Professional Routines Research Articles

On Being a Good Worker, a Good Mother, a Good Carer: Women Journalists, Motherhood, and Caregiving

ABSTRACT This paper examines the relationship between journalism, caregiving, and family-building, focusing on women journalists in Portugal. Drawing on a critical thematic analysis of thirty interviews, it explores an analytic framework that includes cultural, structural, and agentic dimensions of career limitations, organised in three overarching themes. The first examines how women journalists experience work constraints stemming from traditional cultural ideals where women are still the main caregivers and work cultures that perpetuate a male perspective on professional routines. The second theme explores the mismatch between work and care responsibilities that arises from prevailing family structures and work processes. The third theme centres on how women journalists respond to constraints by making choices and developing strategies. Journalists’ reflexive deliberations about career decisions, employment conditions, family life and cultural assumptions underpinning parenthood demonstrate the complex interrelationship between cultural and working structures, organisational materiality, and agency. Together, these dimensions replicate patterns that make journalism more inhospitable for women. A central point in this research is that while a systemic gender bias exists beyond the sector, workplace inequalities are particularly consequential for journalism and democracy.

What Journalists Worry and Write About: Comparing Journalists’ Frames of Climate Futures with Respective News Frames

ABSTRACT Projections of climate futures are vital for understanding the consequences of present actions. While research in climate change communication intensely focused on media representations (e.g., the framing of climate futures), it overlooked the processes that affect the production of news frames by journalists, such as individual future visions, newsroom policies, and professional routines. To address this research gap, the present study conducted reconstruction interviews with journalists covering climate futures in four countries (i.e., India, Germany, South Africa, and the United States). It identified five journalists’ frames, ranging from “Technology for future” to “Towards apocalypse”. The paper then compared the findings with a content analysis of articles written by the journalists interviewed in this study. It finds that the journalists’ frames are more varied than those identified in news content. Journalists’ frames shaping coverage seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

A qualitative, multi-centre approach to the current state of digitalisation and automation of surveillance in infection prevention and control in German hospitals

BackgroundHealthcare associated infections (HAI) pose a major threat to healthcare systems resulting in an increased burden of disease. Surveillance plays a key role in rapidly identifying these infections and preventing further transmissions. Alas, in German hospitals, the majority of surveillance efforts have been heavily relying on labour intensive processes like manual chart review. In order to be able to identify further starting points for future digital tools and interventions to aid the surveillance of HAI we aimed to gain an understanding of the current state of digitalisation in the context of the general surveillance organisation in German clinics across all care-levels. The end user perspective of infection prevention and control (IPC) professionals was chosen to identify digital interventions that have the biggest impact on the daily surveillance work routines of IPC professionals. Perceived impediments in the advancement of surveillance digitalisation should be explored.MethodsFollowing the development of an interview guideline, eight IPC professionals from seven German hospitals of different care levels were questioned in semi- structured interviews between December 2022 and January 2023. These included questions about general surveillance organisation, access to digital data sources, software to aid the surveillance process as well as current issues in the surveillance process and implementation of software systems. Subsequently, after full transcription, the interview sections were categorized in code categories (first deductive then inductive coding) and analysed qualitatively.ResultsResults were characterised by high heterogeneity in terms of general surveillance organisation and access to digital data sources. Software configuration of hospital and laboratory information systems (HIS/LIS) as well as patient data management systems (PDMS) varied not only between hospitals of different care levels but also between hospitals of the same care level. Outside research projects, neither fully automatic software nor solutions utilising artificial intelligence have currently been implemented in clinical routine in any of the hospitals.ConclusionsAccess to digital data sources and software is increasingly available to aid surveillance of HAI. Nevertheless, surveillance processes in hospitals analysed in this study still heavily rely on manual processes. In the analysed hospitals, there is an implementation and funding gap of (semi-) automatic surveillance solutions in clinical practice, especially in healthcare facilities of lower care levels.

Values? Camera? Action! An ethnography of an AI camera system used by the Netherlands Police

ABSTRACT Police departments around the world implement algorithmic systems to enhance various policing tasks. Ensuring such innovations take place responsibly – with public values upheld – is essential for public organisations. This paper analyses how public values are safeguarded in the case of MONOcam, an algorithmic camera system designed and used by the Netherlands police. The system employs artificial intelligence to detect whether car drivers are holding a mobile device. MONOcam can be considered a good example of value-sensitive design; many measures were taken to safeguard public values in this algorithmic system. In pursuit of responsible implementation of algorithms, most calls and literature focus on such value-sensitive design. Less attention is paid to what happens beyond design. Building on 120+ hours of ethnographic observations as well as informal conversations and three semi-structured interviews, this research shows that public values deemed safeguarded in design are re-negotiated as the system is implemented and used in practice. These findings led to direct impact, as MONOcam was improved in response. This paper thus highlights that algorithmic system design is often based on an ideal world, but it is in the complexities and fuzzy realities of everyday professional routines and sociomaterial reality that these systems are enacted, and public values are renegotiated in the use of algorithms. While value-sensitive design is important, this paper shows that it offers no guarantees for safeguarding public values in practice.

