Convergence and de-convergence of Chinese journalistic practice in the digital age

Bibliographic Data

ID7478696
AuthorsKe Li (0009-0005-1439-1844, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, USA), Angela Ke Li (0000-0001-8141-769X, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume19
Issue9-10
Pages1380-1396
Publication date2018-04-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-8849 • E-ISSN: 1741-3001
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1464884918769463
OpenAlexW2802456164
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited38

The existing literature broadly suggests that newsrooms are adapting to the media convergence world at the cost of traditional quality journalism. However, based on my ethnographic study of the Beijing News, I propose a convergence and de-convergence model of journalistic practice. The model explains how one Chinese newspaper preserves the legacy of critical journalism, on the one hand, while negotiating the challenges of adapting to the converging trends on the other. I argue that a well-established organizational culture and a working routine are crucial in the newspaper’s transformation, which makes it impossible to redesign the newsroom and redefine journalism with technology alone. Moreover, the article calls for a more nuanced understanding of the transformation of legacy media in the digital age, especially considering a non-Western context. I argue that the Chinese newspaper’s response to technological and economic impacts brought by the Internet is in fact mediated by political concerns

Beijing · China · Context (archaeology · Convergence (economics · Digital media · Economic growth · Economics · Journalism · Media studies · Negotiation · Newspaper · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Technological convergence · Telecommunications · The Internet · World Wide Web · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Computer Science · Media Studies and Communication · Social Media and Politics · History · Law

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