Abstract
Reviews of cultural products are central elements in creating, legitimizing and disseminating cultural tastes and hierarchies. In this empirical study, we examine the changes that have taken place in European newspaper reviews during the last 50 years (1960–2010). Our sample consists of 205 highbrow arts reviews found in Helsingin Sanomat (Finland), Le Monde (France), ABC/El País (Spain), Dagens Nyheter (Sweden) and The Guardian (UK). We analyse our sample using the framework of Shrum and observe possible changes in descriptive, entertainment, instructive, analytical and evaluative schemes of the reviews. Unlike one might expect in light of previous scholarly findings on the popularizing content of cultural journalism, the changes in European highbrow arts reviews between 1960 and 2010 are not drastic. If anything, the evaluation becomes more analytical and subtle, emphasizing the institutional role of highbrow arts reviews and the print newspaper as a traditional, rather conservative media.
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