Practicas periodisticas en tiempos de pandemia de coronavirus. Un estudio comparado entre Chile y Colombia

The objective of this research was to study the transformations in the way of working and in the journalistic routines in the main digital media in Chile and Colombia. It investigated how journalistic routines were forcibly modified due to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic and what job challenges inherent to the profession journalists from these media had to face. The six most read news portals in each country were chosen according to the Alexa.com ranking. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with editors and directors of digital press media to make a comparative study. The main results show that journalistic routines were adapted to the contingency. Some changed notably, such as access to sources and the relationship with the interviewees, teleworking and the use of technologies to collect and produce news. Others were strengthened, such as the editorial meeting and the editor's relationship with his work team. It is concluded that the media played a fundamental role during the pandemic by informing citizens about health measures and counteracting the fake news disseminated by social networks. In a way, journalism has once again grown in credibility and trust and the classic routines of journalism have been strengthened.