Observación participante en una organización de filtraciones periodísticas: el caso WikiLeaks

Abstract

To explain the processes of a virtual community working with secret leaked documents, we use the participant observation method entering into the WikiLeaks’ collaborators network. In this way, we attempt to describe the processes of newsmaking in these emerging environments by observing the virtual space in which it works, the tools and procedures that normally are used, and the communication and information flows generated in it. The aim of this paper is to contribute to broaden knowledge about the emerging roles of researcher using online observation —and particularly in confidential virtual communities—, and to provide new methodological keys for studies focused on newsmaking.