Fiction Based on Real Events as an Informative Experience: A Theoretical Proposal

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51698/tripodos.2026.59.04

Keywords:

based on real events, journalism, informative experience, fiction, audience, communicative ecosystem

Abstract

If fiction based on real events competes with media, social networks, and institutions in the task of making sense of reality within the same communicative ecosystem; if these fictions are often based on a specific journalistic piece or investigation and have the capacity to reach the screens of millions of viewers, wouldn’t it be interesting to study this type of fiction from the perspective of journalism studies?

This theoretical article explores the possibilities of fiction based on real events as a means of interpreting reality. To this end, it delves into the concept of docudrama proposed by Paget (2011) and Lipkin (2009), analyses the crises in journalism identified by Mayoral (2018), and concludes that the idea of informative experience presented by Swart et al. (2022) should also be applied to these fictions. In other words, these types of productions should be studied from the perspective of journalism studies.

_______________________

Si las ficciones basadas en hechos reales compiten con los medios, las redes sociales y las instituciones en la tarea de dar sentido a la realidad dentro de un mismo ecosistema comunicativo; si estas ficciones suelen basarse en una pieza o investigación periodística específica y tienen la capacidad de llegar a las pantallas de millones de espectadores, ¿no sería interesante estudiarlas desde la perspectiva de los estudios de periodismo?

Este artículo teórico explora las posibilidades de las ficciones basadas en hechos reales como medios para interpretar la realidad. Para ello, profundiza en el concepto de docudrama propuesto por Paget (2011) y Lipkin (2009), analiza las crisis del periodismo expuestas por Mayoral (2018) y concluye que la idea de experiencia informativa presentada por Swart et al. (2022) debería aplicarse a estas ficciones. Es decir, estas producciones deberían estudiarse desde la perspectiva de los estudios de periodismo.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Lucía Gastón-Lorente, Universidad de Navarra

Lucía Gastón-Lorente. PhD in Communication and a graduate in Journalism and Philosophy at the University of Navarra. She currently works as a professor and researcher at the same university and investigates narratives of journalism and fiction based on real events in relation to violence, victims, and terrorism. She teaches classes on fiction and non-fiction writing.

References

Aramburú-Moncada, Lucía G. (2022). Prescriptores de noticias: La distribución de la información en la era digital. In Isaac López Redondo and Maritza Sobrados-León (Eds.), Los peligros que acechan al periodismo (pp. 131-163). Comunicación Social Ediciones y Publicaciones.

Armstrong, Cory L. and Mahone, Jessica (2021). #Metoo in practice: Revisiting social media’s influence in individual willingness to mobilize against sexual assault. Feminist Media Studies, 23(1), 185-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2021.1944258

Aslama, Minna and Pantti, Mervi (2006). Talking alone: Reality TV, emotions and authenticity. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 9(2), 167-184. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549406063162

Augustine, Robi and Xavier, Sanju (2021). A critical study on Netflix docudrama ‘The social dilemma’. Media, Culture and Society, 22, 1-10.

Banjac, Sandra and Hanusch, Folker (2022). A question of perspective: Exploring audiences’ views of journalistic boundaries. New Media & Society, 24(3), 705-723. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820963795

Barroso, Jaime (2005). Docudrama y otras formas en el límite de la ficción televisiva española. In María Luisa Ortega (Ed.), Nada es lo que parece: Falsos documentales, hibridaciones y mestizajes del documental en España (pp. 171-206). Ocho y medio.

Bazaco, Ángela; Redondo, Marta, and Sánchez-García, Pilar (2019). El clickbait como estrategia del periodismo viral: Concepto y metodología. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, 74, 94-115. https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2019-1323

Beckett, Charlie and Deuze, Mark (2016). On the role of emotion in the future of journalism. Social Media + Society, 2(3), 1-6. 205630511666239. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305116662395

Brants, Kees and Haan, Yael de (2010). Taking the public seriously: Three models of responsiveness in media and journalism.

Camarero, Emma (2021). A media format on the rise. The journalistic investigation documentary on Netflix and Prime Video. Media Education (Mediaobrazovanie), 17(3), 415-425. http:doi.org/10.13187/me.2021.3.415

Campos-Freire, Francisco; Rúas-Araújo, José; López-García, Xosé, and Martínez-Fernández, Valentín A. (2016). Impacto de las redes sociales en el periodismo. El Profesional de la Información, 25(3), 449-457. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2016.may.15

Casero-Ripollés, Andreu (2014). La pérdida de valor de la información periodística: Causas y consecuencias. Anuario ThinkEPI, 8, 256-259.

