Seth C Lewis | University of Oregon (original) (raw)
Articles by Seth C Lewis
The International Encyclopedia of Journalism Studies, 2019
This entry seeks to synthesize the many definitions of journalism. Struggles over defining what q... more This entry seeks to synthesize the many definitions of journalism. Struggles over defining what qualifies as journalism and who qualifies as a journalist are more than discursive disputes; they are key points of departure for understanding the societal roles as well as social meanings of journalism in the twenty‐first century. In a basic sense, journalism refers to the systematic gathering, filtering, and circulating of information deemed to be news and in the public interest. But, as this entry shows, definitions of journalism are also complex normative, political, and ideological statements that may appear quite differently from different perspectives. This entry reviews how journalism was defined historically, what it came to represent in late modern times, and why it may need to be redefined to capture the complex realities of producing and consuming news in an information environment that challenges supposedly stable notions of what journalism is and why it matters.
Information, Communication & Society, 2018
In a social media age, branding is an increasingly visible aspect of identity construction online... more In a social media age, branding is an increasingly visible aspect of identity construction online. For media professionals generally and journalists especially, branding on spaces such as Twitter reveals the complicated set of forces confronting such public-facing actors as they navigate tensions between personal disclosure for authenticity and professional decorum for credibility, and between establishing one’s own distinctiveness and promoting one’s employer or other stakeholders. While studies have begun to reveal what journalists say about branding, they have yet to provide a broad profile of what they do. This study takes up that challenge through a content analysis of the Twitter profiles and tweets of a representative sample of 384 U.S. journalists. We focus on the extent of branding practices; the levels at which such branding occurs, whether to promote one’s self (individual), one’s news organization (organizational), or the journalism profession at large (institutional); and how other social media practices may be related to forms of journalistic branding. Results suggest that branding is now widely common among journalists on Twitter; that branding occurs at all three levels but primarily at the individual and organizational levels, with organizational branding taking priority; and that time on Twitter is connected with more personal information being shared.
Global Journalism Education: Challenges and Innovations, 2017
Journal of Communication, 2018
This article conceptualizes the distinctiveness of fields of scholarship within the discipline of... more This article conceptualizes the distinctiveness of fields of scholarship within the discipline of communication through particular normative assumptions and identity practices defined here as commitments. A case study of journalism studies results in the postulation of six conceptual commitments that define its core ontological and epistemo-logical premises: contextual sensitivity, holistic relationality, comparative inclination, normative awareness, embedded communicative power, and methodological pluralism. These interrelated features articulate the central dimensions of journalism studies, establishing the boundaries of the field and its relational, cultural, holistic, ecological, and contextual acts of scholarship. This article provides a blueprint for other communication scholars to address assumptions and commitments that situate and define their subdisciplines as distinct fields.
Journalism, 2018
Journalism studies is a relatively young field trying to make sense of a relatively fast-moving s... more Journalism studies is a relatively young field trying to make sense of a relatively fast-moving scholarly object – news. The matter of time is emerging as a particularly vexing challenge: When so much seems to be changing, and so quickly, how are journalism studies researchers to discern meaningful developments as opposed to short-term ephemera? This essay argues for 'temporal reflexivity', a way of fostering critical judgment about whether some phenomenon is indeed a break from what came before, a continuation of what has existed, or some middle-ground mutation. Such thinking reveals how temporality is embedded within journalism studies, driving assumptions and incentives about how and what to research – as well as what not to research. In particular, we apply the lens of temporal reflexivity to discuss issues of time and attention across three key areas of concern for journalism studies' development as a field: first, the need for an analytical approach that balances change and stasis; second, the need to address issues of scale in which it is difficult to discern passing fads from deeper shifts that may lead to new institutional forms; and third, the need to understand the complicated and circular role of journalism education, both in reinforcing discourses of 'crisis' and 'innovation' and in lending stability to the boundaries of journalism as professionalized practice. In all, this essay opens up ways of considering the taken-for-granted temporal implications of research questions and pedagogical practices in journalism studies.
The rise of automated journalism—the algorithmically driven conversion of structured data into ne... more The rise of automated journalism—the algorithmically driven conversion of structured data into news stories—presents a range of potentialities and pitfalls for news organizations. Chief among the potential legal hazards is one issue that has yet to be explored in journalism studies: the possibility that algorithms could produce libelous news content. Although the scenario may seem far-fetched, a review of legal cases involving algorithms and libel suggests that news organizations must seriously consider legal liability as they develop and deploy newswriting bots. Drawing on the American libel law framework, we outline two key issues to consider: (a) the complicated matter of determining fault in a case of algorithm-based libel, and (b) the inability of news organizations to adopt defenses similar to those used by Google and other providers of algorithmic content. These concerns are discussed in light of broader trends of automation and artificial intelligence in the media and information environment.
