"It is necessary to differentiate between fake news and disinformation", warned Borja Bergareche, director of digital innovation at Vocento, during his speech at the Proa Observatory, held at Degussa's headquarters. Bergareche spoke on 'Profitable journalism in the era of fake news and Silicon Valley platforms', clarifying exactly what we mean when we talk about fake newsHe explained the new revenue streams of the media, and defended journalism as an industry, because it is the most important thing for the media. "We have to be profitable on a day-to-day basis.
In the age of fake newsThe value of information and credibility has taken on a new dimension. In this sense, Bergareche acknowledged that "the debate has been oriented, in a self-interested way, towards a questioning of the work carried out in the editorial offices". And he demanded several clarifications in this respect. On the one hand, he defended that "we are not dealing with a problem of production quality. fake news are, above all, a problem of accelerated and indiscriminate algorithmic distribution of human stupidity on platforms like Facebook or Google," he said. "There has been a lot of confusion of terms.
He also called for a clarification of terminology: "In certain situations, we must speak of disinformation, for example, in the context of the election of Donald Trump; fake news would be, to be rigorous, fake news spread by a media outlet, and it is true that certain media outlets masquerading as journalism do this; on another level would be hoaxes, which are the urban legends of all time". In the face of this confusion in public opinion about the media, Bergareche praised the newsrooms of the traditional media, arguing that they are "in themselves a process of verification of information with 150 years of history".
"The print is not dead".
In relation to Vocento and the situation of paper, he claimed the importance it still has despite the rise of digital. "The print is not dead, it accounts for two thirds of our revenues. From there, the challenge for the media is enormous, and is mainly focused on optimising the traditional business and on diversification and new revenue generation".
In this regard, Bergareche wanted to highlight three main revenue streams that have been gaining prominence in recent years in the main media in general, and in Vocento in particular. He highlighted the branded content in advertising, the commitment to paid models, and the diversification of the business. Promoted content is gaining weight in the media, and "very creative things are being done that really add value".
He also acknowledged the progress made by the major media in terms of the paid digital subscription model, a path that Vocento has been determined to follow for some time now, he explained, and one of the major trends in the industry at a global level. "It has been three years since we made the strategic decision to lead the cultural change that payment for digital content represents: implementation is slow and requires further training in big data and customer marketing, but the commitment is unequivocal, and now we must work on justifying it to our most loyal readers".
Alternative revenue streams for the media
With regard to these new revenue streams, he finally highlighted the business diversification and the development of new digital businesses. He explained the commitment of Vocento for new thematic areas such as music and gastronomy, as demonstrated by the purchase of Madrid Fusion, and also for new profitable digital businesses, such as infoempleo and pisos.com in the classifieds sector, Oferplan in e-commerce and Local Digital Kit in digital services.
Finally, in his dual capacity as a teacher and editor, Bergareche defended the importance of journalism as an industry in the face of the "excessive fascination" with entrepreneurial models. "We are a key part of a business, social and labour ecosystem, with more than 20 newsrooms and a workforce of more than 1,000 employees. of more than 2,700 people, of which almost 1,200 are journalists, the same number as the New York Times", he said. "Entrepreneurship brings innovation and dynamism to this ecosystem, and in Spain very interesting entrepreneurial circles have emerged, there is room for everyone, but we need large groups to ensure the industrial dimension", he defended. "Moreover, we have the obligation to be profitable every day", he reminded.
In this context, and in a country where there are dozens of journalism schools, he was optimistic when asked by one of the audience: "Today's journalism students have the responsibility to aspire to create a part of tomorrow's journalism, and almost anything is possible, but knowing that an important part of tomorrow's journalism will be lifelong journalism."
Borja Bergareche, head of Vocento's innovation projects
Borja Bergareche is Director of Digital Innovation at Vocento, the daily newspaper group with the largest circulation in Spain. He has led the launch of the new Vocento Media Lab and is responsible for driving the company's digital transformation strategy and innovation projects. A lawyer and journalist, he has been deputy digital editor, London correspondent and Editor-in-Chief of International for the daily ABC, and has also written for El Correo (Bilbao), El País and La Nación (Buenos Aires).
Internationally, he is a member of the European advisory board of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in New York, and in 2011 he published "Wikileaks Confidential", on the implications of leaks for the press and international diplomacy. He has also worked as an advisor for international and constitutional affairs at the European Parliament and the European Commission.
Academically, he teaches journalism at the San Pablo CEU University in Madrid and lectures on the ABC/Complutense Master's Degree in Journalism. He holds a degree in Law from the University of Deusto (Bilbao) and a master's degree in International Relations from Columbia University (New York), with a Fulbright scholarship.
Proa Observatories
The Proa Observatories are stable discussion forums with the participation of prominent executives, politicians and professionals. They are born with the vocation of being a laboratory of ideas where a genuine dialogue is fostered to debate current business issues, as well as corporate reputation, brand and public affairs as important elements for the improvement of companies.
Among the personalities who have participated in these meetings are the economist Manuel Conthe; the former Minister of Public Administrations Jordi Sevilla; the former Minister of Education, Culture and Sport José Ignacio Wert; the writer and priest Pablo D'Ors; the Director of External Communication of Deloitte, Antonio Belmonte; the Director of Communication and Institutional Relations of El Corte Inglés, José Luis González-Besada, the High Commissioner for Marca España, Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros, the writer and journalist Pilar Urbano, and the Director General of Información y Control de Publicaciones S.A. (OJD), Manuel Sala, among others.