Redibujando las líneas contra la desinformación: Cómo la IA está modificando el presente y futuro del fact-checking

Artificial intelligence is changing the way our world works, and the journalism and communication field is no exception. The development of high technologies such as NLP or machine learning has modified professional routines, work profiles, and business models. Fact-checking initiatives, which have long battled disinformation, now face a complex context where misleading content grows faster than ever. In this situation, artificial intelligence, or AI, can be a double-edged sword. On the one side, AI-generated content can be created faster than regular content; therefore, there is a huge volume of data to be analysed by fact-checkers. Furthermore, NLP software is not always as reliable as it might be expected. It tends to ‘hallucinate’, creating more misleading content and hoaxes. On the other hand, AI can be a helpful tool in fighting disinformation. This paper analyses 10 independent international fact-checking initiatives through case analysis and questionnaires with fact-checkers. Results show that these sites use AI during different stages of their routines, accelerating processes, simplifying tasks and improving the accuracy of fact-checking results. AI integration shows some risks related to economic restrictions, platform limitations, media distrust, and inequity between countries. To conclude, this research also demonstrates that journalists are still in the loop about fact-checking sites, but more tech profiles and better skills are required.

"Today, I Say It's Mine!": Professional Identity Construction among Jewish and Arab School Counselors Coping with CSA Disclosure in Israel.

School counselors play a crucial role in preventing, disclosing, and intervening in child sexual abuse cases (CSA) and in maintaining safe and protected school environments. However, research on their experiences coping with CSA remains limited. The purpose of the present study was to describe and analyze the coping experiences of Israeli Jewish and Arab school counselors with CSA disclosure, particularly the consequences for their processes of professional identity construction (the ongoing process through which they develop and refine their sense of self in their profession). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 Israeli Jewish and Arab school counselors working in elementary schools (grades 1-6) with significant experience in coping with CSA. Two themes surfaced, reflecting the counselors' professional identity construction: (1) Counselors' professional identity transformation following encounters with CSA among their students; (2) Integrating professional knowledge, attitudes, and engagement behaviors into professional identity. The findings describe a trajectory of transformation and professional development among the counselors, beginning with defining and refining their professional roles and followed by the integration of professional knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors into their professional routines. Arab counselors also highlighted specific sociocultural challenges within this process, relating to the gap between cultural values and role expectations. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.

The Methodology Used by Fact-Checkers. An In-Depth Analysis of Commonly Used Strategies

ABSTRACT This research analyses the common features of the methodology used by fact-checkers of the #CoronaVirusFacts alliance. By using a mixed approach together with content analysis, this study offers an in-depth exploration and census of all fact-checkers worldwide regarding the methodology they use to carry out their task, in addition to the following proposed work phases: a) identification and selection of information –criteria and technique used; b) research and verification; c) drafting and publication of fact-checked information; and d) transparency process and correction policy. The conclusion reached is that the pandemic has intensified the activity and interaction among the platforms that comprise the #CoronaVirusFacts alliance, which has established this network as a professional association that fully complies with standard codes of ethics. Transparent funding and a strong commitment to impartiality are the qualities embodied by these micro-media verifiers, who are mostly independent. Moreover, they use a variety of sources to cross-check information. This research is part of the R&D&I project on disinformation (Impact of disinformation on journalism: content, professional routines and audiences (DESINFOPER) PID2019-108956RB-I00), which highlights the need to study the inner workings of verification processes worldwide in order to build public trust in these fact-checkers, and to transfer their work and best practices to similar platforms.

Approaches to Successfully Delivering Rehabilitative Services in Prison: Perspectives from Non-Uniform Correctional Staff in Eight States

Non-uniform staff help create prison social climate by providing services that include educational and vocational classes, mental health counseling, employment and reentry preparedness, and family-strengthening activities. The present study examines how non-uniform correctional staff perceive their association with successful delivery of rehabilitative services in correctional settings. After accompanying hundreds of non-uniform prison staff throughout their daily professional routines and conducting interviews with them in institutions supervised by eight different U.S. state prison systems, a threefold typology of approaches to successfully delivering rehabilitative services in prison was identified: holistic, pragmatic, and community-oriented.