The SAGE Handbook of Digital Journalism, 2016
This chapter review the literature on journalism and technology, beginning with a more expansive ... more This chapter review the literature on journalism and technology, beginning with a more expansive conceptualization of human and machines in journalism. We acknowledge two specific social actors in new media organizations (namely, technologists and journalists) in addition to developing a more complex representation of technological actants — their inscription by humans and their corresponding influence within net- worked arrangements. Then, after zooming out to accommodate that wide-angle view, we zoom in on the particular case of news production and distribution. Drawing on power-dependence theory (Emerson, 1962), the chapter concludes by briefly conceptualizing four facets that illustrate how journalism becomes 'technologically specific' (Powers, 2012): how it becomes defined by, embedded in, and understood through the particular structural and sociocultural characteristics of technology. The four facets that we propose — (1) human-centric journalism, (2) technology-supported journalism, (3) technology-infused journalism, and (4) technology-oriented journalism — help bring into focus the relative dependence on technology that is evident in different forms of journalism, and the implications of such dependence for theory and practice.
Amid growing calls for greater collaboration between journalism and computer programming, this ar... more Amid growing calls for greater collaboration between journalism and computer programming, this article examines a salient case study that reveals processes of communication, exchange, and work production at the intersection of these social and occupational worlds. We focus on a key stage of the Knight-Mozilla News Technology partnership – namely, an online 'Learning Lab' through which 60 individuals sought to coordinate around a shared interest in the innovation of journalism through open-source software. Drawing on the science and technology studies concepts of trading zones and boundary objects, we explore how distinct understandings about news and technology converged, diverged, and ultimately blended around three thematic ambitions: making news more process-oriented, participatory, and socially curated. This window onto boundary negotiations in journalism provides a glimpse into the future development of news and its norms and values, as programmers and their ethics assume a greater role in the journalistic field – in the very heart of some of its leading institutions.
This study examines how mainstream journalists who microblog negotiate their professionalnorms an... more This study examines how mainstream journalists who microblog negotiate their professionalnorms and practices in a new media format that directly challenges them. Through a content
analysis of more than 22,000 of their tweets (postings) on the microblog platform Twitter, thisstudy reveals that the journalists more freely express opinions, a common microblogging practice
but one which contests the journalistic norm of objectivity (impartiality and nonpartisanship). To a lesser extent, the journalists also adopted two other norm-related microblogging features:providing accountability and transparency regarding how they conduct their work and sharing user-generated content with their followers. The journalists working for national newspapers,national television news divisions, and cable news networks were less inclined in their tweets than their counterparts working for less ‘‘elite’’ news outlets, to relinquish their gatekeeping role by sharing their stage with other news gatherers and commentators, or to provide accountability
and transparency by providing information about their jobs, engaging in discussions with other tweeters, writing about their personal lives, or linking to external websites.
International Journal of Communication, Jul 2015
As journalists and audiences increasingly interact via social media spaces online, scholars have ... more As journalists and audiences increasingly interact via social media spaces online, scholars have begun to explore the varying forms of information and relational exchanges between them. Building on an emerging thread of research that examines the potential role of reciprocity in such encounters, this study examines how reciprocity, as a key ingredient of online communities, might stimulate audiences’ consumption and creation of content, including news content. A national survey finds that, while personal beliefs in reciprocity (perceptions) may predict news consumption, it is reciprocity in practice on social media that is associated with not only news consumption but content creation, both for news and in general. This first-of-its-kind empirical study indicates that scholars may be correct in theorizing a role for reciprocity in the news interaction process, much as in social media and society more broadly.
Abstract: This study compares the effects of consuming news preference online or offline on polit... more Abstract: This study compares the effects of consuming news preference online or offline on political participation. It also examines the variation in these effects between young and older adults. Given that young adults are disproportionately more intensive users of the Internet, Internet use may have varying effects on people’s political participation by their age. Secondary analysis of Pew data found that people’s preference for consuming news online versus offline explains a significant portion of variance of political participation, both online and offline. More importantly, the effects of online media preference were significantly stronger for young adults than for their older counterparts. These findings suggest that a preference for news online matters far more for younger adults than for older adults, and that the Internet may indeed be narrowing the participation gap between age groups.
Drawing on open-ended responses to a representative survey of US journalists, this article examin... more Drawing on open-ended responses to a representative survey of US journalists, this article examines how journalists’ role conceptions may be associated with distinct perceptions of and practices toward audiences, whether online or offline. In particular, this research considers the potential for more reciprocal, or mutually beneficial, interactions between journalists and audiences. Using exploratory factor analysis and normalized index scores, journalists are characterized within four role conceptions. Results show that Populist Mobilizer and Entertainment roles are more associated with digital audience engagement, while Loyal Support and Public Service roles better characterize offline interactions. Findings point to a need for better explanations of how journalists’ role conceptions connect with their engaging (or not) in more purposeful, persistent and reciprocal interactions with audiences.
