Rethinking Journalism Again
Its easy to make a rhetorical case for the value of journalism. Because, it is a necessary precondition for democracy; it speaks to the people and for the people; it informs citizens and enables them to make rational decisions; it functions as their watchdog on government and other powers that be...
But does rehashing such familiar rationales bring journalism studies forward? Does it contribute to ongoing discussions surrounding journalisms viability going forth? For all their seeming self-evidence, this book considers what bearing these old platitudes have in the new digital era. It asks whether such hopeful talk really reflects the concrete roles journalism now performs for people in their everyday lives. In essence, it poses questions that strike at the core of the idea of journalism itself. Is there a singular journalism that has one well-defined role in society? Is its public mandate as strong as we think?
The internationally renowned scholars comprising the collection address these recurring concerns that have long defined the profession and which journalism faces even more acutely today. By discussing what journalism was, is and (possibly) will be, this book highlights key contemporary areas of debate and tackles ongoing anxieties about journalisms future.
Chris Peters is Associate Professor of Media and Communication at Aalborg Universitys Copenhagen campus. His research explores how people get and experience news and information in everyday life, and the sociocultural impact of transformations in the digital era. His publications include Rethinking Journalism and Retelling Journalism.
Marcel Broersma is Professor of Journalism Studies and Media, and the director of the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies at the University of Groningen. He has published widely on historical and current transformations in journalism. His publications include Form and Style in Journalism, Rethinking Journalism and Retelling Journalism.
Rethinking Journalism Again
Societal role and public relevance in a digital age
Edited by Chris Peters and Marcel Broersma
First published 2017
by Routledge
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ISBN: 978-1-138-86085-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-86086-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-71624-4 (ebk)
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Contents
Marcel Broersma and Chris Peters
Part I
Journalism and its societal role
Nick Couldry
John Steel
Matt Carlson
Zvi Reich and Yigal Godler
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Karin Wahl-Jorgensen
Part II
Journalism and its public relevance
Mark Deuze and Tamara Witschge
Jane B. Singer
Kaori Hayashi
Seth C. Lewis, Avery E. Holton and Mark Coddington
Pablo J. Boczkowski and Eugenia Mitchelstein
Chris Peters and Marcel Broersma
Silvio Waisbord
Stuart Allan
Stuart Allan is Professor and Head of the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University. Much of his research revolves around different aspects of war, conflict and crisis reporting, including his authored book Citizen Witnessing: Revisioning Journalism in Times of Crisis (Polity Press, 2013). He is particularly interested in the evolving relationship between professional and amateur or citizen news photographers, ranging from the mid-nineteenth century to the digital photo-reportage of today. He is currently writing a book on this topic, as well as conducting research on mobile technologies and civic engagement.
Pablo J. Boczkowski is Professor and Director of the Master of Science in Leadership for Creative Enterprises at Northwestern University. His research examines the transformation of print culture in the digital age. He has written three books, most recently The News Gap (co-authored with Eugenia Mitchelstein, MIT Press, 2013), and over 20 journal articles and 50 conference presentations.
Marcel Broersma is Professor of Journalism Studies and Media at the University of Groningen and the Director of its Centre for Media and Journalism Studies. His research examines emerging forms and styles of journalism, the use of social media in journalism and politics, shifting patterns of news use, and the epistemology of journalism. He is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters. His books include Form and Style in Journalism (Peeters, 2007), Rethinking Journalism (Routledge, 2013), Retelling Journalism (Peeters, 2014) (the latter two co-edited with Chris Peters) and Redefining Journalism in the Era of the Mass Press 18801920 (Routledge, 2016, co-edited with John Steel).
Matt Carlson is Associate Professor of Communication at Saint Louis University, where his research examines the changing conditions of contemporary journalism, with a particular interest in metajournalistic discourse and the production of meanings about the news. He is author of Journalistic Authority (Columbia University Press, 2016) and On the Condition of Anonymity (University of Illinois Press, 2011), editor of Boundaries of Journalism (Routledge, 2016) with Seth C. Lewis and Journalists, Sources, and Credibility (Routledge, 2011) with Bob Franklin, and has published numerous journal articles and book chapters.
Mark Coddington is Assistant Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at Washington and Lee University. He studies networked journalism and the sociology of news amid changing informational and technological environment. He is a contributor to the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University, where he wrote a weekly piece from 2010 to 2014. His research has been published in journals including Mass Communication and Society, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Journalism Studies