, and hus he ele ance, o he subsc ibe s by e e ing o hem as
he gua an o s o he media independence.
Al hough any use can consul all he news published o ee, i.e., he e is no paywall o ead
he con en , wha e e he opic is, subsc ibed eade s ecei e a numbe o bene i s in e u n o hei
paymen . In his ega d, he i s ad an age is he chance o ad- ee na iga ion, as he paymen o a
subsc ip ion cons i u es a s ep owa ds ending he business’ dependence on ad e ising. The second
one is a so o g a i ica ion, since Eldia io.es has op ed o highligh he commen s le by membe s
on a news s o y in o de o dis inguish hei con ibu ions om he non-subsc ibe s. Rela ed o his,
and acco ding o he medium, hei dispa a e iews a e aken in o conside a ion by he news oom.
The ou h bene i is he leas common among news ou le s: gi ing he membe s he oppo uni y
o willingly w i e opinion a icles o he so-called blog “The opinion o he [male and emale] membe s”
(La opinion de los socios y socias in Spanish). Finally, al hough he e a e o he ewa ds in exchange o
he subsc ip ion, membe s can also ecei e in i a ions o physical mee ings wi h he news oom and
e en wi h he di ec o , Ignacio Escola , al hough hese we e online du ing he COVID-19 pandemic.
The e o e, Eldia io.es seeks, h ough he membe ships model, o p omo e a sense o belonging o a
pa icula communi y, since eade s a e no going o pay o eading con en , bu also o keep he media
edi o ial au onomy and o ha e he chance o see hei own opinions highligh ed, ei he as adi ional
commen s o ei he as opinion a icles on he blog. I should be no ed ha he abo e-men ioned
ad an ages can be ansla ed in o di e se g a i ica ions ha each membe expe iences i s -hand
(see Table 3).
Jou nal. Media 2020,183
Table 3. Membe s’ ad an ages in e ms o g a i ica ions.
G a i ica ion Ac ion
Dis inc ion Lea ing commen s on he news as a membe and being highligh ed.
Voice Publishing pe sonal opinion a icles, al hough wi h p io media mode a ion, and joining
mee ings wi h he news oom.
Exclusi i y Unlimi ed access, pos ing, ecei ing o e s o in i a ions, and so on.
Responsibili y Gua an o s o he media independence hanks o hei paymen s and by o ing o
ake decisions.
Sou ce: own elabo a ion.
Eldia io.es unde s ands ha when eade s decide o become membe s, i is because hey a e
commi ed o he media mission, which is why he medium e e s o hem as “engaged eade s”.
Fu he mo e, his digi al na i e di ec ly encou ages an ac i e in e ac ion and pa icipa ion in he media.
In ac , we ha e ound h ee ypes o in e ac i i y— ollowing he ca ego ies p oposed by Masip and
Suau (2014). On he one hand, we ha e iden i ied a selec i e in e ac i i y which is mani es ed h ough
ools such as newsle e s and Really Simple Sindica ion —RSS—, among o he s.
On he o he hand, he e a e also op ions o pa icipa o y in e ac i i y, as any eade —wi h p io
ee egis a ion—can commen on and, hus, discuss news bu also epo e a a. Howe e , only
subsc ibed eade s can pa icipa e and o e in su eys o help he media o make decisions—e.g.,
o es ic commen s o jus subsc ibed eade s. Finally, he hi d ype o in e ac i i y p omo ed by
Eldia io.es is he p oduc i e one, since any use can send cues o in o ma ion o help he news oom o
in es iga e wha could be an impo an opic o hidden issue, and u he mo e, subsc ibed membe s
can send hei own opinion a icles.
