Post-industrial fog: Reconsidering innovation in visions of journalism’s future

Abstract

As US news organizations have faced twin crises in funding and authority in recent years, innovation has become a key concept and ideal driving many interventions aimed at saving journalism. Often, ahistorically and uncritically deployed notions of innovation elide questions of digital journalism’s democratic aspirations in favor of market-oriented solutions. To critically examine the discourse around innovation, this article interrogates documents produced by think tanks and non-profit institutes researching the future of journalism: the Knight Foundation, the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, Harvard’s Nieman Foundation, and the Shorenstein Center at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, among others. A post-industrial vision for journalism emerges with an overriding and celebratory focus on innovation. We argue that this discourse marginalizes normative concerns about journalism’s democratic purpose and rests on an entrepreneurial logic that seeks to dictate digital journalism’s broader public virtues.

HiPPOs (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion) in the Swedish Media Industry on Innovation: A Study of News Media Leaders’ Attitudes towards Innovation

“…This could potentially harm innovation, as managers who lack the time to conduct information searches and re-evaluation will use their existing cognitive schemas instead of new stimuli (Shaw, 1990). In line with these arguments, we found that managers who do not have time for skill develop-our sample are naturally partial to the institutionalized ideals prevalent inside their industry; yet, at the same time, as also pointed out by Creech and Nadler (2018), they appear to be influenced by the positive ideals surrounding innovation, new technology, and change.…”

“…In fact, innovation has been a promoted ideal, as suggested by Chreech and Nadler (2018). In reports created by think tanks and non-profit institutes targeting the media industry, Chreech and Nadler (2018) detect a possible pro-innovation bias (Rogers, 2003), as the concept of innovation is pictured as the only route out of the current media industry crisis (Creech & Nadler, 2018). Creech and Nadler (2018) argue that these reports function as innovation advocacy during a time when members seem to have spent their entire career in the media industry, as almost 40% stated that they have been working in the media industry for more than 25 years.…”

Normative principles in newsroom innovation. The case of 360° video adoption by editorial knowledge champions

“…The path of innovation adoption regarding 360° videos in news organizations consists of three major steps: the awareness, the experimentation, and the Lajqi, Lischka, Normative principles in newsroom innovation as professional values by the interviewed knowledge champions, which indicates that the constant-innovation narrative (Russell, 2017) is adopted in journalism. In contrast to Creech and Nadler's (2017) assumption that the focus on innovation marginalizes normative standards, this study finds that innovations are carefully evaluated against professional norms, especially when these norms are regarded as strategically important. Moreover, normative principles relating to digital journalism do not collide with but enhance innovation adoption.…”

“…Moreover, normative principles relating to digital journalism do not collide with but enhance innovation adoption. However, seeing that traditional norms and role conceptions are extended with novel norms in the digital age, which may be enhanced through innovations, Creech and Nadler's (2017) concern remains valid.…”

First-movers and industry shakeups: How public newspapers define value

“…Journalists within news organizations actively advocate pursuing such entrepreneurial approaches to newswork (Vos & Singer, 2016). Newspapers that vocally champion innovation also attract industry acclaim and accolades, as well as attention from the philanthropic community, which can iteratively generate more capital for the business (Creech & Nadler, 2018). In this bewildering quest to integrate new revenue streams into day-to-day practice, newspaper executives have reported feeling paramount pressure to be first-to-market with innovative ideas (Sylvie, 2018).…”