The ‘story’ in a risk society

A case study of the BBC and the ‘riskiness’ of journalism

Bibliographic Data

ID20207799
AuthorsPatrick Mccurdy (0000-0002-5764-6174, University of Ottawa, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume12
Issue2
Pages173-188
Publication date2011-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Media Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1468-2753 • E-ISSN: 2040-0926
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1386/jmpr.12.2.173_1
OpenAlexW2056441288
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited27

This article argues that one way the ‘story’ has changed is that it has become a source of potential ‘risk’ (Beck 1992; Giddens 1990) for media organizations operating in a globalized media environment. Through applying a ‘risk’ perspective to the practice of journalism, this article argues that the news story is not only a site where risk is represented and contested but also a source of risk for journalists and media organizations. This conceptual argument is made by reflecting on the significance of the external scrutiny and internal reflection of the BBC's coverage of the Middle East crisis. Attention is also given to the BBC's 2009 decision to deny a Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal for Gaza and how this management decision may be understood in ‘risk’ terms. A larger theoretical objective is to illustrate the utility of a ‘risk’ approach as a new theoretical lens to critically explore the practice of journalism

Appeal · Journalism · Media studies · Political science · Public relations · Risk society · Scrutiny · Social science · Sociology · Computer Science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Public Relations and Crisis Communication

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