When a socioscientific issue is generated, does it increase its presence in local press? The case of water in Almería

Abstract

In this study we study the relationship between controversial news and their presence in the press examining specifically the case of water in Almería. Through a varied methodology we carry out the documentary analysis, obtaining a representative sample of a normal period and a controversial sample that we place in the greatest spreading period for our topic. The results show a low presence for the normal sample and an abundant daily average for the controversial sample newspaper. These results and also the different treatment in the news, consensus or controversial, allow us to propose the choice of two news and one alternative use in the classroom, different from the typical tasks based on debates between supporters and opponents to the issue.