Professors and Scholars as Experts: Problem Setting and Methodological Considerations for the Examination of Newspaper Articles

Abstract

Even if new media like wikis obtain some attention, classical media (radio, television, newspapers) still are important sources of information for the informed public, e.g. the public that is interested in what is happening in his/her environment and the world, and wants to understand events and situations. Authority still comes with specific media that have kept on establishing their credibility. But journalists themselves also need reliable sources of information, and they require regularly University professors and similar Scholars in renowned institutions. This allows them to include precisions and richer background in their papers to inform and help understand complex phenomena. After presenting the general context and the problem setting of this research both as a knowledge question and as a social issue, a few short articles will be examined in detail to see how this works in specific examples.