Column introduction
Welcome to the column "New Frontier Theories"! We dig deep into quantitative research in the fields of journalism and communication and sociology, and share the latest achievements of scholars and domestic and foreign cases. Track new trends, interpret scholars' insights, and regularly share cutting-edge theories to help you keep track of cutting-edge hot theories and enrich your own academic corpus. Everyone is welcome to actively learn, exchange and discuss, and jointly reveal the mysteries of journalism and communication in the data era.
01 Definitions
Journalism sociology refers to the study of the relationship between news communication activities and human society, and is a marginal discipline at the intersection of journalism and sociology. The main feature is the application of sociological principles and methods to study the phenomenon of journalism.
02 Core propositions and research methods
One of the core propositions of the sociology of journalism in the 1970s was to study journalism as a social practice, in order to break the research paradigm of journalism and interpret and understand it in the context of the entire social structure.
An important result of this research proposition is that it has brought about a methodological innovation in the study of journalism and communication activities, especially the direct migration from the field of Du Huixue and the introduction of data collection and analysis methods such as observation and interviews for specific career research, and ethnography has since become an important method in the field of journalism and communication.
03 Representative works
The 1970s was the golden age of the sociology of journalism, and a number of classic works were born, and the formal application of ethnographic methods in the field of journalism and communication also appeared in this period. In these classics, Tuchman's Making News and Gans's What Determines News both use ethnography as a central method, observing the workings of newsrooms and the professional practices of journalists.
04 Classical Studies
Objectivity as Strategic Ritual: An Examination of Newsmen's Notions of Objectivity.
This study, which explores in detail journalists' understanding of objectivity and its use in news reporting, is considered a classic of the sociology of journalism.
The study argues that by claiming that their work is "objective," it is possible to alleviate ongoing stresses such as deadlines, possible defamation lawsuits, and anticipatory accusations from superiors.
The study explores three factors that help journalists define "objective facts": form, content, and organizational relationships. Research shows that when discussing content and inter-organizational relationships, journalists can only rely on their journalistic judgments; However, they can claim objectivity by citing programs that embody the formal attributes of journalistic history or newspapers. For example, a journalist can suggest quoting someone else's remarks instead of providing their own opinion.
This paper argues that "objectivity" can be seen as a strategic ritual to protect journalists from risks in their industry. The article also asks whether the term "objectivity" may also be used in the same way in other professions.
News Framework and Fixed Stereotypes: The Image of Party Members and Elites in Mainstream Newspaper News in Chinese Mainland from 1979 to 2005
This paper uses the journalistic framework and fixed stereotypes theory to explore the image of party members and the image of economic/intellectual elites in the mainstream newspaper media of mainland China from 1979 to 2005.
The study found that the party membership framework and the elite framework are deliberately separated—party members avoid being portrayed as elites, and elites avoid being portrayed as party members. The party membership framework lags behind the requirements of the times, while the elite framework gains an advantageous expression. This does not conform to the new connotation given to party members by the times, nor does it conform to social reality. This conclusion suggests that the media should move beyond the barriers of excessive ideology in reporting on party members.
The theoretical contribution of this study lies in the fact that it organically and logically integrates the theories of "image" research with "stereotype" and "news frame analysis", and makes an empirical test on this.
Innovation in Digital News Production: A Sociological Study of Journalists' Vlogs
Driven by the rapid development of short social videos at home and abroad, traditional media in mainland China have also begun to explore visualization as the main means of news production. Among them, the attempt and popularization of journalist Vlogs is a typical news innovation.
Based on the theoretical perspective of digital journalism and news innovation, this study adopts the method of journalism sociology, collects data through in-depth interviews and participatory observations, and explores the micro practice of Vlog news innovation and its conceptual impact.
The study found that in the era of social media, the connotation of journalism professionalism has been updated in many aspects, such as the use of technology, reporting concepts, and professional knowledge. At the same time, the traditional elements of journalistic professionalism are also reflected in the news innovation around Vlogs. The synergy between the individualization trend of social networks and the professionalism of journalism has promoted the journalist Vlog to become an innovative news product with significant social influence and dissemination.
Caricature, Early Warning and Smokescreen: Reflections and Reconstructions on Domestic Fake News Research (1980-2018)
Fake news, while not credible, is not scary, sometimes it seems ridiculous, sometimes it seems pathetic, and more often it is understandable. This study does not intend to overturn the case of fake news, but on the basis of combing and reflecting on the previous research results, from the perspective of news sociology, it re-analyzes and re-examines 275 well-documented domestic fake news since the 80s of the last century, and uses the method of type research to think about the deep connotations contained in them from three dimensions: how do they reflect the social problems worthy of attention? How do they expose the collective subconscious and mass psychology that is worthy of alarm? How can they be manipulated by the authorities as a tool to cover their eyes? In short, there are real problems in fake news, and it is worth digging deeper.
Bibliography:
[1] Tuchman, Gaye. (1972). "Objectivity as Strategic Ritual: An Examination of Newsmen's Notions of Objectivity." American Journal of Sociology, 77(4), 660-679.
[2] Xia Qianfang, Zhang Mingxin. News Framework and Fixed Stereotypes: The Image of Party Members and Elites in the News of Mainstream Newspapers in Chinese Mainland from 1979 to 2005[J].Journal of Journalism and Communication Research,2007(02):29-41+95.)
[3] Liang Junjian, Huang Yiyang, Yang Xudong. Innovation in digital news production: a sociological study on journalists' Vlogs[J].Journalism,2022(02):4-11+20.DOI:10.15897/j.cnki.cn51-1046/g2.20220121.006.
[4] Zhang Zhenyu, Yu Fasheng, Wang Ran. Caricature, Early Warning and Smokescreen: Reflections and Reconstruction of Domestic Fake News Research (1980-2018)
[J].国际新闻界,2019,41(11):156-174.DOI:10.13495/j.cnki.cjjc.2019.11.009.
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