Tras incontables trámites —enfrentarse a la burocracia europea es una prueba de perseverancia—, un consorcio internacional de universidades divulgamos hoy, por fin, un nuevo proyecto de investigación sobre periodismo digital. Y no es un proyecto cualquiera.
Con el apoyo de la Comisión Europea, lanzamos el proyecto europeo más ambicioso para impulsar el periodismo de datos y la transformación digital de los medios que se haya llevado a cabo en el continente. La financiación obtenida, 3,9 millones de euros, da idea de las altas expectativas depositadas en este proyecto y del nivel de resultados que se espera alcanzar.
El proyecto se titula JOLT: Harnessing Digital and Data Technologies for Journalism (‘Aprovechando las tecnologías digitales y de datos para el periodismo’) y ha sido financiado por el programa Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions de la Comisión Europea, uno de los más competitivos y mejor dotados del continente. En concreto, se financia la creación de una red europea de formación (European Training Network) que tendrá como objetivo proporcionar una cualificación de máximo nivel para un grupo de investigadores doctorales en el ámbito de los medios digitales y la tecnología. Además, los investigadores elaboraremos estudios, guías para la industria y organizaremos foros en los que reuniremos a investigadores punteros con directivos de la industria periodística de nuestro continente. El plan de actividades para los próximos 4 años es muy extenso.
El consorcio está formado por cinco universidades —Dublin City University [centro coordinador], Universidad de Navarra, Universidad de Amsterdam, Universidad Aristóteles de Tesalónica y Universidad Paul Sabatier de Toulouse— y cuatro socios periodísticos y tecnológicos —la corporación británica BBC, European Journalism Centre, NewsWhip Media y Samsa.fr—. Además, el consorcio cuenta con otras siete organizaciones asociadas, entre las que se encuentra el diario nativo digital español El Confidencial.
El equipo de investigación español corresponde al @digitalunav – Center for Internet Studies and Digital Life, instituto de investigación sobre comunicación digital y sociedad vinculado a la Facultad de Comunicación de la Universidad de Navarra. Entre otras investigaciones, el Center desarrolla actualmente la investigación anual del Digital News Report, en colaboración con el Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, de la Universidad de Oxford.
El proyecto JOLT arranca con una convocatoria: ofrecemos 15 becas de doctorado, con una importante dotación económica, para realizar investigaciones doctorales en alguna de las cinco universidades vinculadas al proyecto. En concreto, buscamos candidatos para explorar los siguientes temas (se detallan en inglés):
-
Algorithms and News will investigate computer assisted reporting in terms of consumer trust, transparency, and the ownership of algorithms. Host: Dublin City University, Ireland.
-
Storytelling Innovation will investigate the technical advancement of storytelling technologies, such as 360 video and virtual reality, for legacy print media organisations. Host: The Irish Times, Ireland. PhD Enrollment: Dublin City University.
-
Data Journalism will investigate the integration of data journalism into newsroom practices and the implications for the socio-political roles of journalism. Host: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
-
Visualising Topic Threads will investigate new techniques for multimodal topic thread discovery and visualization in large data sets. Host: University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
-
Adaptive Content Delivery will investigate delivery of multiple interrelated multimedia content streams and high bitrate content using data analytics. Host: British Broadcasting Corporation, United Kingdom. PhD Enrollment: Dublin City University.
-
Production of New Content Forms will investigate low complexity methodologies for processing new content including classification and impact on video coding. Host: British Broadcasting Corporation, United Kingdom. PhD Enrollment: Dublin City University.
-
Mining Online Multimedia Data will investigate new data analysis techniques for finding relations, groups, and patterns in multimedia data. Host: European Journalism Centre, The Netherlands. PhD Enrollment: University of Amsterdam.
-
News Infomediaries will investigate the relationship between journalism and infomediaries such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter. Host: University of Toulouse III, France.
-
Branding Data Journalism will investigate the strategic value of data journalism, including data journalism collaborations, for individual legacy newspapers. Host: University of Navarra, Spain.
-
Globalised Online News will investigate the globalisation of news provision beyond traditional geographic boundaries. Host: University of Navarra, Spain.
-
Audience Analytics will investigate improved techniques for measuring performance and a critical understanding of how newsrooms can integrate data-driven decision making. Host: Samsa.fr, France. PhD Enrollment: University of Toulouse III.
-
Politics and Ethics of User-Generated Content will investigate a critical understanding of how newsrooms integrate user-generated content into newsgathering. Host: University of Toulouse III, France.
-
Political Economy of Digital Journalism will investigate a critical taxonomy of the new actors and new forms of journalism and the impact on newsrooms. Host: Dublin City University, Ireland.
-
Journalism, Security, and Surveillance will investigate best-practice policy recommendations for journalistic security and media freedom. Host: Dublin City University, Ireland.
-
New Journalism Publics will investigate how digital media trigger new consumption practices, including the circumstances that contribute to the sharing of fake news. Host: Dublin City University, Ireland.
Los candidatos seleccionados recibirán el siguiente programa de formación avanzada:
Training and Skills Development: An individual training plan will be devised for each PhD researcher to develop his/her skills for future employment. The training plan will include training provided by each PhD researcher’s host institution and network-wide training provided to all PhD researchers. Network-wide training will include (1) workshops on practical industry skills such as data visualisation; (2) seminars on research skills such as research writing; (3) seminars on transferable skills such as project management; and (4) summer schools on key research areas. In addition, all researchers will develop their research communication skills by participating in JOLT conferences and by publishing their research under the guidance of their supervisors. The costs of participating in training are fully covered by the project. Secondments and Work Experience: The PhD researchers will undertake two four-week work placements or secondments in industry and/or academic environments beyond their host institution. The secondments are tailored to each research project to provide practical insights and complementary academic perspectives. PhD researchers will gain experience of working in diverse environments and an expanded network of contacts to support post-PhD employment opportunities. All applicants must be willing to undertake secondments, which require at least one period of travel to another country. The costs of undertaking secondments are fully covered by the project.
Las condiciones para optar a una de las 15 becas doctorales son las siguientes:
-
Applicants can be of any nationality, but must not have resided in or carried out their main work or study activities in the country of their host institution for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to their recruitment. This requirement excludes short stays such as holidays or compulsory national service. Date of recruitment refers to the starting date of the employment contract.
-
Applicants must have less than four years research experience (full-time equivalent) and must not have obtained a PhD. Registration on taught programmes such as undergraduate degrees or taught masters degrees does not count as research experience.
-
Applicants must be willing to travel for two secondments or work-placements (where each is approximately 4 weeks in duration).
Los interesados deberán contactar (en inglés) con Eileen Culloty (eileen.culloty@dcu.ie), de la Dublin City University.
Si tras leer esto, te consideras cualificado y motivado para convertirte en un experto internacional en medios digitales, dudo que encuentres una oportunidad mejor que esta. Ánimo y preséntate.
