I love learning new things

An institutional logics perspective on learning in professional journalism

Bibliographic Data

ID7477771
AuthorsMinna Koivula (0000-0002-7718-0199, University of Jyväskylä, corresponding author), Tiina Saari (Work Research Centre, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland), Тиина Саари (0000-0002-2716-3630, Work Research Centre, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland), Mikko Villi (0000-0001-6935-9386, University of Jyväskylä)
Year2023
Volume25
Issue4
Pages881-899
Publication date2023-03-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-8849 • E-ISSN: 1741-3001
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14648849231167786
OpenAlexW4360985225
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited52

In contemporary working life, journalists are often faced with the pressures of an increasingly precarious field where employment is less stable and more contractual than in previous years. Consequently, learning as a skill has grown in importance as journalists enter and leave the job market. Previous research has often portrayed professional journalists as unwilling to learn due to the persistence of the institution of journalism. Consequently, this study examines learning in professional journalism through interviews with 30 Finnish journalists. We adopt the institutional logics perspective to examine which institutional logics manifest in journalists' descriptions of learning and how. We identify a labor market logic that highlights how the need to learn continuously to satisfy employer needs is felt as pervasive. Additionally, our analysis suggests that journalists negotiate the technology logic’s push for learning digital skills with journalism’s professional logic. The analysis also highlights a negotiation of market and professional logics in the journalists' experiences of intensification in relation to learning. Intensification, specifically, may have consequences for journalists' skill levels and occupational well-being

Institution · Institutional logic · Journalism · Media studies · Negotiation · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Computer Science · Higher Education Governance and Development · Management and Organizational Studies · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Artificial Intelligence

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Open DOIOpen Access