Roles periodísticos de los medios en Ecuador durante el estado de excepción por COVID-19

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to learn about the journalistic roles played by the media in Ecuador during the state of emergency due to covid-19, between March and September 2020. This will allow to know the type of journalism that was exercised in the country. The methodology used consists of a mixed study with analytical and descriptive purposes, through a content analysis of the news disseminated in the main television, radio, print and digital media of Ecuador, in which the presence of six journalistic roles was measured: interventionist, vigilant, loyal-facilitator, infotainment, civic and service. Through the constructed week method, a systematic-stratified sample was designed, a method that is part of the international project called Journalistic Role Performance (JRP). In total, 1932 pieces of information were analyzed: 574 news items in print media, 488 news items in television media, 248 in radio media and 622 news items in online media. Coding was carried out through the use of a codebook and the application of analysis sheets also created as part of the international JRP project. For the analysis of the variables, the SPSS 23 program was used. Among the conclusions, the study showed that the journalistic roles that stood out most during the confinement in Ecuador were interventionist, vigilant, infotainment and civic, by investigating power groups; including citizens, validating their voice; and, at the same time, keeping them entertained and/or captivating their emotions through the news.