Understanding the Global Journalist: a Hierarchy-Of-In Uences Approach
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Journalism Studies, Volume 2, Number 2, 2001, pp. 173–187 Understanding the Global Journalist: a hierarchy-of-in uences approach STEPHEN D. REESE University of Texas at Austin, USA ABSTRACT Globalization of media organizations has brought accompanying debates about the proper education and professional standards for the journalists who work for them. These journalistic and press performance issues have attracted a correspondingly global community of scholars to conduct often transnational, comparative studies. In this article, I consider the issues raised in examining these “global journalists” from a sociology-of-media and a cross-national comparative perspective. I propose a “hierarchy of in uences” levels-of-analysis model to help clarify and address such questions, including the problematic nature of “professionalism”. From micro to macro, these levels address what factors shape media and news content, and include the individual journalist, news routines, organizational, extra-media, and ideological, with each carrying a different view of the professionalism issue. While many studies, comparative and otherwise, have been conducted at the individual level, often using surveys to examine the views and characteristics of individual professionals, this model requires that we take into account the larger structure within which these journalists function. More important than national differences may be the emergence of a transnational global professionalism, the shape of which will greatly affect how well the world’s press meets the normative standards we would wish for it. KEY WORDS: Journalists, Professionalism, Media Sociology, Comparative, Levels of Analysis, Press Performance Introduction standard of journalistic professionalism with basic shared values. The global We study journalists and their pro- media have attracted a similarly global fession to nd insights into the ultimate group of media scholars who study shape of their work. We nd this group them. The European Union movement, worthy of our interest and research be- in particular, recently has inspired a cause of the crucial role it plays in the strong interest in collaborative media quality of the world’s press. Particularly research that cuts across national now, with the globalization of media boundaries. Shared theoretical per- through major corporate conglomer- spectives allow these scholars to ad- ates, the professionalism of these jour- dress comparative research issues as nalists may be crucial in preserving they bring their own national experi- standards of journalism. Although it is ences to these questions. not often explicitly stated, many media Another factor leading to the popular- scholars would share the conviction ity of journalists as a research subject that there should be an international is the rise of professional journalism ISSN 1461-670X print/ISSN 1469-9699 online/01/020173-15 Ó 2001 Taylor & Francis Ltd DOI: 10.1080/14616700120042060 174 STEPHEN D. REESE and communication education, which sort out how different press profession- has become more rmly established als, practices, and systems work to ad- in the United States and elsewhere. vance these basic social goals and Not only does this represent an reminds us that professionalism is a important phenomenon for research, problematic concept, consisting of but it means increasing numbers of many values held in tension, which dif- scholars have been trained in these ferent national groups balance in their areas as their home discipline. Thus, own way. it is natural that they want to know The issues I take up here may be more about journalism professionals broadly described as a sociology-of- and have begun to approach this media view, which considers how me- study systematically. It is also natural dia power functions within a larger that these scholars attribute social social context. More narrowly, “media importance to journalism and wish to sociology” is often equated with the enhance its status as a profession. newsroom ethnographies carried out This transnational view of the pro- by many scholars trained in the fession has found the social survey a sociological discipline. I mean it natural methodological approach, al- more broadly, as I think scholars in lowing scholars to make general de- Europe and South America would as scriptive statements about the nature of well, to refer to a broader social struc- these journalists and their adherence to tural context of press practice. Al- certain professional tenets. Indeed, the though no phrase is entirely attraction of this survey approach is adequately, “media sociology” certainly that it is easily exported, making it suggests that we must tackle the struc- tempting to apply it without suf cient tural context of journalism, moving be- conceptual attention to different cultural yond the more narrow attempt to settings. psychologize the media through In this article, I will consider the is- the attitudes and values of individual sues raised by this increasing research practitioners. By this phrase, I do interest in global journalism and pro- also mean to distinguish my questions pose a model to help guide these stud- of interest from traditional audience- ies. This “hierarchy of in uences” and-effects studies. In agenda-setting model proposes important distinctions terminology, for example, researchers between levels of analysis and locates have frequently considered how the individual journalist within a web of successful media are in setting the organizational and ideological con- agenda of the public; in the media straints. Such a model is particularly sociology view we are more interested important in comparative research, be- in those forces which set the media’s cause it helps to place the phenomena agenda (Reese, 1991). Because it of interest within a structural context. is such a crucial concept with regard Understanding journalism through to international journalistic practice, these levels of analysis helps untangle I will rst review the notion of many of the critiques of press perform- professionalism within a media soci- ance, identify their implicit normative ology framework, before considering and theoretical assumptions, and sug- some issues raised in comparative me- gest appropriate kinds of evidence. Ul- dia research. I will then present and timately, press practices must be explain the hierarchy of in uences viewed against normative standards. A model as a way of addressing these multi-perspectival approach helps us issues.1 UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL JOURNALIST 175 The Problematic Concept of Pro- slips in society, the media are driven to fessionalism shore up their prestige through a num- ber of channels, including by exerting Before we consider how best to under- in uence on university campuses. Im- stand and compare the work of journal- portant journalistic foundations, such ists, we must consider more carefully as the Freedom Forum (established the profession to which they belong. with an endowment derived from the Fundamentally, our assessment of largest US newspaper chain), have journalism is based on its contributions taken a much more proactive stance in to a democratic society. Is journalism shaping future faculty-hiring and cur- indeed a profession? It does not re- ricular decisions. The media industry semble the traditional learned profes- might prefer workers trained with basic sions with required credentials and entry-level skills, but university edu- licensing procedures, but does have cation must construct a broader profes- many professional features. It aspires sionalism of civic engagement if to an important social role and ascribes students are to contribute effectively to to ethical codes of conduct. To that a democratic society (Reese, 1999; extent journalism bene ts from its prac- Reese and Cohen, 2000). Thus, pro- titioners laying claim to professional fessionalism is a contested terrain, and membership. Indeed, the idea of pro- continually being renegotiated in re- fessionalism is highly normative. As sponse to social shifts. McQuail (1992) discusses, we evaluate Hallin (1992), for example, considers media performance against the major how US journalism reached a “high social values of freedom, equality, and modernism” stage, characterized by order. We assume that journalists must the independent insider, a journalistic have a high degree of professional role with its model in the national se- freedom and autonomy to carry out curity corespondent. This role broke their function, and we gauge their work down with the collapse of political con- against some standard of fairness, or sensus and economic support for me- equal representation of relevant social dia reporting, to give way to an features. Ethically, we trust that journal- interpretive, but largely technical analy- ists will observe standards that do not sis, role. He recommends that a further violate expectations of social order. We role shift is needed from a “mediating” wish that journalists would adhere to position to one that assists in opening certain roles and ethical conduct be- up the public sphere. So far I have cause we think that doing so bene ts been discussing professionalism within the larger society. Thus, an important my own American context. To what ex- objective of our analysis is to nd the tent are these same issues applicable conditions that either encourage or cross-culturally? threaten the professional conduct and In recent years more attention has press quality that we would desire. been devoted to universal principles