The influence of the Internet on Portuguese press

Abstract

This study investigates how Portuguese print journalists evaluate changes that have occurred in the profession since the Internet has been integrated in newsrooms. The main purpose is to understand how these professional perceive the influence of the Internet on journalism practices, roles and ethics. In order to answer these questions, it was carried out a survey of 40 journalists working for the four most-read Portuguese daily newspapers. Results confirm that Internet is considered a positive influence on journalism. Furthermore, journalists' perceptions seem to be explained by age in some cases and by the newspaper they work for in others. Gender and Internet use do not seem to be statistically relevant in this evaluation.