In sum, Eldia io.es encou ages pa icipa ion o di e en deg ees, acco ding o he use ’s
in ol emen , i.e., membe /non-membe ; collabo a ion, as membe s’ money allows media independence
and anonymous eade s can send/leak ele an in o ma ion o da a; and e en a wo old engagemen :
(1) media engagemen owa d au onomy, coun e powe , quali y, and deep analysis (2) and use s’
engagemen as membe s o a communi y whe e hei oices will be hea d h ough use gene a ed
con en and e en, some imes, also lis ened o h ough o ing.
4.2. El Con idencial
As in he p e ious case, El Con idencial p esen s a mixed business model which is bo h
ad e ising-led and based on subsc ibed eade s. Ne e heless, ad e isemen s a e s ill he main
sou ce o unding since, among o he ac o s, he subsc ip ion se ice was eleased in June 2020
(see Figu e 1). E en hough mos o he con en is open-access, subsc ibed eade s ha e access o
“exclusi e a icles” in e u n o hei commi men . In his ega d, El Con idencial is be e de eloping
his pa ly subsc ibe - unded model unde he a gumen ha subsc ibing allows hem, as a news
media ou le , o de end he audience’s igh o know he u h.
I should be no ed ha his digi al na i e medium ies o enhance a sense o communi y among
all i s eade s, subsc ibe s o no , h ough he commen s on he news. The only equi emen o belong
o he so-called in luen ial eade s’ communi y (Lec o es in luyen es in Spanish) is o be egis e ed on he
websi e, which is o ally o ee. Once use s do so, hey can al eady w i e hei opinions in e e y
a icle hey wan o. The commen s will appea wi h hei name/su name, he o al numbe o a icles
w i en so a by each use and he da e since when hey ha e been “in luen ial eade s”, i.e., he da e
on which hey egis e ed on he websi e. The e o e, compa ed o he Eldia io.es communi y, his is
comple ely open o any eade as, subsc ibe o no , hey can be pa o i by jus c ea ing a ee p o ile
on he websi e.
Fu he mo e, in o de o boos his pa icipa o y in e ac i i y and ecognize he use s’ le el o
in ol emen —ac i i y and success—El Con idencial has a sec ion called “Communi y”, in which he
i e mos ac i e use s and also he i e mos o ed commen s appea . This is a s a egy o p omo e
Jou nal. Media 2020,184
discussion among he eade s and, hus, eedback be ween hem, e en hough he medium i sel
emains in he backg ound and ac s jus as he pla o m ha i , in ac , is.
Jou nal. Media 2020, 1, FOR PEER REVIEW 7 o 13
Figu e 1. Announcemen o he launch o he El Con idencial’s subsc ip ion se ice. Sou ce:
h ps://cu .ly/ gTKj1K.
I should be no ed ha his digi al na i e medium ies o enhance a sense o communi y among
all i s eade s, subsc ibe s o no , h ough he commen s on he news. The only equi emen o belong
o he so-called in luen ial eade s’ communi y (Lec o es in luyen es in Spanish) is o be egis e ed on
he websi e, which is o ally o ee. Once use s do so, hey can al eady w i e hei opinions in e e y
a icle hey wan o. The commen s will appea wi h hei name/su name, he o al numbe o a icles
w i en so a by each use and he da e since when hey ha e been “in luen ial eade s”, i.e., he da e
on which hey egis e ed on he websi e. The e o e, compa ed o he Eldia io.es communi y, his is
comple ely open o any eade as, subsc ibe o no , hey can be pa o i by jus c ea ing a ee p o ile
on he websi e.
Fu he mo e, in o de o boos his pa icipa o y in e ac i i y and ecognize he use s’ le el o
in ol emen —ac i i y and success—El Con idencial has a sec ion called “Communi y”, in which he
i e mos ac i e use s and also he i e mos o ed commen s appea . This is a s a egy o p omo e
discussion among he eade s and, hus, eedback be ween hem, e en hough he medium i sel
emains in he backg ound and ac s jus as he pla o m ha i , in ac , is.