Pre-service EFL teachers’ language assessment literacy satisfaction and assessment preparedness

Pre-service teachers' ability to construct and conduct assessment has been a point of emphasis for decades, and rightfully so. It is crucial that they acquire the necessary knowledge and abilities in their language assessment course during their pre-service teacher education to effectively assess students in their future professional routines. The purpose of this research was to determine if and how pre-service English teachers' (PSETs) satisfaction with their language assessment course corresponded with their level of readiness. 51 out of 56 PSETs participated since they met the two requirements (passing the language assessment course and enrolling in TAP). The Fulcher (2012) language assessment literacy questionnaire was adapted and disseminated. The questions were organized into four categories for the purpose of analysis: overarching principles and concepts in linguistic assessment; designing language assessment; scoring test items and analyzing test results. Results demonstrated that LAL satisfaction was not congruent with assessment readiness. There was a "neutral" level of satisfaction among participants (51.5 percent), but they were nearly set to begin practicing assessment at their TAP (78.5 percent). Additionally included are statistics that are specific to each of the four categories found in the questionnaire. In particular, the study suggests that training in evaluating open-response questions and analyzing test items warrants expansion. Additional research could fill in the gap between LAL satisfaction and the PSETs by examining the relationship between the two.

The Relevance of Technology to Information Verification: Insights from Norwegian Journalism During a National Election

ABSTRACT Growing concerns about disinformation have led to the development of new digital tools and systems designed for journalists’ verification and fact-checking needs. Despite these technological developments, research has demonstrated that emerging technologies are not utilised as often and are not as highly valued as industry narratives suggest. There are indications that the typical journalist values traditional skills such as writing and interviewing higher than digital technology skills and that many journalists do not consider the new tools to be very useful in their everyday work. This article takes on a sociotechnical approach to study the interplay between journalists, technology, organisational and professional routines. Specifically, we examine journalists’ use of verification technologies to detect disinformation during an election period. Our findings show a discrepancy between the alleged potential of new technologies and the everyday practices of newswork and fact-checking – also in the digitally advanced Norwegian media industry. We found tensions between established routines and cultures in the newsroom and the push for the renewal of journalistic methods which can be sorted under two headings: strategy vs. practice and proximity vs. distance to the beat and sources.

Parents working as health professionals during the pandemic

PurposeTo evaluate family routines, stress, and burnout levels of health professionals who were also parents during the pandemic process. Design and methodsThis study is a quantitative descriptive study. A total of 380 parents who were working as health professionals in a training and research hospital participated in this study. Data were collected using a data collection form. Percentage distribution, mean, Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Shapiro–Wilk, one-way MANOVA, and McNemar tests were used to evaluate the data. ResultsIn this study, 64.7% of the participants were women. The rate of participants whose children were in preschool was 31.8%. A total of 82.4% of participants indicated that their role of parenting was affected during the pandemic. A statistically significant difference was found between the Parental Stress Scale, the Emotional Exhaustion, and the Personal Achievement scores according to (p < 0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between the mean scores of depersonalizations of the participants who had infant children, during the play period, and in the preschool period (p < 0.05). ConclusionsIt was determined that family routines of health professionals who were parents during the pandemic were affected, and they experienced stress and burnout due to these altered routines. It was observed that health professionals who had children, especially in preschool, experienced greater stress, because the children were young and more dependent on their parents. Implications to practiceHealth professionals needed to be provided with support, taking necessary precautions for their family life and family routines during the pandemic process.

AI application in journalism: ChatGPT and the uses and risks of an emergent technology

AI integration in media newsrooms is changing professional routines, required profiles and journalistic products. The acceleration in the development of this technology since the end of 2022 makes it necessary to review these tools in order to analyse their uses and risks, as well as their possible applications in the journalistic field. OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022 open to the public. This tool has been a key element in this technological revolution. This paper analyses ChatGPT applications in journalistic newsrooms through its introduction during a working day in the routine of different professionals. A mixed methodology was used to carry out this experience: a benchmarking of AI tools applied to journalism was created, a walkthrough experience was carried out with ChatGPT and, based on the results obtained in these first two phases, the experiment with journalists was designed. A total of 12 journalists of different ages and sectors with little or no previous contact with technological tools based on artificial intelligence, as the aim of the study is to observe the application in newsrooms without the need for technical training, participated in this research. The results show the usefulness of the tool to automate mechanical processes, rewrite texts, analyse data and even serve as a content idea creator. On the other hand, journalists have also perceived significant risks such as inaccuracy of AI as well as lack of ‘empathy’.