The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
To deal with ever-larger datasets, media scholars are increasingly using computational analytic m... more To deal with ever-larger datasets, media scholars are increasingly using computational analytic methods. This article focuses on how the traditional (manual) approach to conducting a content analysis—a primary method in the study of media messages—is being reconfigured, assesses what is gained and lost in turning to computational solutions, and builds on a “hybrid” approach to content analysis. We argue that computational methods are most fruitful when variables are readily identifiable in texts and when source material is easily parsed. Manual methods, though, are most appropriate for complex variables and when source material is not well digitized. These modes can be effectively combined throughout the process of content analysis to facilitate expansive and powerful analyses that are reliable and meaningful.
Journalism Practice, 2010
Journalism Practice, 2014
Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 2012
The recent crisis in journalism – the collapse of traditional advertising subsidy, the mass layof... more The recent crisis in journalism – the collapse of traditional advertising subsidy, the mass layoffs amid corporate failures, the struggle to wrest control of technological change, all amid the rise of do-it-yourself publishing that challenges journalists' professional authority – has resulted in a deluge of 'future of journalism' discussions. From books to essays to blog posts to an endless lineup of academic/professional conferences, not to mention a 10th anniversary special issue of this journal (Journalism, 2009, 10[3]), many of the same questions have been debated ...
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 2013
The International Encyclopedia of Journalism Studies, 2019
This entry seeks to synthesize the many definitions of journalism. Struggles over defining what q... more This entry seeks to synthesize the many definitions of journalism. Struggles over defining what qualifies as journalism and who qualifies as a journalist are more than discursive disputes; they are key points of departure for understanding the societal roles as well as social meanings of journalism in the twenty‐first century. In a basic sense, journalism refers to the systematic gathering, filtering, and circulating of information deemed to be news and in the public interest. But, as this entry shows, definitions of journalism are also complex normative, political, and ideological statements that may appear quite differently from different perspectives. This entry reviews how journalism was defined historically, what it came to represent in late modern times, and why it may need to be redefined to capture the complex realities of producing and consuming news in an information environment that challenges supposedly stable notions of what journalism is and why it matters.
Information, Communication & Society, 2018
In a social media age, branding is an increasingly visible aspect of identity construction online... more In a social media age, branding is an increasingly visible aspect of identity construction online. For media professionals generally and journalists especially, branding on spaces such as Twitter reveals the complicated set of forces confronting such public-facing actors as they navigate tensions between personal disclosure for authenticity and professional decorum for credibility, and between establishing one’s own distinctiveness and promoting one’s employer or other stakeholders. While studies have begun to reveal what journalists say about branding, they have yet to provide a broad profile of what they do. This study takes up that challenge through a content analysis of the Twitter profiles and tweets of a representative sample of 384 U.S. journalists. We focus on the extent of branding practices; the levels at which such branding occurs, whether to promote one’s self (individual), one’s news organization (organizational), or the journalism profession at large (institutional); and how other social media practices may be related to forms of journalistic branding. Results suggest that branding is now widely common among journalists on Twitter; that branding occurs at all three levels but primarily at the individual and organizational levels, with organizational branding taking priority; and that time on Twitter is connected with more personal information being shared.
Global Journalism Education: Challenges and Innovations, 2017
Journal of Communication, 2018
This article conceptualizes the distinctiveness of fields of scholarship within the discipline of... more This article conceptualizes the distinctiveness of fields of scholarship within the discipline of communication through particular normative assumptions and identity practices defined here as commitments. A case study of journalism studies results in the postulation of six conceptual commitments that define its core ontological and epistemo-logical premises: contextual sensitivity, holistic relationality, comparative inclination, normative awareness, embedded communicative power, and methodological pluralism. These interrelated features articulate the central dimensions of journalism studies, establishing the boundaries of the field and its relational, cultural, holistic, ecological, and contextual acts of scholarship. This article provides a blueprint for other communication scholars to address assumptions and commitments that situate and define their subdisciplines as distinct fields.