Costera Meijer, Irene (2007). The paradox of popularity. Journalism Studies, 8(1), 96-116. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616700601056874

Costera Meijer, Irene (2013). Valuable journalism: A search for quality from the vantage point of the user. Journalism, 14(6), 754-770. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884912455899

Deller, Ruth A. (2019). Reality television: The TV phenomenon that changed the world. Emerald Group Publishing.

Deuze, Mark (2008). Understanding journalism as newswork: How it changes, and how it remains the same. Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture, 5(2), 4-24. https://doi.org/10.16997/wpcc.61

Deuze, Mark and Witschge, Tamara (2018). Beyond journalism: Theorizing the transformation of journalism.

Donnelly, Debra J. and Shaw, Emma L. (2020). Docudrama as ‘histotainment’: Repackaging family history in the digital age. Public History Review, 27, 48-68. https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.605497052632919

Edelman Trust Barometer (2024). Edelman España. https://www.edelman.com.es/2024-edelman-trust-barometer

Enguix Oliver, Salvador (2019). Diez años de redes sociales y periodismo: Riesgos y retos en el ecosistema informativo del siglo XXI. Dígitos. Revista de Comunicación Digital, 5, 164-183. https://doi.org/10.7203/rd.v0i5.

Farias Batlle, Pedro and Roses, Sergio (2009). La crisis acelera el cambio del negocio informativo. Estudios sobre El Mensaje Periodístico, 15, 15-32.

Fernández Barrero, Ángeles (2022). Sintomatología de un periodismo necesario: Amenazas, creencias y oportunidades. In Isaac López Redondo and Maritza Sobrados-León (Eds.), Los peligros que acechan al periodismo (pp. 15-30). Comunicación Social Ediciones y Publicaciones.

Fernández-Santos, Elsa (2023, May). Adiós a la edad de oro de los documentales de plataforma. El País. https://elpais.com/cultura/2023-05-11/adios-a-la-edad-de-oro-de-los-documentales-de-plataforma.html

Fink, Katherine (2019). The biggest challenge facing journalism: A lack of trust. Journalism, 20(1), 40-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884918807069

Formenti, Cristina (2014). The sincerest form of docudrama: Re-framing the animated documentary. Studies in Documentary Film, 8(2), 103-115. https://doi.org/10.1080/17503280.2014.908491

Galindo, Cristina (2022, October). Siete de cada diez hogares españoles están suscritos a una plataforma de vídeo en ‘streaming’. El País. https://elpais.com/economia/2022-10-26/siete-de-cada-diez-hogares-espanoles-estan-suscritos-a-una-plataforma-de-video-en-streaming.html

García-Martínez, Alberto N. (2014). El fenómeno de la serialidad en la tercera edad de oro de la televisión. In Enrique Fuster (Ed.), La figura del padre nella serialità televisiva (pp. 19-40). EDUSC.

Gastón-Lorente, Lucía and Gómez-Baceiredo, Beatriz (2022a). Fiction as an ally to make journalism more believable: Rape, trauma and secondary victimization in the Netflix miniseries ‘Unbelievable’. Feminist Media Studies, 23(6), 2761-2779. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2022.2084633

Gastón-Lorente, Lucía and Gómez-Baceiredo, Beatriz (2022b). El riesgo de la desinformación en la ficción basada en hechos reales: The thing about pam (o la cosa de justificar al criminal). Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, 28(4), 817-826.

Gastón-Lorente, Lucía; Gómez-Baceiredo, Beatriz, and Martínez-Illán, Antonio (2024). How fiction makes amends for journalism: The case of when they see us. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 48(3), 411-428. https://doi.org/10.1177/01968599221088265

Golden Globes (n.d.). Golden Globes. https://www.goldenglobes.com/homepage/season-variant

Groot Kormelink, Tim and Costera Meijer, Irene (2020). A user perspective on time spent: Temporal experiences of everyday news use. Journalism Studies, 21(2), 271-286. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2019.

