Quality Indexes Applied to Basque Journalism

Abstract

This work is based on a study conducted over the last two years by the University of the Basque Country HGH (Hedabideak, Gizartea eta Hezkuntza - Media, Society and Education) research team. It contains data from quantitative and qualitative research analysing the quality of leading Basque-language news publications. The print and on-line editions of Euskaldunon Egunkaria-Berria, Argia and Goiena were analysed between 2001 and 2013 and the findings compared against those of five leading European newspapers —Financial Times, Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Corriere della Sera, and El País—. The research method applied was based on the “media performance” concept de- veloped by Denis McQuail (1992). The findings show that, among other things, as a general trend quality has fallen in the case of both the Basque-language and the European press.