Journalistic Reorientations
The primary aim of this research project is to investigate how journalism changes in its encounter with the Internet.
Main content
The main research question is how professional and technological challenges from online communication forms impact on:
1) the normative foundations and democratic relevance of journalism;
2) journalism’s political economy;
3) journalism’s professional practices; and
4) journalism’s audiences.
These four approaches address the question of journalism’s ontology and practice from theoretical, structural, disciplinary, social-cultural and communicative vantage points.
Journalism’s normative foundations and democratic relevance
What are the challenges to the internal maintenance of professional authority and power, and for the external maintenance of journalistic autonomy and its role as the Fourth Estate of democracy? The challenges of new journalistic formats for journalism’s watchdog function and journalism as an expression of culture are of main concern here.
Journalism’s professional practices
What are the disciplinary implications of new technological advances on journalistic work processes for journalistic methodology and ethical standards? How are journalism’s professional practices changing due to digitalisation?
Journalism’s political economy
What are the structural implications of pecuniary pressures brought on by the new media economy for news market competition and for journalism’s political function in democracy? The following projects will investigate the political economy of journalism and the impact of market forces for journalism’s function in democracy.
Journalism’s audiences
What are the communicative implications of convergent journalistic formats for audience reception of journalistic content? What are the effects of digitalisation of journalistic content on audience reception and use?