Theoretical Frameworks for the Study of Digital Journalism
Doing journalism vs studying journalism.
Knowing how legacy journalism is done is useful when discussing convergent journalism and digital journalism but it is important to make a distinction between developing the skill of journalism and studying the phenomena of journalism. Learning how to be a journalist in a traditional setting meant apprenticing, on the job training. As journalism became more specialized, schools of journalism developed where journalists could learn their craft in occupational training setting. Occupational training for journalists is often still on the job and in some instances bias exists against academically trained journalists. Academic institutions began to study media generally and journalism specifically.
Interest in journalism as a field of academic study has been growing steadily. Classic scholarly processes have been applied focused on explaining and predicting patterns of social behavior with respect to the impact of media on society. That is the specialized purpose of liberal arts. Theories are proposed and tested according to established methods. Findings are vetted, circulated and taught.
Examining theories of media and journalism crosses over many disciplinary lines. Many general theories can be applied but many specific theories have been discovered.
What is a theory?
Many definitions exist but for our purpose we will define a theory as "a testable set of related concepts that explain and predict patterns of behavior."
The testable requirement is essential -- if we can't test the set of concepts then it is not really a theory but more of a heuristic device, or useful story to get people talking about things. The testing of a theory requires a rigorous approach designed to minimize the effects of bias and subjectivity. Apart from being testable a good theory should also be durable, providing explanation and prediction even when contexts change or when new data becomes available.
For a much more nuanced discussion of theories in academia see the
Epistemological Lifeboat.
We will not be able to examine all theories or even all categories of theories in this class but we can get a feeling for some of the more widely know theories and look at how they have influenced current practice in the field of digital journalism. With respect to the durability of theories of media and journalism, the shift to a digital environment has resulted in the discarding or overhauling of some long-standing theories. Other theories have ably withstood the change of context and introduction of new data.
Still other theories have been developed specific to digital journalism and many contenders await development.
Journalists as Theoreticians
Many academic processes for testing theories are mirrored in journalistic practice. When investigating issues a journalist essentially proposes and test at theory -- and explanation for events and a prediction of future behavior. They must apply the same rigorous processes to reduce cognitive biases and to avoid errors in logic.
Normative and Descriptive Theories
Normative develops a theory from an understanding of how things "should be" whereas descriptive theories develop from observations of things as they are.
Siebert, F. F. S. (1956). Four Theories of the Press: The Authoritarian, Libertarian, Social Responsibility and Soviet Communist Concepts of what the Press Should be and Do. University of Illinois Press. R
McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding Media, The Extensions of Man (Third). New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
Herman, E. S., & Chomsky, N. (2002). Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (1st ed.). Pantheon.
Schudson, M. (2008). Why Democracies Need an Unlovable Press. Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA: Polity
Anderson, C. W., Bell, E., & Shirky, C. (2012). Post-industrial journalism: Adapting to the present. TWO Center for Digital Journalism: Columbia Journalism School. Retrieved from http://towcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/TOWCenter-Post_Industrial_Journalism.pdf
Technology
More:
Hypothes.is
Zotero
Google Scholar
Storify
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