Is the Agenda Alive and Kicking and Is Objectivity Dead? Journalistic Culture on Social Networks in Israel

Abstract

Independent journalism on social media networks appears to be changing the world of journalism. Building on Bourdieu’s field theory, the present study looked at journalists’ perceptions of values expressed in their online activities as compared to traditional news values. In-depth interviews were conducted with leading journalists active on traditional and online platforms in Israel in order to better understand journalists’ perceptions of the journalistic culture on the two kinds of platforms. The study found that by strongly emphasizing autonomy, online platforms empower journalists to embrace new values, including public service and immediacy. A public service ideology has expanded into online efforts to actively promote diverse issues that are not necessarily covered by traditional media. Immediacy is now dictated by the features of social media, which force journalists to respond in real time to all events relevant to their cause. Two values in the model of journalistic culture were found to be incompatible with the features of journalists’ online operations, and the ethics and objectivity of traditional journalism have been completely replaced by the online journalists’ orientation towards promoting their personal opinions, ideologies and agendas.