Beyond journalism: Theorizing the transformation of journalism

Abstract

Journalism has enjoyed a rich and relatively stable history of professionalization. Scholars coming from a variety of disciplines have theorized this history, forming a consistent body of knowledge codified in national and international handbooks and canonical readers. However, recent work and analysis suggest that the supposed core of journalism and the assumed consistency of the inner workings of news organizations are problematic starting points for journalism studies. In this article, we challenge the consensual (self-)presentation of journalism – in terms of its occupational ideology, its professional culture, and its sedimentation in routines and organizational structures (cf. the newsroom) in the context of its reconfiguration as a post-industrial, entrepreneurial, and atypical way of working and of being at work. We outline a way beyond individualist or institutional approaches to do justice to the current complex transformation of the profession. We propose a framework to bring together these approaches in a dialectic attempt to move through and beyond journalism as it has traditionally been conceptualized and practiced, allowing for a broader definition and understanding of the myriad of practices that make up journalism.

Crisis, What Crisis?

“…Modern journalism is presently being reconceptualised as 'networked', 'post-industrial' or 'remote controlled', and, as Deuze and Witschge (2017) have noted, there is a need for the researcher to look beyond the newsroom and the classic understandings of journalism. Yet, the newsroom still plays a vital role, including when we look at how the media, perceived as 'inhabited space', is organised (ibid:8).…”

“…Such positions are, however, not always formal, and the most important aspect is not where the photo department fits on an organisational chart. Deuze and Witschge's (2017) perception of media institutions as 'inhabited space' opens for a take on organisational culture that focuses on self-perception as maybe one of the most important parameters. If we return to the dimensions for a creative organisational climate, we find that dimensions like freedom, involvement and innovation are experienced categories, not objective descriptions.…”

Introduction: Photojournalism and Editorial Processes

“…In their article, 'Beyond journalism: Theorizing the transformation of journalism', Deuze and Witschge (2017) propose that it is time for media scholars to move 'beyond journalism' and the 'newsroom-centricity' in media research. Deuze and Witschge point to how several aspects of journalism, understood both as a practice and as (an) institution(s), have so far been left relatively uncovered:…”

Yyteistä uuteen alkuun : toimittajien kertomuksia mediatyön murroksesta

“…Joillakin kaari on ollut vakitöistä pätkätöihin, toisilla sirpaleisista töistä vakityön kautta yt-tilanteeseen. Tällaista lyhyiden työsuh-teiden leimaamaa journalistin työelämää on tutkimuksessa kuvattu termillä "tilkkutäkkiura" (Deuze & Witschge 2017) Tutkimukseemme osallistuneiden toimittajien kertomuksia yt-neuvottelujen vaiheista ja menettelytavoista ja niihin liittyneistä tuntemuksista kerrotaan tuonnempana. Todettakoon kuitenkin, että kaikkien uraan ei liittynyt joutuminen pois enemmän tai vähemmän vakituisesta työsuhteesta, vaan epävar-maan työtilanteeseen myös hakeuduttiin.…”