Political Journalists

The democratic functions of the media are at the center of discussions about the societal role of journalists (e.g., McNair 2009; Strömbäck 2005). These democratic functions, like the information, watchdog, and expression function are laid down in legal texts (Graber 2003) and ethical codes (Sonnenberg 1997) and are part of the core values of the occupational ideology of journalists (Kovach & Rosenstiel 2001).