Advancing a Radical Audience Turn in Journalism. Fundamental Dilemmas for Journalism Studies

Dados Bibliográficos

ID22010722
AutoresJoëlle Swart (0000-0003-2326-8424, University of Groningen, autor correspondente), Tim Groot Kormelink (0000-0001-5374-7536, Instituto de Lengua Literatura y Antropología), Irene Costera Meijer (0000-0002-3592-6810, Instituto de Lengua Literatura y Antropología), Marcel Broersma (0000-0002-7342-3472, University of Groningen)
Ano2022
Volume10
Fascículo1
Páginas8-22
Data de publicação2022-01-02
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoDigital Journalism (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2167-0811 • E-ISSN: 2167-082X
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/21670811.2021.2024764
OpenAlexW4212783527
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas92
Referências citadas69

Despite its increasing attention for audiences, journalism studies remains an inherently production-focused discipline. Consequently, studying the perspective of audiences tends to automatically start from questions relevant for and benefitting the news industry. In this introduction, we argue for a more radical audience turn that pushes journalism studies forward beyond normative and industry concerns, and starts from the perspective of audiences themselves. We formulate four constructive starting points for advancing the audience turn in journalism: 1) further decentering journalism by also focusing on non-news and employing non-media centric approaches; 2) broadening who counts as audience by including audiences considered commercially unattractive; 3) shifting the focus from what counts as news use to what is experienced as informative; and 4) positing audiences as active agents. However, such a radical audience turn also creates fundamental dilemmas for journalism studies, raising questions about the field’s object of study, the spaces and contexts of news use considered, and the objectives of journalism studies as a field. With this special issue, we call for further reflections on how news and informational needs may be conceptualized from an audience perspective and how to theorize what this means for journalism’s role in society and everyday life

Citizen journalism · Constructive · Journalism · Media studies · Normative · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Technical Journalism · Computer Science · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Rhetoric and Communication Studies · Social Media and Politics