The Evolution of Objective and Interpretative Journalism in the Western Press

Abstract

A content analysis of 2,422 political news stories from national and regional newspapers examines the different ways in which the hard-news paradigm has been adopted in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Italy between the 1960s and 2000s. The study traces how hard news practices diffused differently across borders, and how they have been combined with elements of interpretation and opinion over time. This process has led to the formation of three distinct news cultures. Conclusions are drawn for a broader understanding of the evolution of news journalism and the appropriate classification of Western media systems.

Journalistic Norms, Cultural Values, and Coverage of Climate Change in the Philippines

“…Founded in the USA, the UK, and France, the "big four" have produced up to 90% of news distributed around the world (Esperidião, 2011). Moreover, the USA and the UK news cultures share a dedication to the hard-news paradigm that values facts, fairness, and independence, and has its roots in early twentieth-century American journalism; while French news culture is less attached to the paradigm, it has adopted more of its tenets since the 1960s (Esser & Umbricht, 2014). The wire agencies were the subject of scholarship in the last century that criticized their Western-centric treatment of Third World nations as de facto colonialism (e.g.…”

Participation and Control

“…The aim is PARTICIPATION AND CONTROL to stimulate debate and discussion (Mathisen and Morlandstø 2016;McNair 2008). Today, the genre is growing rapidly in several countries, including in print, online and broadcast media (Djerf-Pierre and Weibull 2008;Esser and Umbricht 2014;Knapskog 2009;McNair 2000McNair , 2008Salgado and Strö mback 2012;Wahl-Jorgensen and Hanitzsch 2009). …”

“…Commentary journalism is an expanding genre that represents interpretive moments in a complex world with a rapid information flow (Djerf-Pierre and Weibull Esser and Umbricht 2014;Knapskog 2009;McNair 2008). The characteristics of commentary-or opinion-based journalism is analysis, knowledge, critique, controversy and interpretation (Knapskog 2009;McNair 2008).…”

She Persisted … and so did He

“…Journalists continue to rely heavily on sources (Esser and Umbricht 2014) and the majority of those sources are from the government (Bennett 2011). Official sources are relied upon because they are perceived to be credible and important (Shoemaker and Reese 2014).…”

“…His gendered vitriol towards Kelly, which was praised by some conservatives including Trump himself (Cummings 2016), reflects hostility towards women that inevitably plays out within news coverage. Particularly, since source use continues to be a fundamental part of journalism in several countries, including the United States (Esser and Umbricht 2014;Hallin and Mancini 2004). Kelly was not addressing sex but rather sexual misconduct; nevertheless, Gingrich forcefully shifted the focus of the segment away from Trump onto someone not involved in the controversy.…”