Heise, Nele; Loosen, Wiebke; Reimer, Julius, and Schmidt, Jan H. (2014). Including the audience. Comparing the attitudes and expectations of journalists and users towards participation in German TV news journalism. Journalism Studies, 15(4), 411-430. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2013.831232

Hoffer, Thomas W.; Musburger, Robert B., and Nelson, Richard A. (1985). Docudrama. In Brian G. Rose and Robert S. Alley (Eds.), TV genres. A hanbook and reference guide (pp. 188-211). Greenwood Press.

Hoffer, Thomas W. and Nelson, Richard A. (1978). Docudrama on American Television. Journal of the University Film Association, 30(2), 21-27.

Hoffer, Thomas W. and Nelson, Richard A. (1980). Evolution of docudrama on American television networks: A content analysis, 1966-1978. Southern Speech Communication Journal, 45(2), 149-163. https://doi.org/10.1080/10417948009372446

Hudelet, Ariane (2018). The wire and the democracy of fiction. Series - International Journal of TV Serial Narratives, 4(2), 77-89. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2421-454X/8335

Hudelet, Ariane and Crémieux, Anne (2021). Introduction. In Ariane Hudelet and Anne Crémieux (Eds.), Exploring seriality on screen. Audiovisual narratives in film and television (pp. 1- 15). Routledge.

Interactive DNR 2024 (n.d.). Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2024/interactive

Iordache, Catalia; Raats, Tim, and Mombaerts, Sam (2022). The Netflix Original documentary, explained: Global investment patterns in documentary films and series. Studies in Documentary Film, 0(0), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/17503280.2022.2109099

Kovach, Bill and Rosenstiel, Tom (2012). Los elementos del periodismo. Aguilar.

Lichtenstein, Dennis; Herbers, Martin R., and Bause, Halina (2021). Journalistic YouTubers and their role orientations, strategies, and professionalization tendencies. Journalism Studies, 22(9), 1103-1122. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2021.1922302

Lipkin, Steven N. (2002). Real emotional logic: Film and television docudrama as persuasive practice. Southern Illinois University Press.

Lipkin, Steven N. (2011). Docudrama performs the past: Arenas of argument in films based on true stories. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Loosen, Wiebke (2015). The notion of the “blurring boundaries”. Digital Journalism, 3(1), 68-84. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2014.928000

Maares, Phoebe and Hanusch, Folker (2020). Exploring the boundaries of journalism: Instagram micro-bloggers in the twilight zone of lifestyle journalism. Journalism, 21(2), 262-278. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884918801400

Márquez, Israel (2017). El smartphone como metamedio. Observatorio (OBS*), 11(2), 61-71. https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS11220171033

Masip, Pere (2014). Audiencias activas, democracia y algoritmos. El Profesional de la Información (Anuario ThinkEPI), 8, 260-263.

Mayoral, Javier (2018). Periodismo herido busca cicatriz. Plaza y Valdés.

Micó, Josep L.; Casero-Ripollés, Andreu, and García-Orosa, Berta (2022). Platforms in Journalism 4.0: The impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the news industry. In Jorge Vázquez-Herrero, Alba Silva-Rodríguez, María Cruz Negreira-Rey, Carlos Toural-Bran and Xosé López-García (Eds.), Total journalism: Models, techniques and challenges (pp. 241-253). Springer International Publishing.

Moe, Hallvard and Ytre-Arne, Brita (2022). The democratic significance of everyday news use: Using diaries to understand public connection over time and beyond journalism. Digital Journalism, 10(1), 43-61. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2020.1850308

Newman, Nic (2022, June). Overview and key findings of the 2022 Digital News Report. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk

/digital-news-report/2022/dnr-executive-summary

Paget, Derek (2011). No other way to tell it: Docudrama on film and television. Manchester University Press.

Paget, Derek (2016). Introduction: A new Europe, the post-documentary turn and Ddcudrama. In Tobias Ebbrecht-Hartmann and Derek Paget (Eds.), Docudrama on European television: A selective survey (pp. 1-26). Palgrave Macmillan UK.