Journalism, 2018
Journalism studies is a relatively young field trying to make sense of a relatively fast-moving s... more Journalism studies is a relatively young field trying to make sense of a relatively fast-moving scholarly object – news. The matter of time is emerging as a particularly vexing challenge: When so much seems to be changing, and so quickly, how are journalism studies researchers to discern meaningful developments as opposed to short-term ephemera? This essay argues for 'temporal reflexivity', a way of fostering critical judgment about whether some phenomenon is indeed a break from what came before, a continuation of what has existed, or some middle-ground mutation. Such thinking reveals how temporality is embedded within journalism studies, driving assumptions and incentives about how and what to research – as well as what not to research. In particular, we apply the lens of temporal reflexivity to discuss issues of time and attention across three key areas of concern for journalism studies' development as a field: first, the need for an analytical approach that balances change and stasis; second, the need to address issues of scale in which it is difficult to discern passing fads from deeper shifts that may lead to new institutional forms; and third, the need to understand the complicated and circular role of journalism education, both in reinforcing discourses of 'crisis' and 'innovation' and in lending stability to the boundaries of journalism as professionalized practice. In all, this essay opens up ways of considering the taken-for-granted temporal implications of research questions and pedagogical practices in journalism studies.
The rise of automated journalism—the algorithmically driven conversion of structured data into ne... more The rise of automated journalism—the algorithmically driven conversion of structured data into news stories—presents a range of potentialities and pitfalls for news organizations. Chief among the potential legal hazards is one issue that has yet to be explored in journalism studies: the possibility that algorithms could produce libelous news content. Although the scenario may seem far-fetched, a review of legal cases involving algorithms and libel suggests that news organizations must seriously consider legal liability as they develop and deploy newswriting bots. Drawing on the American libel law framework, we outline two key issues to consider: (a) the complicated matter of determining fault in a case of algorithm-based libel, and (b) the inability of news organizations to adopt defenses similar to those used by Google and other providers of algorithmic content. These concerns are discussed in light of broader trends of automation and artificial intelligence in the media and information environment.
The SAGE Handbook of Digital Journalism, 2016
This chapter review the literature on journalism and technology, beginning with a more expansive ... more This chapter review the literature on journalism and technology, beginning with a more expansive conceptualization of human and machines in journalism. We acknowledge two specific social actors in new media organizations (namely, technologists and journalists) in addition to developing a more complex representation of technological actants — their inscription by humans and their corresponding influence within net- worked arrangements. Then, after zooming out to accommodate that wide-angle view, we zoom in on the particular case of news production and distribution. Drawing on power-dependence theory (Emerson, 1962), the chapter concludes by briefly conceptualizing four facets that illustrate how journalism becomes 'technologically specific' (Powers, 2012): how it becomes defined by, embedded in, and understood through the particular structural and sociocultural characteristics of technology. The four facets that we propose — (1) human-centric journalism, (2) technology-supported journalism, (3) technology-infused journalism, and (4) technology-oriented journalism — help bring into focus the relative dependence on technology that is evident in different forms of journalism, and the implications of such dependence for theory and practice.
Amid growing calls for greater collaboration between journalism and computer programming, this ar... more Amid growing calls for greater collaboration between journalism and computer programming, this article examines a salient case study that reveals processes of communication, exchange, and work production at the intersection of these social and occupational worlds. We focus on a key stage of the Knight-Mozilla News Technology partnership – namely, an online 'Learning Lab' through which 60 individuals sought to coordinate around a shared interest in the innovation of journalism through open-source software. Drawing on the science and technology studies concepts of trading zones and boundary objects, we explore how distinct understandings about news and technology converged, diverged, and ultimately blended around three thematic ambitions: making news more process-oriented, participatory, and socially curated. This window onto boundary negotiations in journalism provides a glimpse into the future development of news and its norms and values, as programmers and their ethics assume a greater role in the journalistic field – in the very heart of some of its leading institutions.
This study examines how mainstream journalists who microblog negotiate their professionalnorms an... more This study examines how mainstream journalists who microblog negotiate their professionalnorms and practices in a new media format that directly challenges them. Through a content
analysis of more than 22,000 of their tweets (postings) on the microblog platform Twitter, thisstudy reveals that the journalists more freely express opinions, a common microblogging practice
but one which contests the journalistic norm of objectivity (impartiality and nonpartisanship). To a lesser extent, the journalists also adopted two other norm-related microblogging features:providing accountability and transparency regarding how they conduct their work and sharing user-generated content with their followers. The journalists working for national newspapers,national television news divisions, and cable news networks were less inclined in their tweets than their counterparts working for less ‘‘elite’’ news outlets, to relinquish their gatekeeping role by sharing their stage with other news gatherers and commentators, or to provide accountability
and transparency by providing information about their jobs, engaging in discussions with other tweeters, writing about their personal lives, or linking to external websites.
International Journal of Communication, Jul 2015
As journalists and audiences increasingly interact via social media spaces online, scholars have ... more As journalists and audiences increasingly interact via social media spaces online, scholars have begun to explore the varying forms of information and relational exchanges between them. Building on an emerging thread of research that examines the potential role of reciprocity in such encounters, this study examines how reciprocity, as a key ingredient of online communities, might stimulate audiences’ consumption and creation of content, including news content. A national survey finds that, while personal beliefs in reciprocity (perceptions) may predict news consumption, it is reciprocity in practice on social media that is associated with not only news consumption but content creation, both for news and in general. This first-of-its-kind empirical study indicates that scholars may be correct in theorizing a role for reciprocity in the news interaction process, much as in social media and society more broadly.
