Transmediatic depth of «The New York Times» and «El País» in their coverage of Boris Johnson’s resignation

Abstract

A decade after the implementation of multimedia frameworks in the news media, it is necessary to determine which mechanisms have been incorporated into the daily routines of the news media. To accomplish this, we analysed the channels, forms and intertextual modalities employed by two leading international newspapers in their coverage of an unpredictable news event with global repercussions and a specific period: the UK government crisis of July 2022, which led to the resignation of the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. We used a qualitative methodology of transmedia information analysis (Calvo & Serrano Tellería, 2021), adapted to assess the daily operations of online media in updating their content. Additionally, interviews were conducted with the teams responsible for this coverage. The coverage analysis revealed a transmedia depth of ten to eleven informative modalities. We found several residual differences in their audience participation policies. Certain generalist modalities, such as live streaming, video news, podcasts or social networks, were well established and used to attract readership. Furthermore, various models of newsletters and discussion forums with varying levels of access restriction were employed. However, neither of the studied media outlets offered an auditory transcription of their content. While a specific transmedia information model is emerging in digital media, further research should be undertaken to complement these findings.