4.3. El Español
The Spanish digi al na i e medium El Español also has a mixed business model based on bo h
ad e isemen s and subsc ibe s. I should be no ed ha du ing he COVID-19 c isis, his online media
changed i s subsc ip ion speech and called on eade s o become subsc ibe s o suppo a “c i ical
and ai co e age” o he pandemic scena io (see Figu e 2).
Figu e 1.
Announcemen o he launch o he El Con idencial’s subsc ip ion se ice. Sou ce: h ps:
//cu .ly/ gTKj1K.
4.3. El Español
The Spanish digi al na i e medium El Español also has a mixed business model based on bo h
ad e isemen s and subsc ibe s. I should be no ed ha du ing he COVID-19 c isis, his online media
changed i s subsc ip ion speech and called on eade s o become subsc ibe s o suppo a “c i ical and
ai co e age” o he pandemic scena io (see Figu e 2).
As in he case o Eldia io.es, we ha e iden i ied h ee ypes o in e ac i i y on he web: selec i e,
h ough mechanisms such as newsle e s, RSS, and so on; pa icipa o y, by lea ing commen s on
he news; and p oduc i e, by w i ing o iginal pos s o he subsc ibe ’s blog. By suppo ing his
audience-gene a ed con en , he medium gi es a oice o i s subsc ibed eade s and a digi al space o
sp ead hei opinions. Howe e , he ela ionship be ween he medium and subsc ibe s is s ill limi ed
and media ed since be o e publishing he a icles, he blog pos s a e i s mode a ed by he news oom.
Al hough El Español does no explici ly e e o a communi y as such, he online medium os e s a
sense o an “exclusi e g oup” h ough i s Subsc ibe ’s blog ini ia i e. The oppo uni y o w i ing an
a icle on he medium is an expe ience limi ed o he mos loyal and commi ed eade s, hose who
choose o pay o he news. In e u n o hei con ibu ion, subsc ibe s ob ain a g a i ica ion: o ha e a
oice, since hey a e able o exp ess hei hough s and opinions on an open-access blog.
Jou nal. Media 2020,185
Jou nal. Media 2020, 1, FOR PEER REVIEW 8 o 13
Figu e 2. Pandemic- ela ed call o subsc ibe s. Sou ce: El Español.
As in he case o Eldia io.es, we ha e iden i ied h ee ypes o in e ac i i y on he web: selec i e,
h ough mechanisms such as newsle e s, RSS, and so on; pa icipa o y, by lea ing commen s on he
news; and p oduc i e, by w i ing o iginal pos s o he subsc ibe ’s blog. By suppo ing his
audience-gene a ed con en , he medium gi es a oice o i s subsc ibed eade s and a digi al space
o sp ead hei opinions. Howe e , he ela ionship be ween he medium and subsc ibe s is s ill
limi ed and media ed since be o e publishing he a icles, he blog pos s a e i s mode a ed by he
news oom.
Al hough El Español does no explici ly e e o a communi y as such, he online medium os e s
a sense o an “exclusi e g oup” h ough i s Subsc ibe ’s blog ini ia i e. The oppo uni y o w i ing
an a icle on he medium is an expe ience limi ed o he mos loyal and commi ed eade s, hose
who choose o pay o he news. In e u n o hei con ibu ion, subsc ibe s ob ain a g a i ica ion: o
ha e a oice, since hey a e able o exp ess hei hough s and opinions on an open-access blog.
4.4. To oise Media
To oise Media u ilizes a membe -based unding model: “c ea ed o and wi h ou membe s”
(To oise Media 2020a), which o e s independence o e he con en ional ad e ising model. Fo
eading and in e ac ing, use s mus be egis e ed as a membe , which au oma ically makes hem
become pa o a es ic ed communi y. I should be no ed ha To oise Media a oids he use o he
e m “subsc ibe s” and, ins ead, p e e s he concep “membe ship”, as i means ha he eade s
belong o o pa icipa e in a pa icula communi y: “ Tha ’s why i ’s no simply abou d i ing
eade ship o jus selling subsc ip ions. I ’s abou membe ship—being pa o i is mo e impo an
han jus paying o i ” (To oise Media 2020b).