Abstract: This study compares the effects of consuming news preference online or offline on polit... more Abstract: This study compares the effects of consuming news preference online or offline on political participation. It also examines the variation in these effects between young and older adults. Given that young adults are disproportionately more intensive users of the Internet, Internet use may have varying effects on people’s political participation by their age. Secondary analysis of Pew data found that people’s preference for consuming news online versus offline explains a significant portion of variance of political participation, both online and offline. More importantly, the effects of online media preference were significantly stronger for young adults than for their older counterparts. These findings suggest that a preference for news online matters far more for younger adults than for older adults, and that the Internet may indeed be narrowing the participation gap between age groups.
Drawing on open-ended responses to a representative survey of US journalists, this article examin... more Drawing on open-ended responses to a representative survey of US journalists, this article examines how journalists’ role conceptions may be associated with distinct perceptions of and practices toward audiences, whether online or offline. In particular, this research considers the potential for more reciprocal, or mutually beneficial, interactions between journalists and audiences. Using exploratory factor analysis and normalized index scores, journalists are characterized within four role conceptions. Results show that Populist Mobilizer and Entertainment roles are more associated with digital audience engagement, while Loyal Support and Public Service roles better characterize offline interactions. Findings point to a need for better explanations of how journalists’ role conceptions connect with their engaging (or not) in more purposeful, persistent and reciprocal interactions with audiences.
The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
To deal with ever-larger datasets, media scholars are increasingly using computational analytic m... more To deal with ever-larger datasets, media scholars are increasingly using computational analytic methods. This article focuses on how the traditional (manual) approach to conducting a content analysis—a primary method in the study of media messages—is being reconfigured, assesses what is gained and lost in turning to computational solutions, and builds on a “hybrid” approach to content analysis. We argue that computational methods are most fruitful when variables are readily identifiable in texts and when source material is easily parsed. Manual methods, though, are most appropriate for complex variables and when source material is not well digitized. These modes can be effectively combined throughout the process of content analysis to facilitate expansive and powerful analyses that are reliable and meaningful.
Journalism Practice, 2010
Journalism Practice, 2014
Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 2012
The recent crisis in journalism – the collapse of traditional advertising subsidy, the mass layof... more The recent crisis in journalism – the collapse of traditional advertising subsidy, the mass layoffs amid corporate failures, the struggle to wrest control of technological change, all amid the rise of do-it-yourself publishing that challenges journalists' professional authority – has resulted in a deluge of 'future of journalism' discussions. From books to essays to blog posts to an endless lineup of academic/professional conferences, not to mention a 10th anniversary special issue of this journal (Journalism, 2009, 10[3]), many of the same questions have been debated ...
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 2013
The Future of News… Will it be defined by a declining legacy media; the diminution of important j... more The Future of News…
Will it be defined by a declining legacy media; the diminution of important journalism like international reporting; the end of whole disciplines like photojournalism and investigative reporting? Or will the old be replaced by robust new ways of learning and sharing the news, like participatory journalism, ambitious freelancing, and news satire? What’s clear is that the shift from analog to digital is more than just technological—it is a rift between eras. Reporting has evolved from one-way to many-to-many; from exclusive and expensive to accessible and cheap. The ability to create and share news is now handheld and ubiquitous.
But it would be a grave mistake to forget the fundamental role of news—to nourish an informed democracy. As Thomas Jefferson noted in 1789, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” With that in mind, our task in this second edition of The Future of News is to explore whether today’s news is intellectually closer to broccoli … or bon bons.
In this edition of The Future of News: An Agenda of Perspectives we examine:
• The tension—and congruence—between legacy and new media and the evolving economic models of both.
What the lessons of the past can teach us about the future of news.
• The journalistic value and importance of international reporting and quality photojournalism, and how they’re compromised by declining budgets.
• The virtual explosion in the amount of information now available and why today’s mandate is less about the availability of information and more about curating the right information.
Left, right and center—a debate on the impact of media fragmentation on the quality and credibility of news.
• How social media creates an opportunity for an ever-more satisfying and engaging user experience with news.
• Some really different ways of thinking about information, including the blurring line between journalism and satire—and the value of games in news.
Join us as we share the perspectives of seasoned journalists, highly trained academics, and new media visionaries as they explore and predict the Future of News.
Biography
Kelly Kaufhold, Amber Willard Hinsley and Seth C. Lewis are former journalists with years of experience at news organizations including the Los Angeles Times and the Miami Herald. Kelly is an assistant professor in the College of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University; Amber is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Saint Louis University; Seth is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota.
