Newsroom Divides: Online News Production, Gender, and Organization at DN.se

Abstract

The crisis of the news media industry has changed the conditions of news reporting, placed pressure on the journalism profession, and affected its professional identity. In the last few years, online newsrooms have undergone significant changes in their organization and their practices of production. This article presents a case study of the relationships between gender, news production, professional routines, working conditions, and attitudes toward gender equality in the online newsroom of DN.se , the news website of Dagens Nyheter , Sweden’s largest morning newspaper. Like many newspapers worldwide, Dagens Nyheter faces difficulties in maintaining its readership, and has recently implemented major reorganizations, including staff cuts and budget reductions in the online newsroom. These changes also have had an impact on the daily work practices of reporters, including increased workloads and conflicting professional ideals. The journalists at DN.se generally express a broad awareness of gender parity. However, women’s voices, experiences, and expertise continue to be significantly underrepresented in the news content. The DN.se online news replicates the patterns of gender portrayal and representation observed in traditional print news media in Sweden and internationally. It is argued that intensified market pressure and increased competition for readers, combined with the lack of goal-oriented policies, are all promoting a type of journalism which is potentially threatening to gender parity in online newsrooms.