Pedregal, Alejandro (2019, August). ‘Chernobyl’ y el espectáculo como documento histórico. Contexto y Acción. http://ctxt.es/es/20190828/Culturas/27955/Alejandro-Pedregal-Chernobyl-serie-licencia-artistica-verosimilitud.htm

Penzhorn, Heidi and Pitout, Magriert (2007). A critical-historical genre analysis of reality television. Communication, 33(1), 62-76. https://doi.org/10.1080/02500160701398995

Peters, Chris; Schrøder, Kim C.; Lehaff, Josephine, and Vulpius, Julie (2022). News as they know it. Young adults’ information repertoires in the digital media landscape. Digital Journalism, 10(1), 62-86. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.1885986

Picone, Ike and Vandenplas, Ruben (2022). Windows to the world: Imagining Flemish news audiences and their views on society through the lens of news repertoires. Digital Journalism, 10(1), 87-108. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.1972323

Raventós Mercadé, Carme; Torregrosa Puig, Marta, and Cuevas Álvarez, Efrén (2012). El docudrama contemporáneo: Rasgos configuradores. Tripodos, 1(29), 117-132.

Romero-Domínguez, Lorena R. (2020). Narrativas del crimen en los documentales de no ficción: Éxito del true crime en las plataformas VOD. Revista Panamericana de Comunicación, 2(2), 11-20. https://doi.org/10.21555/rpc.v0i2.2332

Romero-Domínguez, Lorena R. (2021). Intersections between journalistic documentary and true crime in the context of VOD platforms: The Alcàsser murders as a Spanish case study. In Julie B. Wiest (Ed.), Mass mediated representations of crime and criminality (pp. 71-90). Emerald Publishing Limited.

Rosenthal, Alan (1999). Why docudrama? Fact-fiction on film and TV. Southern Illinois University Press.

Rosenthal, Alan (2013). From Chariots of Fire to The King’s Speech: Writing biopics and docudramas. SIU Press.

Sádaba-Chalezquer, Charo and Salaverría-Aliaga, Ramón (2022). I Estudio sobre la desinformación en España. https://dadun.unav.edu/handle/10171/63643

Sánchez de la Nieta, Miguel Á. (2016). El renacimiento del periodismo: Nuevas tecnologías al servicio de su esencia. EUNSA.

Swart, Joëlle; Groot Kormelink, Tim; Costera Meijer, Irene, and Broersma, Marcel (2022). Advancing a radical audience turn in journalism. Fundamental dilemmas for journalism studies. Digital Journalism, 10(1), 8-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.2024764

Tandoc, Edson C. and Ferrucci, Patrick R. (2017). Giving in or giving up: What makes journalists use audience feedback in their news work? Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 149-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.027

Television Academy (n.d.). https://www.emmys.com

Tyushka, Andriy (2022). Weaponizing narrative: Russia contesting EUrope’s liberal identity, power and hegemony. Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 30(1), 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1080/14782804.2021.1883561

Ufarte Ruiz, María J. and Murcia Verdú, Francisco J. (2022). Riesgos y oportunidades del periodismo en tiempos de redes: ¿Hacia la devaluación de los criterios profesionales periodísticos? In Isaac López Redondo and Maritza Sobrados-León (Eds.), Los peligros que acechan al periodismo (pp. 31-48). Comunicación Social ediciones y publicaciones.

Vara-Miguel, Alfonso; Amoedo-Casais, Avelino; Moreno-Moreno, Elsa; Negredo-Bruna, Samuel, and Kaufmann-Argueta, Jürg (2022). Digital News Report España 2022. Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Navarra.

Wahl-Jorgensen, Karin; Williams, Andrew; Sambrook, Richard; Harris, Janet; Garcia-Blanco, Iñaki; Dencik, Lina; Cushion, Stephen; Carter, Cynthia, and Allan, Stuart (2016). The future of journalism: Risks, threats and Opportunities.

Woodhead, Leslie (1999). The Guardian Lecture: Dramatized Documentary. In Alan Rosenthal (Ed.), Why docudrama? Fact-fiction on film and TV (pp. 101-110). Southern Illinois University Press.

Wunderlich, Leonie; Hölig, Sascha, and Hasebrink, Uwe (2022). Does journalism still matter? The role of journalistic and non-journalistic sources in young peoples’ news related practices. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 27(3), 569-588. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612211072547

Downloads

Published

04-03-2026

How to Cite

Gastón-Lorente, L. (2026). Fiction Based on Real Events as an Informative Experience: A Theoretical Proposal. Tripodos, (59), 152–168. https://doi.org/10.51698/tripodos.2026.59.04

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.