What is the future of news? That question takes on greater urgency with each passing year, and ha... more What is the future of news? That question takes on greater urgency with each passing year, and has triggered no shortage of controversy among journalists, scholars, and the public — some warning of serious journalism's imminent demise as traditional business models collapse, others anticipating its rebirth as networked citizens participate in the news process. What remains clear is that in our media shift from analog to digital, from one-way to increasingly many-to-many forms of communication, we need to rethink much of what we know about journalism — who produces it, under what conditions, and with what kind of impact in society.
The Future of News: An Agenda of Perspectives attempts to bring some order to the cacophony of opinions about journalism's future.
• Tries to synthesize the key trends, patterns, and practices that are reshaping news in the digital age, through contributions from seasoned journalists and expert academics.
• Outlines the promise and perils of today's media environment, which features increased opportunities for citizen engagement through social networks and cheap digital tools as well as spiraling declines in news consumption and challenging conditions for professional journalists.
• Doesn't predict the future, but rather sets forth an agenda of observations and questions to guide our thinking in this new age of journalism.
New Media & Society, 2019
This study offers a new way of understanding the motivations that influence media workers' impres... more This study offers a new way of understanding the motivations that influence media workers' impression management (or branding) in the social media era. Amid the growing insecurity of media work generally and the particular pressures of branding oneself and promoting one's employer online, our research introduces a framework through which to interpret the forces and factors-internal (social-psychological) and external (environmental)-that shape how and why media professionals engage in branding. Through a first-of-its-kind survey of a broad cross-section of journalists (N = 642), this study proposes, tests, and confirms a branding alignment hypothesis. This typology sheds light on how branding activity aligns with individual, organizational, and institutional motivations as well as professional identities. Importantly, the study shows how branding is manifested over and above social media dynamics alone and reveals how "self-made" and "company" journalists differ in how they promote themselves, their employers, and the journalism occupation.
In a social media age, branding is an increasingly visible aspect of identity construction online... more In a social media age, branding is an increasingly visible aspect of identity construction online. For media professionals generally and journalists especially, branding on spaces such as Twitter reveals the complicated set of forces confronting such public-facing actors as they navigate tensions between personal disclosure for authenticity and professional decorum for credibility, and between establishing one’s own distinctiveness and promoting one’s employer or other stakeholders. While studies have begun to reveal what journalists say about branding, they have yet to provide a broad profile of what they do. This study takes up that challenge through a content analysis of the Twitter profiles and tweets of a representative sample of 384 U.S. journalists. We focus on the extent of branding practices; the levels at which such branding occurs, whether to promote one’s self (individual), one’s news organization (organizational), or the journalism profession at large (institutional); and how other social media practices may be related to forms of journalistic branding. Results suggest that branding is now widely common among journalists on Twitter; that branding occurs at all three levels but primarily at the individual and organizational levels, with organizational branding taking priority; and that time on Twitter is connected with more personal information being shared.
Remarks on the occasion of Stephen D. Reese receiving the 2017 Deutschmann Award for Excellence i... more Remarks on the occasion of Stephen D. Reese receiving the 2017 Deutschmann Award for Excellence in Research
Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2019
Social Media + Society, 2018
A number of news organizations have begun shifting commenting from their websites to Facebook, ba... more A number of news organizations have begun shifting commenting from their websites to Facebook, based on the implicit assumption that commenting on Facebook is an equivalent (or preferred) substitute. Using survey data from 317 online news commenters, and drawing on the concept of imagined audience, this article examines this assumption by comparing news commenters’ perceptions of imagined audiences for comments on news organizations’ websites and on Facebook. While news commenters had mostly different imagined audiences between the two platforms, they had similar evaluations of the personal dimensions of their audiences and the quality of news comments. News commenters on Facebook, for example, did not perceive their audiences to be any more reasonable, intelligent, or responsive—or any less aggressive—than did commenters on news organizations’ websites. Facebook commenters also did not perceive comments to be of any greater quality than did commenters on news organizations’ website...
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 2018
The rise of automated journalism—the algorithmically driven conversion of structured data into ne... more The rise of automated journalism—the algorithmically driven conversion of structured data into news stories—presents a range of potentialities and pitfalls for news organizations. Chief among the potential legal hazards is one issue that has yet to be explored in journalism studies: the possibility that algorithms could produce libelous news content. Although the scenario may seem far-fetched, a review of legal cases involving algorithms and libel suggests that news organizations must seriously consider legal liability as they develop and deploy newswriting bots. Drawing on the American libel law framework, we outline two key issues to consider: (a) the complicated matter of determining fault in a case of algorithm-based libel, and (b) the inability of news organizations to adopt defenses similar to those used by Google and other providers of algorithmic content. These concerns are discussed in light of broader trends of automation and artificial intelligence in the media and inform...
