Pedro Jerónimo

Hate speech on the social media platform X has transformed the reply sections of digital news media accounts into contested arenas for democratic discourse. Although research on hate speech is extensive, the systematic characterization of the disseminators who target authoritative news profiles on social platforms remains underexplored. This study examines the propagation patterns of hate speech in reply threads on X for Spanish digital news media accounts, analyzing coordinated user behavior. An analysis of over one million messages from five major Spanish outlets (January 2021) identified 2243 accounts responsible for 10,567 hate expressions. Social network analysis employing modularity metrics, eigenvector centrality, and temporal synchronization coefficients revealed coordinated behavioral patterns. Hate speech predominantly targets political actors, media outlets, and journalists rather than marginalized groups. Perpetrators exhibit nano‐influencer profiles (approximately 1000 followers) with highly synchronized temporal activity ( R ≈ 0.999) and cohesive network structures (modularity 0.572–0.693). These characteristics suggest coordinated amplification strategies that exploit the media's editorial authority on X to legitimize toxic narratives. The concept of “hostile gatewatching” describes how nano‐influencers leverage the perceived legitimacy of official news accounts to amplify hate speech within public replies while circumventing platform moderation systems. These findings inform structural moderation policies targeting high‐centrality nodes and temporal coordination patterns, thereby enhancing the integrity of digital discourse.

Local media are a cornerstone of communities, providing helpful information for everyday life, but the news production has undergone massive changes as a result of digital technologies. The transformation of the sector has even threatened the existence of local media. In this study, we present a systematic literature review on local news production, which aims to analyze and understand research conducted over 10 years (2012–2022). The review focused on two databases: Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus. Applying the Prisma methodology and relying on five exclusion criteria, a corpus of 69 papers was selected. The analysis shows that the number of articles has grown over the years, especially in journals indexed in Q1. Anglo-Saxon countries, and, to a lesser extent, the Nordic nations are the most studied areas. We also identify thematic patterns, including digital changes in the local media ecosystem, local journalists and their working conditions, business models, audience approach, and social mission and informational gap (“news deserts”), which is the most frequent topic. Our manuscript intend to contribute to current discussions, shedding light on how literature pays attention to the transformation of local news production. The results reveal the lack of information to assess the local media landscape beyond wealthy countries.

Este monográfico aborda la desinformación desde una perspectiva local y regional, subrayando que, aunque se trata de un fenómeno global, sus manifestaciones y soluciones dependen profundamente de su contexto. Se destaca la importancia de enfoques multidisciplinares y estudios de caso que iluminen cómo las noticias falsas afectan a comunidades específicas, tanto rurales como urbanas. El monográfico pone especial atención en el papel de los medios locales, las plataformas digitales y la ciudadanía en la propagación —y contención— de la desinformación, así como en la necesidad de estrategias adaptadas a los escenarios sociopolíticos específicos. Se valoran especialmente las investigaciones empíricas que analicen iniciativas de alfabetización mediática, verificación de datos y colaboraciones entre medios, gobiernos locales y sociedad civil. Asimismo, se fomenta la reflexión sobre el potencial de la inteligencia artificial y las redes sociales no solo como catalizadores del problema, sino también como herramientas para combatirlo. El monográfico busca generar un conocimiento útil y práctico que parta de lo regional para aportar soluciones globales, promoviendo estudios comparados entre diferentes entornos que permitan identificar dinámicas comunes en la lucha contra los desórdenes informativos.

Studies on news deserts have increased significantly in the Americas, and scholars in the United States and Brazil have also expanded their research on the topic. In Brazil, Piauí is the state with the largest number of municipalities without local news coverage, including Itaueira and Flores do Piauí. Most of the population in both cities receives information through social media. To this end, this audience study with survey research (n=106) identifies whether the population is aware of what disinformation is or not.

The expansion of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across different stages of production and distribution in journalism is opening a debate on its applications within newsrooms and in business models. This research studies how different media outlets, media groups and institutions are beginning to create internal regulations for the use of AI, both from a technical and an ethical perspective. To do so, an international sample (N = 45) of editorial stylebooks and internal self-regulatory guidelines published between 2023 and early 2025 have been compiled—all links are openly available here—and put through a process of content analysis. The results indicate that the self-regulatory guidelines emerge from an individual initiative of the media themselves, with a focus on limiting the use of generative AI, particularly in text creation. The guidelines emphasize ethical commitments such as transparency, content verification, and respect for data and copyright while underlining the importance of human oversight. Key objectives include avoiding bias, ensuring information quality, and strengthening audience trust. Despite progress, regulation remains in its early stages and requires continuous adaptation to keep pace with technological advancements.

Resumo Este artigo sintetiza a pesquisa sobre jornalismo local digital realizada entre 2013 e 2023. Mediante uma revisão sistemática da literatura (n=149), foram identificados seis agrupamentos de pesquisa: práticas jornalísticas, panoramas mediáticos, transformação digital, envolvimento da audiência, modelos de negócio e participação cívica. Os resultados enfatizam o duplo desafio da inovação e sustentabilidade, especialmente para os media menores e em contextos de escassez de recursos, enquanto o jornalismo local continua a desempenhar um papel fundamental na identidade das comunidades, apesar de o seu futuro ser ameaçado por desertos de notícias, vieses algorítmicos e déficits de financiamento. Também sublinham a intrínseca ligação entre a inovação tecnológica, a sustentabilidade dos modelos de negócio e o fomento da participação cívica, essenciais para a resiliência do jornalismo local. A pesquisa permanece concentrada no Norte Global, apontando para a necessidade de uma representação geográfica mais ampla. Sugerem-se futuros estudos que abordem o uso ético de Inteligência Artificial, a resiliência hiperlocal e mecanismos de construção de confiança.

This paper summarizes research on digital local journalism conducted between 2013 and 2023. Through a systematic literature review (n=149), six research clusters were identified: journalistic practices, media landscapes, digital transformation, audience engagement, business models, and civic participation. The findings highlight the dual challenges of innovation and sustainability, especially for smaller media outlets in resourcescarce contexts. Local journalism continues to play a key role in community identity, despite threats to its future posed by the spread of news deserts, the dangers of algorithmic biases and funding difficulties. These results also stress the intrinsic connection between technological innovation, business model sustainability, and the fostering of civic participation, all of which are essential to the resilience of local journalism. Research remains concentrated in the Global North, pointing to the need for broader geographical representation. Future studies are suggested regarding the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence, hyperlocal resilience, and mechanisms for building trust.