Critical Incidents in Journalism

Abstract

This conclusion presents some closing thoughts of the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book presents a variety of case studies, and focuses on events warranting standing as “critical incidents” in journalism, in addition to one case constituting an uncritical incident. It also presents a collection of how critical incidents in journalism unfolded across time and across countries, documenting meaning-making changes that emerged from these introspections. The book offers opportunities for learning about these critical incidents and how journalists function as members of interpretive communities, offering glimpses into how journalists and other stakeholders reflect on various aspects of journalistic work. It describes the fallout from the Escola Base case in Brazil, in which leading TV news broadcasters and newspapers, were quick to portray school leaders as guilty of a heinous crime, an event that became known as one of Brazilian media’s most significant ethical breaches that resulted in little tangible change in reporting practices.