Från granskare till guide
om medborgarjournalistikens och deltagarkulturens påverkan på svenska journalisters professionella identitet
Title: From inspectors to guides: how citizen journalism and participatory cultureaffect the professional identity of Swedish journalists (Swedish title: Från granskaretill guide: om medborgarjournalistikens och deltagarkulturens påverkan på svenskajournalisters professionella identitet).Number of pages: 44 (48 including enclosures).Authors: Towe Bengtsson and Matilda Källén.Tutor: Amelie Hössjer.Course: Media and Communication Studies C.Period: Fall 2011.University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Informatics andMedia, Uppsala University.Purpose/Aim: The goal of this paper was to answer how citizen journalism andparticipatory journalism as well as an increasing range of information today haveaffected the professional identity and professional lives of journalists. In addition tothis, study how journalists today respond to these changes.Material/Method: The study is based on Deuze?s theories about journalistic ideals,Jenkins? theories about convergence culture, and on theories about professionalizationand de-professionalization based on Nygren, Wiik and Torstendahl?s theories. Thestudy is based on eight interviews with professional journalists, four employedjournalists and four freelance journalists. The results are analysed based on a broadtheoretical framework.Main results: The results of this survey show that the role of the professionaljournalist is extremely complex, with a strong ideological basis that fundamentallyinfluences the journalist's view of the profession and of him- or herself. The surveyshows that the journalist role is changing and how important the identification as ajournalist still is. Furthermore, the survey shows that the role is being redefined. Therole consists of two levels, an ideological level and a more practical level. The surveyshows how these two levels are in harmony, but also on a collision course, and howjournalists seek to clarify their ideology to distinguish themselves from others, butalso how they actually adapt the ideals on a more practical level.In summary, despite a de-professionalization of the profession, the journalists keepthe journalistic ideals very high, although they constantly redefine their role, as wellas the ideals. They see their role as an aid to guide the readers, rather than a traditionaljournalist, although they still cling to a traditional perception of the ideal journalist.