Communication Department Fosters Space for Dialogue on Journalism

SLU-Madrid communication majors, minors and curious minds delve into media-related issues in roundtables like "A Mission for Journalism in a Time of Crisis."

Program Director Rosana Vivar, Ph.D. (Communication), recently mediated a discussion open to the SLU-Madrid community. SLU-Madrid faculty Dale Fuchs and Javier Sauras presented alongside visiting professor Tabe Bergman, Ph.D. of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

Seasoned journalists Fuchs and Sauras gave students real-world insight into the ever-changing scope of covering events. Fuchs emphasized how news is molding itself to fit the digital space.

She said that journalism "is taking on the useful humor and, even more so, the aesthetics of a TikTok video. So, we have really entered the production for the platform."

She later gave examples of how news outlets use platforms, specifically Instagram, to present stories. Visuals and quotes are now "packaged" for social media.

"We have quotes just like a normal news story with a quote and attribution," she said. "We know the people's first names and last names, so there's this attempt to adhere to the professional standard and standards of accuracy and credibility."

Sauras spoke to the need for collaboration and its place in the field over the years. Considering the current state of journalism, he said it "hasn’t grown so much to cover all these new wants from society."

Bergman later reinforced the importance of societal demands being met through a "public sphere." He also addressed how a country’s policy can affect press freedoms.

All panelists noted journalism's role as a watchdog.

This initiative is one of many of the Department of Communication's greater goals to boost topics regarding media and society.

Learn More About the Department of Communication at SLU-Madrid.