Structural and Professional Challenges of Data Journalism in Spain
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Date
2025
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Abstract
This study offers an overview of data journalism in Spain more thana decade after its integration into newsrooms. Based on 12 in-depthinterviews with data journalists, editors, and one academic,triangulated with 38 studies published between 2012 and 2025, itexamines the main challenges shaping the field. The literaturereview also informed the design of the interview protocol, asquestions for journalists were derived from gaps and themesidentified in prior research. Findings show persistentmisalignments between university curricula and newsroom needs,with master’s programs functioning more as market filters thandemocratizing training opportunities. Legally, the 2013Transparency Law expanded access but remains weakened by theabsence of sanctions, territorial fragmentation, and bureaucraticdelays. Adaptive practices, such as filing highly detailed requests,continue to define professional routines. At the organizationallevel, data journalism has gone through cycles of boom andstagnation, often driven by leadership and crises like COVID-19.Artificial intelligence accelerates production but raises verificationdemands and reinforces programming requirements. Overall, datajournalism demonstrates strong social value and editorial impact,yet its sustainability depends on addressing training gaps,strengthening transparency, and consolidating stableorganizational models
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Keywords
Data journalism, Transparency law, Journalistic routines, Media sustainability, Journalism training, Artificial intelligence