Journal of Media Business Studies, 2010
The Journal of Media Innovations, 2014
In the contemporary media environment, media managers have been forced to reassess everything fro... more In the contemporary media environment, media managers have been forced to reassess everything from editorial workflows to business models to technological platforms. Amid such challenges, legacy news media are encouraged to innovate. Contemporary scholarly literature on media innovation typically adopts a relatively narrow approach when defining and studying the agents involved in shaping media innovations. Ultimately, many studies focus on individual parts of the organization rather than the complete system. There is thus a need to theorize and conceptualize the agents of media innovations in order to understand and improve activities of media innovations. This article presents the AMI approach (Agents of Media Innovations) as a holistic theoretical construct for understanding the agents of media innovation activities. It conceptualizes this approach through a systematic discussion of four interlinked factors: actors, actants, audiences, and activities. These are used to compose an...
New Media & Society, 2012
This article examines the relative value of open innovation principles for digital media, exempli... more This article examines the relative value of open innovation principles for digital media, exemplified by the emergence of Open Application Programming Interfaces (Open APIs) at four news organizations: The New York Times, The Guardian, USA Today and NPR. The use of Open APIs represents a shift toward an open innovation paradigm that may help address twin challenges facing the news industry: the need for improved R&D and the need for new revenue streams. This paper extends the interdisciplinary study of open innovation to digital communication. Findings indicate that the use of Open APIs has accelerated R&D through knowledge-sharing with web developers; generated new means of commercializing content by extending a firm’s product portfolio; and forged innovation networks that function as external R&D departments. The article discusses the constant negotiation between openness and control, and open and closed paradigms in journalism.
Media, Culture & Society, 2013
Journalists and technologists increasingly are organizing and collaborating, both formally and in... more Journalists and technologists increasingly are organizing and collaborating, both formally and informally, across major news organizations and via grassroots networks on an international scale. This intersection of so-called ‘hacks and hackers’ carries with it a shared interest in finding technological solutions for news, particularly through open-source software programming. This article critically evaluates the phenomenon of open source in journalism, offering a theoretical intervention for understanding this phenomenon and its potential implications for newswork. Building on the literature from computer science and journalism, we explore the concept of open source as both a structural framework of distributed development and a cultural framework of pro-social hacker ethics. We identify four values of open-source culture that connect with and depart from journalism—transparency, tinkering, iteration, and participation—and assess their opportunities for rethinking journalism innova...
Mass Communication and Society, 2012
Communication Research, 2012
The rise of sophisticated tools for tracking audiences online has begun to change the way media p... more The rise of sophisticated tools for tracking audiences online has begun to change the way media producers think about media audiences. This study examines this phenomenon in journalism, building on a revised theoretical model that accounts for greater audience engagement in the gatekeeping process. Research suggests that news editors, after long resisting or ignoring audience preferences, are becoming increasingly aware of and adaptive to consumer tastes as manifest via metrics. However, research also finds a gap in the news preferences of editors and audiences. This study asks: Who influences whom more in this disparity? Through longitudinal secondary data analysis of three U.S. online newspapers, and using structural equation modeling, this study finds that (a) audience clicks affect subsequent news placement, based on time-lagged analysis; (b) such influence intensifies during the course of the day; (c) there is no overall lagged effect of news placement on audience clicks; and (...
What is the future of news? That question takes on greater urgency with each passing year, and ha... more What is the future of news? That question takes on greater urgency with each passing year, and has triggered no shortage of controversy among journalists, scholars, and the public — some warning of serious journalism's imminent demise as traditional business models collapse, others anticipating its rebirth as networked citizens participate in the news process. What remains clear is that in our media shift from analog to digital, from one-way to increasingly many-to-many forms of communication, we need to rethink much of what we know about journalism — who produces it, under what conditions, and with what kind of impact in society. The Future of News: An Agenda of Perspectives attempts to bring some order to the cacophony of opinions about journalism's future. • Tries to synthesize the key trends, patterns, and practices that are reshaping news in the digital age, through contributions from seasoned journalists and expert academics. • Outlines the promise and perils of today's media environment, which features increased opportunities for citizen engagement through social networks and cheap digital tools as well as spiraling declines in news consumption and challenging conditions for professional journalists. • Doesn't predict the future, but rather sets forth an agenda of observations and questions to guide our thinking in this new age of journalism.
International Journal of Communication, 2011
In recent years, the Knight News Challenge has emerged as one of the most important forums for st... more In recent years, the Knight News Challenge has emerged as one of the most important forums for stimulating innovation in journalism and as a salient marker of the Knight Foundation's influence in the field. However, scholarly literature has yet to discuss this contest's design and execution, its applicants and winners, and the implications for the future of journalism that may be revealed in this process. This study examines content analysis data for nearly 5,000 applications to the Knight News Challenge, exploring the ...
