There is no doubt, journalism faces challenging times. Since the turn of the millennium, the financial health of the news industry is failing, mainstream audiences are on the decline, and professional authority, credibility and autonomy are eroding. The outlook is bleak and it's understandable that many are pessimistic. But this book argues that we have to rethink journalism fundamentally.
Rather than just focus on the symptoms of the 'crisis of journalism', this collection tries to understand the structural transformation journalism is undergoing. It explores how the news media attempts to combat decreasing levels of trust, how emerging forms of news affect the established journalistic field, and how participatory culture creates new dialogues between journalists and audiences. Crucially, it does not treat these developments as distinct transformations. Instead, it considers how their interrelation accounts for both the tribulations of the news media and the need for contemporary journalism to redefine itself.
Introduction Rethinking Journalism: The Structural Transformation of a Public Good Marcel Broersma and Chris Peters Part 1: Public Trust in Journalism 1. Trust, Cynicism, and Responsiveness: The Uneasy Situation of Journalism in Democracy Kees Brants 2. A Refractured Paradigm: Journalism, Hoaxes and the Challenge of Trust Marcel Broersma 3. Getting the Facts Straight in a Digital Era: Journalistic Accuracy and Trustworthiness Colin Porlezza and Stephan Russ-Mohl 4. The Postmodern Challenge to Journalism: Strategies for Constructing a Trustworthy Identity Jo Bogaerts and Nico Carpentier Part 2: Participatory Forms of Journalism 5. Trust, Truth and Objectivity: Sustaining Quality Journalism in the Era of the Content-Generating User Brian McNair 6. News Making as an Interactive Practice: Global News Exchange and Network Journalism Ansgard Heinrich 7. Between Networks and 'Hierarchies of Credibility': Navigating Journalistic Practice in a Sea of User-Generated Content Ingrid Volkmer and Amira Firdaus 8. Talking Back, But is Anyone Listening?: Journalism and Comment Fields Todd Graham Part 3: Emerging Journalisms 9. Separate, Supplementary or Seamless?: Alternative News and Professional Journalism Chris Atton 10. Journalism as Interpretive Performance: The Case of WikiLeaks Stuart Allan 11. Transforming Journalistic Practice: A Profession Caught Between Change and Tradition Tamara Witschge 12. 'Even Better Than Being Informed': Satirical News and Media Literacy Chris Peters Part 4: Rethinking Journalism Rethought 13. Would Journalism Please Hold Still! Michael Schudson 14. Journalism, Participative Media and Trust in a Comparative Context Thomas Hanitzsch 15. 'Trust Me, I'm an Innovative Journalist,' And Other Fictions Kevin G. Barnhurst
