Uib Doctor Thesis Content EN

A new platform for quality journalism? A study of four U.S. nonprofit university centers and their attempt to save professional reporting through using classrooms as newsrooms. Gunhild Ring Olsen ThesisAvhandling for the forDegree graden of philosophiaePhilosophiae doctorDoctor (ph.d (PhD). ) atved the Universitetet University of i BergenBergen 20182017 DateDato of defence: for disputas: 9 March 1111 2018 © Copyright Gunhild Ring Olsen The material in this publication is covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act. Year: 2018 Title: A new platform for quality journalism? Name: Gunhild Ring Olsen Print: Skipnes Kommunikasjon / University of Bergen Acknowledgements I could not have written this dissertation without the help of the people I have studied. My first thanks therefore goes to the leaders, staff, and students at the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California, Berkeley, the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University, and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting at Boston University. Without them allowing me to disturb their busy work schedules with visits, observations, and questions, this dissertation would not exist. A special thank you goes to the Investigative Reporting Workshop and to the School of Communication at American University, where I was welcomed as a Fulbright visiting scholar for a whole year and permitted to use the Workshop offices as a base for my research. I wish to express my genuine gratitude in particular to Charles Lewis, Lynne Perri, Barbara Schecter, John Sullivan, Pietro Lombardi, Mariam Baksh, Ke (Amber) Liu, and Christina Animashaun for patiently enduring my regular interrogations about the nonprofit world and for graciously answering my numerous questions. This is a broad exploratory study, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it has been a lot to grasp. The guidance and encouragement of my supervisors, Martin Eide and Paul Bjerke, have been invaluable. Both their general knowledge of the journalism field and their familiarity with different research methods have been of great help. In addition, Kåre Heggen and Magne Lindholm have provided valuable input with regard to the theory of professions, and Astrid Gynnild and Frode Guribye have helped steer the project in the right direction. I am also deeply appreciative for the everyday advice and support provided by my colleagues and friends – especially Tine Ustad Figenschou, who aided me in so many diverse ways, from the practicalities of moving with small children to the United States to how to better structure an introduction; André Verløy, who opened the door to the nonprofit world; Turid Øvrebø and Jan Ytrehorn, who lent assistance during the first planning trip to Washington, DC; and my fellow PhD scholars at “Lettbygget,” who enhanced all aspects of my graduate experience, from methodological discussions to the sharing of i NVivo expertise to the providing of yoga lessons for neck relief. Without you, the last two years of writing would have proved a great deal more difficult. Moving a family of five from Norway to the United States for an academic year was made possible through the generous support of the Fulbright Foundation and Volda University College (VUC). Thank you also to the Meltzer Research Fund. At VUC, Johann Roppen, Ola Teige, Sverre Liestøl, and Pål Aam deserve special thanks for being good-willed, supportive, and solution-oriented. I have written this dissertation in English, which is not my first language. Because of the transcribing support of Rebecca Lundberg, Kenneth K. Haug, and Ly Le, as well as the proofreading assistance of Heather Owen and of Hope Digout at Exceptional English, the text is in much better shape than I would have managed on my own. I am grateful to Hildebjørg Ring Olsen and Lars Olsen for teaching me the value of working hard and never giving up. Thank you to Liv Riiser and Geir Gundersen for their sound advice and uplifting conversations. To the bravest children I know – Mats, Signe, and Johanne – thank you for coming with us to stay in the United States for a whole year and attending school, kindergarten, and day care without knowing more than a couple of words in English. Thank you to the teachers at Janney Elementary School and at Wonders at Edgemoor for welcoming the children in an utterly professional manner. Thank you to the many friends on Garrison Street and in the rest of Washington, DC, for including us in the community in such a great way. We will never forget the barbecues, the street parties, and the many seasonal celebrations. The big hero of this project is my husband, Bjarne. For the last four years, he has done much more than his share of the domestic work. As any two-career couple knows, that is a big deal. In addition, he has been my most attentive reader, my best discussion partner, and an indispensable encourager. Thank you so much – it is now your turn. Volda, January 2018 ii Abstract This is a study of four university-based U.S. nonprofits, and their attempt of saving professional reporting through 1) the production of quality investigative journalism and 2) educating the next generation of investigative reporters. Using the theory of professions as the key theoretical framework the main research question is “what potential do nonprofit university centers have as alternative, professional platforms for quality journalism?” Background With the journalism crisis leading to fewer journalists reporting less news in fewer pages, many have asked if professional, resource-demanding journalism is going to survive. As a response to this concern, numerous nonprofit newsrooms aiming at saving quality reporting were established during or after the financial crisis of 2008/2009. The four university nonprofits examined in this study are part of a subgroup of this “professional movement”. As hybrids between newsrooms and classrooms, they pair students from their mother-university with experienced reporters from established newsrooms, having them work together on real investigative stories. The arrangement has been presented as a win-win situation: While economically pressured newsrooms get extra labor through the students, the students learn investigative reporting from some of the best reporters in the field. This dissertation examines the validity of these claimed benefits. Research design In order to examine the professional potential of university nonprofits in general, four of the most prominent and renowned centers in the U.S. – the IRP Berkeley (UC Berkeley), the Stabile Center (Columbia University), the Workshop (American University), and the New England CIR (Boston University) – were selected for a multiple case study. The empirical data material consists of 69 in-depth interviews with students, faculty, staff and reporters from external newsrooms connected to the centers, approximately 90 days of observation, and a content analysis of 40 center stories. iii Findings The main research question of the study (what potential do nonprofit university centers have as alternative, professional platforms for quality journalism?) is answered through focusing on the questions’ three key concepts: “alternative”, “professional platforms”, and “quality journalism”. First, the centers can be seen as an alternative to the traditional news industry, as they represent a new way of organizing newsrooms where professional ideals and norms are central. Through only cooperating with external newsrooms, foundations, and universities sharing the notion of an informed public as an indispensable societal good, the centers have managed to unite accomplices from various fields in their striving towards saving quality reporting. At the same time, the four centers – representing the largest university nonprofits in the world – are small and fragile. Not having endowments to rely upon, the Workshop and the New England CIR in particular are engaged in an everyday struggle to survive – using much of their total time negotiating partnerships, earning revenue, fundraising and highlighting their impact. Hence, university nonprofits do not appear to be a solid alternative to the news industry. Second, the centers’ combined newsroom and classroom role give them high potential as professional platforms. Advocating a “public trustee” view on professionalism, emphasizing core values like truth and democratic effect, the centers’ staff and associates effectively portray journalism as a public good deserving of its position and privileges. In addition, all four centers provide reporting in line with the principles of the journalism profession – counteracting the growing gap between realities and ideals. Holding a complex, practice-oriented knowledge view focusing on “learning by doing”, the centers’ classroom role consists of teaching new practitioners the necessary mindsets and “know-how” of the profession, and advancing the knowledge of the practice field. Despite of their small size, the centers can thus be described as important cornerstones in the journalistic belief system, strengthening the journalism profession’s jurisdiction over news. iv The third key concept of the main research question is quality journalism. Defined according to the dominant professional logic of the journalistic field as “responsible and engaging community journalism, testing the liability of the powerful”, quality journalism is more than investigative reporting. It also includes journalism of lower symbolic value, like the local reporter covering municipal councils and

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