Journalism Overview - Concepedia

Principles

Definition

Journalism is an academic field dedicated to the systematic study of the processes, products, and societal functions of news and information dissemination. This scholarly domain investigates the historical development, ethical considerations, technological influences, and structural factors shaping journalistic practice, analyzing its diverse forms, production methods, content characteristics, and reception, as well as its profound impact on public discourse, political processes, and the health of the public sphere.

Ontological type

Democracy and Public Sphere

Ethics and Norms

Digital Transformation

Key developments

Key Figures

Gatekeeping and Agenda-Setting era

Klaus Krippendorff[1] is associated with the University of Pennsylvania[3] and Philadelphia University[4] in this era. His key contribution was establishing Content Analysis: An Introduction to its Methodology[7], which systematized coding schemes and reliability checks that made empirical content analysis feasible and influential in evaluating media selection during the gatekeeping and agenda-setting era. Maxwell McCombs[2] of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill[5] and Syracuse University[6] helped shape the agenda-setting framework in this period. His works The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media[8] (1972) and Watergate and the Media[9] (1975) articulated how media priorities influence public attention and political behavior, a foundational insight for understanding news as a gatekeeping and agenda-setting mechanism in this era.

Framing and Discourse Analysis era

Thorsten Hennig‐Thurau [1] is a scholar whose work in this era is linked with the University of Münster [3] and Leibniz University Hannover [4]. A key contribution is his exploration of electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms, notably the 2004 paper Electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms: What motivates consumers to articulate themselves on the Internet? [7], which analyzes why consumers articulate themselves online and how these discourses shape market dynamics in the early digital era. Dietram A. Scheufele [2] is a leading scholar whose work in this era is associated with the University of Washington [5] and Cornell University [6]. A central contribution is his framing theory of media effects, articulated in the 1999 paper Framing as a Theory of Media Effects [8], which established framing as a principal analytic tool for understanding how media shapes public meaning and policy debates.

Networked Digital Ecosystems era

Haewoon Kwak [1] is associated with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology [3] and Indiana University Bloomington [4] in this era. His key contributions in this era include the paper What is Twitter, a social network or a news media? [7], which reframes Twitter as a platform that blends social networking and news, highlighting its role in information diffusion and public discourse. Brendan Nyhan [2] is affiliated with Cornell University [5] and University of Chicago [6] during this era. His papers The science of fake news [8] and Selective exposure to misinformation: Evidence from the consumption of fake news during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign [9] articulate how misinformation operates and how selective exposure shapes engagement, offering empirical foundations crucial for verification, audience research, and governance in networked digital ecosystems.