ABSTRACT

Given the interdisciplinary nature of digital journalism studies and the increasingly blurred boundaries of journalism, there is a need within the field of journalism studies to widen the scope of theoretical perspectives and approaches. Theories of Journalism in a Digital Age discusses new avenues in theorising journalism, and reassesses established theories.

Contributors to this volume describe fresh concepts such as de-differentiation, circulation, news networks, and spatiality to explain journalism in a digital age, and provide concepts which further theorise technology as a fundamental part of journalism, such as actants and materiality. Several chapters discuss the latitude of user positions in the digitalised domain of journalism, exploring maximal–minimal participation, routines–interpretation–agency, and mobility–cross-mediality–participation. Finally, the book provides theoretical tools with which to understand, in different social and cultural contexts, the evolving practices of journalism, including innovation, dispersed gatekeeping, and mediatized interdependency. The chapters in this book were originally published in special issues of Digital Journalism and Journalism Practice.

chapter 1|19 pages

Actors, Actants, Audiences, and Activities in Cross-Media News Work: A matrix and a research agenda

Seth C. Lewis and Oscar Westlund
ByOscar Westlund

chapter 2|15 pages

WHO AND WHAT DO JOURNALISM? An actor-network perspective

Alex Primo and Gabriela Zago
ByGabriela Zago

chapter 5|16 pages

The Material Traces of Journalism: A socio-historical approach to online journalism

ByJuliette De Maeyer, Florence Le Cam

chapter 6|15 pages

JOURNALISM AS CULTURES OF CIRCULATION

ByHenrik Bødker

chapter 9|15 pages

When News is Everywhere: Understanding participation, cross-mediality and mobility in journalism from a radical user perspective

Ike Picone, Cédric Courtois, and Steve Paulussen
BySteve Paulussen

chapter 10|15 pages

The Relevance of Journalism: Studying news audiences in a digital era

ByHeikki Heikkilä, Laura Ahva

chapter 13|14 pages

Gatekeeping in a Digital Era: Principles, practices and technological platforms

ByPeter Bro, Filip Wallberg