Between superimposition and local initiatives: Making sense of ‘implementation gaps’ as a governance problem of antimicrobial resistance

Mitigating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global imperative. Part of this effort is the translation of the Global Action Plan into National Action Plans on AMR (NAPs-AMR). However, effective implementation of these plans remains a governance challenge worldwide.This study aims to explore the apparent implementation gap as a governance problem in Austria by examining the situated perspectives of key experts and stakeholders involved in AMR-related policy and practice. Data were collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews, a focus group discussion, and participation in various symposia on AMR. Data analysis revealed key themes the experts have identified as decisive factors shaping AMR governance, which they perceive as insufficient. These include: the absence of a binding legal framework, incomplete and lacking AMR data, low risk perception, lack of funding mechanisms, and absence of an incentive system for people working in AMR stewardship.The interpretation of these findings suggests policy fragmentation, scattered responsibilities, agenda conformity and a lack of symbolic and material recognition as central features that impede a comprehensive, sustainable and effective AMR-related governance. These insights highlight a tension between local efforts to precipitate longer-term adaptations to prepare for and mitigate effectively AMR on the one hand, and the current approach of ‘superimposing’ reforms onto existing institutional structures. Effective and sustainable measures to address AMR require a fundamental restructuring process of institutional responsibilities, professional routines, and social practices to prioritize AMR stewardship as a guiding principle.

“It was all about being ‘young,’ ‘cute,’ and ‘funny’”: how women journalists assess harassment and gender inequalities in Brazilian newsrooms

ABSTRACT The article aims to investigate how Brazilian women journalists assess harassment and gender inequalities in newsrooms. By considering an array of female professionals’ testimonials, we also examine to what extent such burdens in the workplace harm journalists’ private life and professional routines. Based on 31 semi-structured interviews, we found that the main grievances include unfair treatment regarding career opportunities, moral and sexual harassment, and the recurrent discrediting of complaints addressed to newsroom managers. According to the interviewees, the lack of support from coworkers and media organizations contributes to a culture of impunity characterizing the industry. In addition, although women comprise the majority of workers in Brazilian newsrooms, they often do not receive the same acknowledgment as male journalists for their performance. Our research provides two contributions to the scholarship by systematizing the complaints reported by female journalists. First, we discuss how to improve professional support mechanisms at the level of news companies. Second, we reflect on how harassment and gender inequalities in newsrooms jeopardize professionals’ democratic roles in hostile political environments.

Design Lenses-based process to evaluate interfaces for mobile devices

The present work focuses on proposing an evaluation process focused on interfaces formobile devices. In this way, interviews were performed to understand how evaluationprocesses are considered within the routines of professionals who deal with mobile devices.The proposed process has a set of associated evaluation lenses. To facilitate access tothe process, an application was developed, and it is presented at the end of this paper.Tests were performed to understand the applicability of the proposed process. The resultssuggest that experts using the proposed process are able to identify problems and that theprocess itself is seen as useful in professional and educational settings. It is proposed thatin the future the process is subjected to tests that include the evaluation and redesign ofthe evaluated interface. In this way, it would be possible to observe how the conclusionsand reflections awakened in the specialists throughout the evaluation process can impactthe redesign of interfaces.

New Routines in Making the Local News: How Fear and Distancing Change the Coverage of Violence in Brazil

The purpose of this article is to discuss to what extent the coverage of urban violence by local television news in Brazil has been impacted by journalists’ fear and their distancing from regions of armed conflict, leading to the development of new professional routines and, in particular, the use of WhatsApp. Our methodology included in-depth interviews with 13 journalists occupying different positions in the hierarchy of the newsrooms of the 4 main TV stations in the country. The testimonies suggest that aggression and hostility against journalists drove professionals away from certain territories and turned them toward new technologies and citizen co-production as ways out for local crime coverage. On the other hand, this dynamic creates challenges for journalism itself. One of the main concerns is the verification of content.

Scaling-up degrowth: Re-imagining institutional responses to climate change

Focusing on the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and the New Urban Agenda, this commentary suggests that by engaging with degrowth, these mainstream policies can potentially provide alternative ecological values as climate responses. In turn, degrowth can also benefit from engaging with the multiple scales and sectors of these institutions for climate and planning practice. However, such multi-scalar engagements demand a repoliticisation of institutional and professional routines, processes and procedures.

