Journalistic practices in the pandemic. Ruptures and continuities in media in the central region of the province of Buenos Aires

The changes in journalistic practices resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the working conditions of the exercise of the profession by journalists from four cities in the central region of the province of Buenos Aires from March to July 2020 are analyzed. They recover the main concepts of the sociology of newsrooms and a qualitative methodological design is presented. The main production and data collection techniques used are: semi-structured interviews and the analysis of a panel on production routines in the context of the pandemic, which had four professionals as speakers. In the results there are continuities and breaks with respect to work routines, tasks and responsibilities; changes in the agenda, link with sources and the risk of misinformation; and labor rights and pauperization of the activity. The conclusions argue that the COVID-19 pandemic deepened existing inequalities and modified the organization of journalistic work, the link with information sources, and the construction of the news agenda and the interaction of the audience.