Being pa o To oise—as a communi y—means use s will “ha e a sea a he able”. Thus, he
idea ha e e y egis e ed use becomes a pa o he news oom and, he e o e, ha hei oices will
be hea d and aken in o conside a ion is cons an ly s essed. E en hough he e is no op ion o
lea ing commen s on he a icles, use s can join physical mee ings—online du ing he COVID-19
pandemic c isis—called “ThinkIns”, whe e pa icipan s can alk and discuss wi h he To oise eam.
In his ega d, he adi ional ole o he use is eshaped as he medium enhances a close ela ionship
be ween he membe s and he news oom, dismissing he con en ional use o use in e ac i i y
h ough commen s on he news.
In exchange o hei membe ship, use s ob ain wo main g a i ica ions: esponsibili y, as hey
ha e con ibu ed o he bi h o he medium and now hey allow i s su i al wi hou depending on
Figu e 2. Pandemic- ela ed call o subsc ibe s. Sou ce: El Español.
4.4. To oise Media
To oise Media u ilizes a membe -based unding model: “c ea ed o and wi h ou membe s”
(To oise Media 2020a), which o e s independence o e he con en ional ad e ising model. Fo eading
and in e ac ing, use s mus be egis e ed as a membe , which au oma ically makes hem become
pa o a es ic ed communi y. I should be no ed ha To oise Media a oids he use o he e m
“subsc ibe s” and, ins ead, p e e s he concep “membe ship”, as i means ha he eade s belong o o
pa icipa e in a pa icula communi y: “Tha ’s why i ’s no simply abou d i ing eade ship o jus
selling subsc ip ions. I ’s abou membe ship—being pa o i is mo e impo an han jus paying o i ”
(To oise Media 2020b).
Being pa o To oise—as a communi y—means use s will “ha e a sea a he able”. Thus, he idea
ha e e y egis e ed use becomes a pa o he news oom and, he e o e, ha hei oices will be
hea d and aken in o conside a ion is cons an ly s essed. E en hough he e is no op ion o lea ing
commen s on he a icles, use s can join physical mee ings—online du ing he COVID-19 pandemic
c isis—called “ThinkIns”, whe e pa icipan s can alk and discuss wi h he To oise eam. In his ega d,
he adi ional ole o he use is eshaped as he medium enhances a close ela ionship be ween he
membe s and he news oom, dismissing he con en ional use o use in e ac i i y h ough commen s
on he news.
In exchange o hei membe ship, use s ob ain wo main g a i ica ions: esponsibili y, as hey
ha e con ibu ed o he bi h o he medium and now hey allow i s su i al wi hou depending on
ad e isemen s, and oice, as hey can a end mee ings wi h he news oom, in which hei opinions,
sugges ions, and commen s do ma e .
The business and s uc u al model o his digi al na i e is qui e di e en om he con en ional
digi al ones. To oise Media emphasizes he ole o he membe s as he main eason o i s ac ual
exis ence, and hus, he medium gi es hem—o g a i ies hem wi h—powe and esponsibili y, since
use s a e no only me e egis e ed eade s bu also majo con ibu o s o he cause: a slow jou nalism
and, p esumably, edi o ial independen p ojec .
4.5. De Co esponden
Simila o To oise Media,De Co esponden is a digi al medium whose access o con en s is es ic ed
o membe s, as i ollows a membe ship-based unding model wi h no ad e isemen s a all. The De
Co esponden philosophy is based on he idea ha i s jou nalism mus be a con e sa ion be ween
Jou nal. Media 2020,186
jou nalis s, expe s, and membe s. Fo ha eason, membe s a e no seen as passi e eade s bu as
po en ial expe s in hei ield o knowledge o ca ee s.
