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Sociology and Journalism: a Comparative Analysis

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Sociology and Journalism: a Comparative Analysis Ó American Sociological Association 2018 DOI: 10.1177/0094306117744794 http://cs.sagepub.com FEATURED ESSAY Sociology and Journalism: A Comparative Analysis HERBERT J. GANS Columbia University [email protected] Sociological researchers and journalists both To be sure, sociologists are not alone in study society and write or film reports about dismissing journalists, for they are treated their findings, but they are not particularly similarly by the other social sciences. I still fond of each other. Many sociologists dispar- remember when the late John Kenneth age and even dismiss the work of journalists Galbraith, arguably the most influential and, equally important, of fellow sociologists American economist of the last century, was they consider to be journalists. called a journalist, and I can think of several Journalists are condemned mostly for contemporary economists who are probably dramatizing, oversimplifying, and sensa- being put down the same way. tionalizing their findings. They are also Journalists are no more complimentary; condemned for methodological shortcom- they see sociologists as given to jargon and oth- ings, such as using anecdotes and samples er forms of opaque writing. Instead of focusing of one or two as evidence. In addition, sociol- on the important or interesting topics about ogists criticize journalists for not under- which journalists report, sociologists produce standing their work or oversimplifying their too many boring writings on topics that jour- reports on it. nalists view as not newsworthy. They also look down on journalists for The critiques that the two disciplines level being only descriptive, and fellow sociolo- at each other reflect their different disciplin- gists who are deemed to be too descriptive ary norms, but also those of the very different may therefore be dismissed as journalists. institutions in which they are embedded. Eschewing disciplinary concepts can result Still, some criticisms are justified, particular- in the same put-down, and so will repeated ly those that impair the usefulness of the two appearances in the news media. disciplines for their audiences, others in the As far as I know, no one has ever systemat- general public, and the country. ically studied sociology’s opinions of and However, this essay is limited to a compar- behavior toward journalism. Nor do we ative analysis of journalism and sociology as know how widespread these opinions and two disciplines studying and reporting on behaviorsare.Myhunch:theyarepracticed the same society. It will argue that they do most widely among sociologists who consid- so for different purposes, that they report er themselves social scientists devoted to their findings to different audiences, and empirical research that contributes to theory- that they differ in many other ways. They building and the literature. Even if their are not even competing for scarce resources, research is publicly funded, they report their power, or other institutional necessities or work by adding to the sociological literature rewards. Consequently, they need not dis- rather than by informing the general public, parage each other. and they may be reluctant to talk to journalists. The essay also suggests that the two disci- Conversely, sociologists who see them- plines are similar in a few ways and some- selves as social scientists and seek mainly to times use each other for their work. As understand American and other societies a result, both would gain from greater mutual probably look more kindly on journalists. understanding and a more cooperative rela- Public sociologists may admire them for tionship. The essay concludes with some their ability to reach the general public. suggestions for advancing both. 3 Contemporary Sociology 47, 1 4 Featured Essay Because what follows is neither a review interviews with named individuals, such as essay nor a research report, I will generalize institutional leaders or the information- more broadly than is customary. My gener- suppliers employed to speak for them and alizations about journalism apply mainly their institutions. to reporters working for the daily legacy Sociologists focus instead on patterns and news media: print, radio, and television. structures, such as processes, networks, and (Too many of my observations probably institutions. While journalists emphasize come from media that cater to the college- unique or distinctive events or acts, sociolo- educated audience, notably the New York gists more often study recurring ones. Times.) Moreover, journalists look especially for The sociological researchers I write about the deviant or unusual event, action, or per- are academics who are primarily teachers, sonality. The plane that crashes is newswor- but at research universities that expect that thy, while the thousands that land safely they will do research and keep course loads are not. Sociologists study the unusual as low for that reason. well, but they report more often on what is I thereby neglect the considerable variety considered typical, normal, and regular. in the kinds of journalism and journalists Journalists aim to expose villains and as well as of sociology and sociological thereby serve a moral and even a penal func- researchers. A comprehensive comparative tion in society, while sociologists are more analysis of the two disciplines would need likely to study the structures and processes to be of book length. that cause behavior to be labelled as law- breaking. Insofar as they act as moral guard- ians, they are concerned with ending harmful Some Major Differences between or criminal behavior even while re-labeling Sociology and Journalism victimless actions as acceptable behavior. Sociological researchers and journalists The research methods of the two disci- play different roles in the division of plines, especially their data-gathering and information-supplying labor, each with their analytic processes, differ too. Because jour- own purposes and responsibilities. nalists must report on the latest happenings Journalists report mainly to members of and then disseminate their findings as the general public and pay particular atten- quickly as possible, they have little time for tion to the latest news about government data collection and analysis. Investigative and politics. They do so in part because their reporting sometimes takes months, but it is profession considers itself to be a bulwark for therefore so expensive that only a few news democracy, but they also seek to inform their media can afford to undertake it. audience of what government and politics do Since journalists serve lay audiences, most for and to the citizenry. of their reports are brief, although weekly Sociological researchers work mostly for and monthly news media can practice so- their disciplinary colleagues and students, called long-form journalism. monitoring the components of society that Sociological methods are frequently just the social scientific division of labor dele- the reverse. Sociologists generally get their gates to sociology. data from and about populations, the roles Perhaps the biggest difference: journalists they play, and the social positions they occu- must report daily, and now sometimes 24/7, py. Researchers sometimes spend years on all events and actions they consider collecting and analyzing their data; and important. Sociologists can study anything because they serve mainly their colleagues, past or present, choosing their research topics they can report it in great detail. based on their personal research interests, The two disciplines report their findings the demands of their field, and what funders in different ways as well. Journalists want studied or are willing to support. have to produce news stories and aim to Journalists like to emphasize the individ- be story-tellers, leaving so-called ‘‘think uals at the center of the events and actions pieces’’ mainly to columnists and commen- they cover. Most of their data comes from tators. Conversely, sociologists write their Contemporary Sociology 47, 1 Featured Essay 5 findings up as research reports, with exten- even television news to online news websites sive descriptions of their methods. Their and social media. think-pieces are called theory. Sociology departments and research insti- The two disciplines also speak different tutes must compete, too, sometimes with languages. Journalists write plainly, concise- others in the same university; but overt com- ly, and sometimes dramatically to attract and petition is discouraged. The competition hold the attention of their audience. Socio- between universities is more intense because logical research reports employ technical there are not enough students for all of them, language and aim to invent new concepts. Part- but researchers do not have to face the same ly as a result, almost every sociological field pervasive economic decline as journalists. develops a somewhat distinctive vocabulary. Many of these and other variations between the two disciplines can be explained largely by Differences in Audiences the institutions in which their workers are Some of the difference between the two disci- employed. Most journalists work for profit- plines can be explained by the difference in seeking firms that make their money by sell- the size and characteristics of their audience ing their product to subscribers and assem- and by their relationship to it. bling audiences for advertisers. The circulation of the country’s prime In the process, they must compete with national dailies,
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