As someone who probably has spent more time thinking about the Knight News Challenge than anyone ... more As someone who probably has spent more time thinking about the Knight News Challenge than anyone outside of Knight Foundation headquarters—doing a dissertation on the subject will do that to you!—I can't help but follow its evolution, even after my major research ended in 2010. And evolve it has: from an initial focus on citizen journalism and bloggy kinds of initiatives (all the rage circa 2007, right?) to a later emphasis on business models, visualizations, and data-focused projects (like this one)—among a whole host of other ...
During 2008-2010, U.S. newspapers covered the financial issues confronting their own industry ext... more During 2008-2010, U.S. newspapers covered the financial issues confronting their own industry extensively. Such coverage drew attention to the state of the newspaper but also raised questions about whether journalists over-reacted to this market downturn. This study examines how the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the New York Times framed the newspaper “crisis. ” Results show that coverage focused on short-term drama over long-term trends, lacked sufficient context, shifted blame away from newspapers themselves, invoked “death ” imagery, and altogether struggled to capture a holistic portrayal of newspapers ’ troubles. Implications for self-coverage and business journalism are discussed. KEYWORDS business journalism; content analysis; media economics; newspaper coverage;
International Journal of Communication, 2015
As journalists and audiences increasingly interact via social media spaces online, scholars have ... more As journalists and audiences increasingly interact via social media spaces online, scholars have begun to explore the varying forms of information and relational exchanges between them. Building on an emerging thread of research that examines the potential role of reciprocity in such encounters, this study examines how reciprocity, as a key ingredient of online communities, might stimulate audiences’ consumption and creation of content, including news content. A national survey finds that, while personal beliefs in reciprocity ( perceptions ) may predict news consumption, it is reciprocity in practice on social media that is associated with not only news consumption but content creation, both for news and in general. This first-of-its-kind empirical study indicates that scholars may be correct in theorizing a role for reciprocity in the news interaction process, much as in social media and society more broadly.
Journalism Practice, 2018
Media and Communication, 2018
Amid a broader reckoning about the role of social media in public life, this article argues that ... more Amid a broader reckoning about the role of social media in public life, this article argues that the same scrutiny can be applied to the journalism studies field and its approaches to examining social media. A decade later, what hath such research wrought? In the broad study of news and its digital transformation, few topics have captivated researchers quite like social media, with hundreds of studies on everything from how journalists use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat to how such platforms facilitate various forms of engagement between journalists and audiences. Now, some 10 years into journalism studies on social media, we need a more particular accounting of the assumptions, biases, and blind spots that have crept into this line of research. Our purpose is to provoke reflection and chart a path for future research by critiquing themes of what has come before. In particular, our goal is to untangle three faulty assumptions—often implicit but no less influenti...
New Media & Society, 2018
This study offers a new way of understanding the motivations that influence media workers’ impres... more This study offers a new way of understanding the motivations that influence media workers’ impression management (or branding) in the social media era. Amid the growing insecurity of media work generally and the particular pressures of branding oneself and promoting one’s employer online, our research introduces a framework through which to interpret the forces and factors—internal (social–psychological) and external (environmental)—that shape how and why media professionals engage in branding. Through a first-of-its-kind survey of a broad cross-section of journalists ( N = 642), this study proposes, tests, and confirms a branding alignment hypothesis. This typology sheds light on how branding activity aligns with individual, organizational, and institutional motivations as well as professional identities. Importantly, the study shows how branding is manifested over and above social media dynamics alone and reveals how “self-made” and “company” journalists differ in how they promote...
Information, Communication & Society, 2017
Digital Journalism, 2019
In this article, we argue that journalism studies, and particularly research focused on automated... more In this article, we argue that journalism studies, and particularly research focused on automated journalism, has much to learn from Human-Machine Communication (HMC), an emerging conceptual framework and empirically grounded research domain that has formed in response to the growing number of technologies—such as chatbots, social bots, and other communicative agents enabled by developments in artificial intelligence (AI)—that are designed to function as message sources, rather than as message channels. While the underlying, but often unquestioned, theoretical assumption in most communication research is that humans are communicators and machines are mediators, within HMC this assumption is challenged by asking what happens when a machine steps into this formerly human role. More than merely a semantic move, this theoretical reorientation opens up new questions about who or what constitutes a communicator, how social relationships are established through exchange among humans and machines, and what the resulting implications may be for self, society, and communication. In the particular case of automated journalism—in which software assumes a news-writing role that has long been considered a distinctly central, and indeed human, element of journalism—the introduction of HMC offers a generative starting point for theory development, advancing our understanding of humans, machines, and news for an oncoming era of AI technologies.