Effective Leadership in Journalism: Field Theory in how journalists evaluate newsroom leadership

Abstract

This study considers an aspect of the work experience material to an individual employee’s happiness—their relationship with their supervisor— through the lens of expanding journalism studies scholarship on personal wellbeing. Considered through field theory, the present study reflects on interviews with U.S. journalists (n=27) on their relationship with their supervisor and their perceptions of what constitutes an effective leader in journalism. Journalists largely attributed great leadership to a combination of strong cultural capital and strong symbolic capital within the field.