Abstract
In this article, I enquire into the ways that journalists understand their identities and values now that social media dominate the routines of networked newsrooms. My approach is grounded on a Discourse Theory framework within which journalism emerges as a symbolic practice constituted through the discourse of its practitioners. Drawing additionally on pragmatic sociology, I understand journalists as reflexive practitioners who discursively attribute value to various orders of worth in order to evaluate their own identities. Taking the British news organisation The Guardian as my case study, my analysis of 10 newsroom interviews demonstrates how journalists develop a series of evaluations in order to identify themselves. My findings confirm a shift in the ways that journalists evaluate themselves, which is today associated with a new valorisation of networking. This shift towards networking, however, does not destroy long-standing journalistic values. It is ultimately their institutional identities that journalists re-invent through social media, and it is according to their institutional expertise that they evaluate themselves as professionals. In conclusion, I argue that, whilst journalists reaffirm their disdain for the financial rewards of the market, by embracing social media networking they expose themselves to the influence of capitalist markets.
Highlights
Social media have been systematically introduced into newsrooms across the world roughly a decade ago (Lewis and Molyneux, 2018)
It is by drawing upon Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Chouliaraki and Fairclough, 1999) that I further specify the relationships between evaluation, identification and critique
I explored how journalists evaluate themselves, that social media are a dominant feature of their practice
Summary
Social media have been systematically introduced into newsrooms across the world roughly a decade ago (Lewis and Molyneux, 2018). Journalists often refer to this identificational process as self-branding, a practice that allows them to increase their influence and visibility (Brems et al, 2017) In this strand’s view, the spotlight falls on the individual journalists who use social media in order to build the reputation and followship that will allow them to either compete entrepreneurially in a precarious field or prove their worth as good representatives of the organisation and journalism more widely. I understand evaluation, as the process by which journalists draw on the various polities in order to attach themselves to particular types of worth It is by drawing upon Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Chouliaraki and Fairclough, 1999) that I further specify the relationships between evaluation, identification and critique. In order to answer the dynamic ‘how’ questions of this thesis, I followed a methodology that facilitated an in-depth understanding of journalists’ practical knowledge
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
