Just Who Do Canadian Journalists Think They Are? Political Role Conceptions in Global and Historical Perspective

Abstract

In view of the robust link often inferred between autonomous journalism and the strength of a society's democratic institutions, and against the background of current challenges to journalists’ traditional roles as purveyors of timely and independent information, we interviewed 352 Canadian journalists about their social and political roles and the influences on their news choices. Comparison of their responses against an international data set (N= 27,567) suggests that Canadian journalists place greater value on detached monitorial roles and claim relatively greater autonomy from commercial and other influences on their work. Further, in comparing these findings to an influential panel study from 1996 to 2003, we conclude that the Canadian journalists’ “credo,” focused on neutral reporting and oriented more to perceived public interest than to business or audience interests, remains surprisingly intact despite contemporary pressures on news forms and business models. This professed neutrality is mitigated by a desire to promote diversity and tolerance.

Is There a Distinct Quebec Media Subsystem in Canada? Evidence of Ideological and Political Orientations among Canadian News Media Organizations

“…On the one hand, the survey data suggest that Canadian journalists are viewed as fulfilling a monitorial role, as conceptualized by Christians et al (2009: 139–50), by having strong professional ethics and adequate training to ensure balanced and accurate reporting, “analysis and interpretation of events” for public benefit. On the other hand, the perceived ideological orientation and partisanship of Canadian news organizations call into question this monitorial perspective, which, as Rollwagen et al (2019) show, still very much defines the Canadian journalistic creed. Such conflicting views may signal increasing skepticism toward the Canadian media's capacity to act as impartial mediators of society's democratic debates, given their perceived ideological leanings.…”

“…In short, survey methods cannot do justice to all the nuances and complexities of media systems. More research drawing on a variety of methodologies—including content analyses, interviews, and surveys of journalists, as in Rollwagen et al (2019)—will continue to shed light on the characteristics of the Canadian media system.…”

Confronting Disinformation: Journalists and the Conflict over Truth in #Elxn43

“…• Convening role: Providing opportunities for citizens to publicly discuss and debate issues, and transmit citizen views to politicians. These roles relate closely to what has been termed the journalists' "credo" in Canada, a set of five professional values that have dominated Canadian journalists' self-conceptions for more than two decades: accuracy, disseminating news quickly, giving ordinary people the chance to express their views, investigating government, and providing analysis of complex problems (Rollwagen et al 2019). These normative commitments influence journalists' selection of what stories to tell, and how to tell them -often analyzed as the "news judgment" or "news values" of journalism (O'Neill and Harcup 2019).…”

Analysis of professional perceptions relating to the effectiveness of codes of ethics for journalists in Spain

“…Nevertheless, differences have been observed between countries and regions, especially if we consider the west-east axis. Rollwagen et al (2019), for instance, when analysing Canadian journalists' self-perception noted that their "credo" is focussed on neutral reporting and oriented towards perceived public interest rather than business or audience interests.…”