The e o e, he use ’s ole is eshaped. Fi s , hey con ibu e wi h money—membe ship—as
gua an o s o he medium’s au onomy and exis ence— hey pay o jou nalism and hey pay o
keeping he p ojec ali e. Second, a o al inno a ion: hey can become an in o ma ion sou ce wi h
expe ise in a speci ic ield/issue. Thus, De Co esponden no only wan s he use s’ inancial con ibu ion
(money) bu also hei knowledge o he medium’s bene i (in o ma ion).
Pa icipa ion and in e ac i i y a e ac ually encou aged h ough di e en possibili ies and s a egies.
Fi s , selec i e in e ac i i y is p esen h ough RSS, newsle e s, and so on. Second, pa icipa o y
in e ac i i y is boos ed by lea ing commen s on he news, by joining discussions and he so-called
“Con e sa ions” be ween membe s and jou nalis s, and by asking ques ions and exp essing doub s o
conce ns o he news oom and expe s.
Mo eo e , De Co esponden os e s p oduc i e in e ac i i y oo. Membe s can be an ac i e pa
du ing he p oduc ion p ocess.
1.
Acco ding o he use ’s ca ee , job, o ield o expe ise, he news oom can con ac hem in o de
o ask o help on a speci ic opic—sha e knowledge, expe iences, and so on.
2.
Subsc ibe s can also con ac he news oom i hey ha e in o ma ion abou an issue ha should
be/dese es o be add essed o in es iga ed.
3.
Membe s, as expe s in a speci ic issue, can be eques ed o e iew an a icle p io o i s publica ion.
4.
Membe s could also be asked o answe o he membe s’ ques ions abou a pa icula opic o s o y.
5.
They can sha e and pos hei own opinions and hough s abou pa icula opics on he so-called
“Con e sa ions” sec ion. Howe e , i possible, De Co esponden ecommends men ioning sou ces
and adding e e ences. Thus, membe s become con ibu o s, pa icipan s, and e en collabo a o s.
In sum, De Co esponden is based on a collabo a i e wo king model in which use s a e he
audience and sou ces a he same ime. Mo eo e , he medium encou ages discussion and connec ion
among use s wi h simila p o iles o common in e es s h ough he “Con e sa ions” sec ion, and
e en he ela ionship be ween membe s and “co esponden s”, meaning ha he communica ion low
be ween he medium and he use s can be bo h ho izon al—dialogue/sou ce—and e ical—consume .
The e o e, use s’ g a i ica ions a e s onge han be o e, since hey can lea e hei con en ional
passi e ole as a news eade o become an ac i e pa icipan by p o iding in o ma ion, o example,
as a s a ing poin o a u u e a icle, and sp eading hei expe ise, e.g., as a sou ce o by joining a
discussion. In sum, as seen in Table 4, h ee main g a i ica ions ha e been iden i ied: esponsibili y,
oice, and acknowledgemen .
Table 4. De Co esponden : ad an ages in e ms o g a i ica ions.
G a i ica ion Ac ion
Responsibili y Ac ing as dono s and e en in o ma ion sou ces.
Voice Lea ing commen s, joining “Con e sa ions”, o being sou ces.
Acknowledgemen Being conside ed as an expe on a speci ic opic o ield.
Sou ce: own elabo a ion.
4.6. Mediapa
Mediapa desc ibes i sel as an independen and pa icipa o y newspape . Full au onomy
was achie ed in July 2019 when Mediapa sha es we e sold o a non-p o i und. Since hen, i s
p ima y means o unding a e membe ships, i s gua an ee o eedom and edi o ial independence.
The newspape has a paywall, so only membe s can ecei e ull access o he a icles published on he
web. Howe e , i should be no ed ha du ing he COVID-19 c isis, his digi al medium allowed ee
access o pandemic- ela ed in o ma ion and e i ied da a.
