Mónica Ceberio, deputy editor of EL PAÍS: “The most interesting thing about journalism today is that each story can be told in the best possible way.”

EL PAÍS, in collaboration with the International University of La Rioja (UNIR), has launched the second edition of its Master's Degree in Advanced Digital Journalism Projects , with enrollment open until October 20. This postgraduate program is designed for working journalists, recent graduates, and content creators seeking to specialize in the latest dynamics of digital journalism and acquire the skills necessary to navigate a constantly changing professional environment.

An online master's degree whose training combines academic instruction with the direct experience of active PRISA Media professionals, who will guide students in the use of essential tools and resources for current journalistic practice. These range from the production of podcasts, video blogs, and newsletters to the development of mobile applications; from live coverage and streaming broadcasts to data journalism or the use of virtual and augmented reality; all with a special focus on the possibilities opened up by Artificial Intelligence applied to journalistic work. Students will also have the opportunity to intern in the editorial offices of EL PAÍS in both Spain and the Americas, as well as in other PRISA media outlets (El HuffPost, AS, Podium Podcast, Cadena SER, LOS40, Caracol Radio, and W Radio in Colombia and Mexico, and ADN Radio in Chile).

To understand the keys to journalism today and the importance of having the necessary tools and skills, we spoke with Mónica Ceberio, deputy director of news at EL PAÍS.

Question: How has the way we tell stories in journalism changed in recent years?

Answer: When I started working, 20 years ago, elpais.com was just getting started, and basically your obligation was to write a good piece that included all the information, put it in a box in Hermes [the newspaper's editing program], and be accompanied by a photographer, and that's it. With the internet, of course, all that goes out the window: in a newspaper, there are a ton of different ways to tell a story.

We sometimes tend to think that digital journalism is about doing a million things (video, podcast, interactive graphics, a wonderful text...), but the truly exciting thing about journalism today is that every story can be told in the best possible way. Maybe the best thing you can do is write a perfect, well-edited piece with accompanying graphics, and that's it. Or maybe the best thing is to turn that story into a podcast and nothing else. Or create an interactive special that combines all the possibilities of digital journalism, with audio, people, and graphics that perfectly capture where we are and how something is evolving. In other words, you have many tools at your disposal.

Q. How important is teamwork?

A. A lot; it's amazing what can be achieved if the teamwork is done right. When we were covering the effects of the flood in Valencia last year, everyone had tons of footage of people drowning, of people trying to rescue others with sheets thrown from balconies... I sent a lot of videos of a street in Catarroja, one of the hardest-hit municipalities, where there were several deaths, but I didn't know how all of that could be shown visually to readers. So I sent it to the newspaper, and Brenda Valverde and the video team put together a montage that allowed you to see, almost minute by minute, how it happened, when the alert from the Generalitat (Generalitat) was received warning them not to go out... We were able to do a very detailed job thanks to the people who were here helping me.

The most interesting thing, in short, is that we have many more resources than before; and what often happens is that we don't have enough time to do things, because ultimately all those tools require care and attention. It takes time to create multimedia content.

Q. We're at a time when many young people seem to be turning their backs on traditional media, opting instead for mobile platforms like TikTok to get their news. What risks does this entail, and how can we compete for audience attention?

A. You have to develop tools to reach those readers who you know aren't going to spend 20 minutes reading your article. Our YouTube channel, for example, has three million subscribers, but we have a ton of channels and methods for reaching that audience. The thing is, these are new ways of doing things for us, and we're constantly adapting to try to present things on social media in the best possible way.

Regarding risks, it's important that the source is always reliable, regardless of the platform. Because the internet contains all kinds of information, from information that is true, rigorous, and professionally verified, to torrents of hoaxes and misinformation, which have very harmful effects on democratic systems. For us, as a media outlet, the challenge is reaching those people who have a different way of accessing information.

Q. A few months ago, and speaking about hoaxes in the health field, pediatrician Lucía Galán told me that any influencer needed just 20 seconds to spread any nonsense, but that she needed at least two minutes to counter that and explain why it wasn't true.

A. Two minutes to explain it, several hours to prepare it, and a lifetime of knowledge to get there, right?

Q: Yes, of course. I mean, it seems like these days, asking for two minutes of someone's attention is asking too much.

A. Yes, but it's also true that we see a ton of YouTube videos and influencers of all kinds who get kids to spend an hour and a half or two hours watching an interview or telling jokes on TikTok. On the one hand, there's a consumption of very short stories, less than 30 seconds, but on the other hand, there's much longer content that engages readers.

I think that, in general, journalism has always struggled to reach young readers, hence very interesting experiments like Tentaciones in EL PAÍS. The challenge is probably even greater now, because the way we consume information is changing dramatically.

Q. What impact do visual narratives have on the way we tell stories today?

A. It's essential. But it's also important, as we mentioned before, to consider the best way to tell each story. For example, this happens a lot with scientific topics, and I think our science section is especially educational, informative, and entertaining, but there are stories that you understand at a glance. It's not even about capturing the reader, but about helping them understand.

One of our most award-winning stories, and one that has generated the most interest in the newspaper's recent history, is one co-authored by Mariano Zafra, an infographic artist, and Javi Salas about how the coronavirus is spread. A story that literally went around the world and was translated into a multitude of languages, teamed up with a traditional journalist and someone specializing in visualizations. Together, they managed to make you understand, without having to read a 40-page article, and in a very clear and visual way, the risks of spreading the coronavirus in a classroom or classroom.

When a journalist suddenly hits the right note, you realize it instantly. New narratives allow you to do things that a text with a beginning and an end can't. For example, the formats we use to analyze speeches by politicians and leaders are very interesting. Because if you listen to Putin on the web, you can get the general idea, but these tools allow you to practically analyze every sentence, which in important speeches always means something.

Q. What are the most necessary skills and competencies for working as a journalist in digital environments?

A. It depends on the sector of digital journalism you want to work in. What's certainly happened is that many journalistic specializations have opened up that didn't exist before: everything that revolves around data journalism, infographics, visual journalism... are all highly sought-after professionals who require specific knowledge. And then, for the rest of us, it's important to have an open mind about everything we talked about at the beginning: How do I have to tell this story? And if you need help, you have to ask for it because often you can't do it alone. That's why teamwork is so important in these types of specials or multimedia projects.

Q. In your opinion, what types of journalistic projects have the most potential in the current landscape?

A. I think any carefully crafted, well-crafted report, with an innovative perspective in terms of how it's told, should ideally have a place in the media. I think that, looking to the future, those who manage to maintain credibility will survive, ensuring that people know that when they go to these places, they can trust them, and that, furthermore, the information is provided in an interesting, engaging, and entertaining way.

I believe, ultimately, that new narratives allow us to cover a whole spectrum with all the extreme rigor that data, graphics, and montages allow, and at the same time do so in an entertaining, attractive, and interesting way, which is also the function of a newspaper.