Psychology of News Decisions

Factors behind Journalists’ Professional Behavior

Bibliographic Data

ID7477552
AuthorsWolfgang Donsbach (Dresden University of Technology, corresponding author)
Year2004
Volume5
Issue2
Pages131-157
Publication date2004-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-8849 • E-ISSN: 1741-3001
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/146488490452002
OpenAlexW2066799640
LanguageEN
Citations received154
References cited40

This article is about causal explanations for the way journalists report the news. In its first part, the article reviews traditional and current models or theories of journalists’ news decisions, concentrating on news factors, institutional objectives, the manipulative power of public relations by news sources and the subjective beliefs of journalists. It comes to the conclusion that most of these approaches do not explain the underlying processes leading to news judgements. Starting from these shortcomings and from the assumption that most of journalists’ work is about perceptions, conclusions and judgements, it then attempts to apply psychological theories to news decision-making. The author holds that two general needs or functions involving specific psychological processes can explain news decisions: a need for social validation of perceptions and a need to preserve one’s existing predispositions. Empirical data from several surveys and studies among journalists are used to demonstrate the appropriateness of this approach to journalists’ behavior

Media studies · News media · News values · Perception · Political science · Power (physics · Public relations · Sociology · Media Influence and Health · Media Studies and Communication · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Social Psychology

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