Encountering weak signals: Economic development practitioners’ perceptions of remote work arrangements

While alternative work arrangements, such as remote work, have long been part of the work landscape, their growth in recent years signifies a profound transformation in the organization of workplaces. While the pandemic has increased the visibility and diffusion of these practices, the years preceding it saw a significant rise in remote work arrangements. This study examines economic development practitioners’ perceptions of the presence and impact of remote work arrangements. It uses interviews with practitioners and remote-utilizing businesses in Connecticut to explore understandings of remote work trends. Economic development practitioners’ strategies for responding to remote work trends were also analyzed. It draws on the concepts of weak signals and maladaptive learning processes to demonstrate how alternative work arrangements, entrenched professional routines, and institutionalized mental models may hamper the ability of practitioners to detect and understand alternative work trends. Moreover, response strategies reflect traditional economic development orientations and are rationalized to support existing policy approaches. Focusing on the period before the pandemic provides insight into the factors influencing practitioners’ receptivity and responsiveness to emergent developments that have the potential to alter conventional strategies and development trajectories.

Changes in the levels of marker molecules salivary α-amylase and cortisol as a stress response to everyday activities of general practitioners in rural areas of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Stress is a phenomenon accompanying everyday life. Various reactions of the body are activated during stress, including activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal endocrine axis and the autonomous nervous system. Their activity could be assessed by the measurement of biological stress marker molecules - salivary α-amylase and cortisol - on one side and heart rate, and blood pressure monitoring, on the other. The aim of the present study is to determine whether the daily professional routines cause stress development among general practitioners (GPs) who work in rural, distant areas in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. One hundred and twenty-eight GPs were asked to answer a questionnaire to assess their health conditions, habits, priority objectives and interests, as well as their moral and ethical relationships with the patients. On this basis 40 participants were selected and outlined for the present survey (n=40, mean age 55.92±8.8). Four salivary samples were collected from each participant during 1 week: two on Monday (one in the morning and one after work) and two on Friday, by the same mechanism. The salivary samples collection was followed by measurement of blood pressure and pulse. This non-invasive survey was based on an ELISA method for quantitative determination of the marker molecules in saliva. The blood pressure and pulse were measured by blood pressure monitor. The levels of the salivary α-amylase were significantly higher at the end of the working day, especially on Friday (142.28±23.34 U/mL, p=0.018), but not between the beginning and the end of the week. The normal cortisol awakening response, characterized by a peak in the levels of cortisol after wake-up, followed by a slow decrease during the day, was detected only at the beginning of the week. The data show a significant impairment of this regularity at the end of the week. Moreover, the levels of cortisol, measured for the morning samples, show a decrease at the end of the week (25.73±10.51 ng/mL) in comparison to the beginning of the week (30.1±10.84, p=0.033). The analyses on the effect of smoking (p=0.002) and alcohol consumption (p=0.036) on stress development show a significant increase in the levels of the salivary α-amylase, but not on the levels of salivary cortisol. The changes in the blood pressure indicate stress development at the end of the week (p=0.04), while the pulse showed changes within a day rather than during the week. The values of the pulse were higher at the end of the day. The professional lives of the GPs who work in distant and rural places are associated with stress development. Different habits from the daily routine, such as alcohol consumption, smoking and physical activity, could be considered as modulators of stress development.

Professional dynamics between journalists and politicians: Professional routines and assessment of trust and credibility generated by Spanish congressional spokespersons in the specialized press (2019-2022)

This article deals with the interactions between and opinions of parliamentary journalists covering the Spanish Congress of Deputies regarding their main source of information –the spokespersons of the parliamentary groups. This quantitative and qualitative study is based on both data obtained through a survey as well as semistructured personal interviews. The results have made it possible, among other aspects, to identify the patterns of behavior and frequency of relationships between media professionals and spokespersons; to recognize which of their skills are most appreciated by reporters; to evaluate the levels of empathy, trust, and credibility generated by the different political representatives in journalists; and finally, to establish a statistical correlation between the empathy–trust and trust–credibility variables to determine the level of effectiveness of the messages issued by parliamentary representatives. The study found that journalists find satisfaction with their work and with the level of recognition of the media they represent; they consider that the information they generate has importance for society, although with a limited social influence; that empathy, clarity, and credibility are the three most valued attributes of the parliamentary spokesperson; and that the perception of parliamentary spokespersons is acceptable. Finally, despite the criticism that the media sometimes receive for their ideological and biased interpretation of the news, no appreciable bias was found in the responses referring to the ideology of the spokesperson and the editorial line of the media to which the journalists surveyed belong, an issue related to their professionalism, independence, and objectivity, which are key to the economic and financial development of a country.