Spanish Journalists at the Epicentre of Power: From the Media to Institutions
This article examines the work of journalists employed in communication offices within key centres of power, specifically, prominent institutions. It explores their professional self-perception, the working conditions they face, and how occupying such positions influences their subsequent career pat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journalism and Media |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/2/57 |
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| _version_ | 1850167592513175552 |
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| author | Joaquín Aguar Torres |
| author_facet | Joaquín Aguar Torres |
| author_sort | Joaquín Aguar Torres |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article examines the work of journalists employed in communication offices within key centres of power, specifically, prominent institutions. It explores their professional self-perception, the working conditions they face, and how occupying such positions influences their subsequent career paths. To this end, the study conducted fourteen in-depth interviews with Spanish journalists who hold or have held significant roles in institutional communication offices in this country. Many of these professionals previously worked in the media, and some have returned to journalism after their tenure in administration. The results obtained from these interviews reveal a significant disparity in the levels of pressure experienced by professionals in offices closely tied to political decision-making compared to those in secondary institutions, despite similar financial compensation. Moreover, the study confirms that professionals working near major centres of power—referred to as “nuclear reactors” in their own words—encounter greater challenges when returning to journalism and the media due to increased political stigmatisation. Additionally, the interviews show that journalists in such offices experience stress and work pressures on a par with or exceeding those encountered in media roles. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e79fff70cd104520aff89d7cc6002c98 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-5172 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journalism and Media |
| spelling | doaj-art-e79fff70cd104520aff89d7cc6002c982025-08-20T02:21:10ZengMDPI AGJournalism and Media2673-51722025-04-01625710.3390/journalmedia6020057Spanish Journalists at the Epicentre of Power: From the Media to InstitutionsJoaquín Aguar Torres0Department of Language Theory and Communication Sciences, Faculty of Philology, Translation and Communication, Universitat de València, 46010 Valencia, SpainThis article examines the work of journalists employed in communication offices within key centres of power, specifically, prominent institutions. It explores their professional self-perception, the working conditions they face, and how occupying such positions influences their subsequent career paths. To this end, the study conducted fourteen in-depth interviews with Spanish journalists who hold or have held significant roles in institutional communication offices in this country. Many of these professionals previously worked in the media, and some have returned to journalism after their tenure in administration. The results obtained from these interviews reveal a significant disparity in the levels of pressure experienced by professionals in offices closely tied to political decision-making compared to those in secondary institutions, despite similar financial compensation. Moreover, the study confirms that professionals working near major centres of power—referred to as “nuclear reactors” in their own words—encounter greater challenges when returning to journalism and the media due to increased political stigmatisation. Additionally, the interviews show that journalists in such offices experience stress and work pressures on a par with or exceeding those encountered in media roles.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/2/57institutional communicationpress officeDircomprecariousnesspolitical communication |
| spellingShingle | Joaquín Aguar Torres Spanish Journalists at the Epicentre of Power: From the Media to Institutions Journalism and Media institutional communication press office Dircom precariousness political communication |
| title | Spanish Journalists at the Epicentre of Power: From the Media to Institutions |
| title_full | Spanish Journalists at the Epicentre of Power: From the Media to Institutions |
| title_fullStr | Spanish Journalists at the Epicentre of Power: From the Media to Institutions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spanish Journalists at the Epicentre of Power: From the Media to Institutions |
| title_short | Spanish Journalists at the Epicentre of Power: From the Media to Institutions |
| title_sort | spanish journalists at the epicentre of power from the media to institutions |
| topic | institutional communication press office Dircom precariousness political communication |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/2/57 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT joaquinaguartorres spanishjournalistsattheepicentreofpowerfromthemediatoinstitutions |