Introduction to Journalism Studies (LJX059B05)
Notes and Summaries
2020/2021
Table of Contents
Lecture 1: Notes .................................................................................. 2
Lecture 2: News values ....................................................................... 5
Lecture 3: Framing .............................................................................. 6
Lecture 4: Gatekeeping ....................................................................... 7
Lecture 5: Audience ............................................................................ 9
Lecture 6: Narrative .......................................................................... 11
Lecture 7: Race and Gender .............................................................. 12
1
, Lecture 1 Notes
Journalism Studies: Developments, Challenges, and Future Directions
By Karin Wahl-Jorgensen and Thomas Hanitzsch
A Journey Through the History of Journalism Studies
- the work of Karl Marx, Albert Schäffle, Karl Knies, Karl Bücher, Ferdinand Tönnies,
and Max Weber as particularly influential in their conceptions of the social place of
journalism
- systematic scholarly work in the field began in the early 20th century alongside the
emergence of journalism as a profession and a social force
- establishment of Journalism Quarterly in 1924 (later to become Journalism & Mass
Communication Quarterly) heralded this new age of journalism scholarship
- In other countries, including the UK and Denmark, journalism education took place
outside the academy, within news organizations where journalists were trained
through apprenticeships and skills-based short courses
- Theories and concepts were based on empirical research, such as the gatekeeper model
(White, 1950); the professionalization paradigm (McLeod & Hawley, 1964); and the
theories of news values (Galtung & Ruge, 1965) and agenda setting (McCombs &
Shaw, 1972)
- This groundbreaking early research belongs to the relatively few studies in the history
of journalism studies that can consensually be referred to as “classics.”
- The 1970s and 1980s witnessed a stronger influence of sociology and anthropology on
journalism research, leading to what might be described as a sociological turn in the
field
- The increasing attention paid to questions of culture went hand in hand with the
adoption of qualitative methodologies, most notably ethnographic and discourse
analytical approaches
- Along those lines, the predominant discourse still very much constructs a history of
journalism studies based on the work of scholars based in the US and UK
- This Western hegemony somewhat eroded after the end of the Cold War and with the
rise of the internet
- Increased globalization and political liberties provided a space conducive to
interaction among scholars from different nations and cultures
- At the same time, journalism studies as a field underwent further institutionalization at
the international level
Challenges to Journalism as an Institution
The Digital Era and “Creative Destruction”
2
Notes and Summaries
2020/2021
Table of Contents
Lecture 1: Notes .................................................................................. 2
Lecture 2: News values ....................................................................... 5
Lecture 3: Framing .............................................................................. 6
Lecture 4: Gatekeeping ....................................................................... 7
Lecture 5: Audience ............................................................................ 9
Lecture 6: Narrative .......................................................................... 11
Lecture 7: Race and Gender .............................................................. 12
1
, Lecture 1 Notes
Journalism Studies: Developments, Challenges, and Future Directions
By Karin Wahl-Jorgensen and Thomas Hanitzsch
A Journey Through the History of Journalism Studies
- the work of Karl Marx, Albert Schäffle, Karl Knies, Karl Bücher, Ferdinand Tönnies,
and Max Weber as particularly influential in their conceptions of the social place of
journalism
- systematic scholarly work in the field began in the early 20th century alongside the
emergence of journalism as a profession and a social force
- establishment of Journalism Quarterly in 1924 (later to become Journalism & Mass
Communication Quarterly) heralded this new age of journalism scholarship
- In other countries, including the UK and Denmark, journalism education took place
outside the academy, within news organizations where journalists were trained
through apprenticeships and skills-based short courses
- Theories and concepts were based on empirical research, such as the gatekeeper model
(White, 1950); the professionalization paradigm (McLeod & Hawley, 1964); and the
theories of news values (Galtung & Ruge, 1965) and agenda setting (McCombs &
Shaw, 1972)
- This groundbreaking early research belongs to the relatively few studies in the history
of journalism studies that can consensually be referred to as “classics.”
- The 1970s and 1980s witnessed a stronger influence of sociology and anthropology on
journalism research, leading to what might be described as a sociological turn in the
field
- The increasing attention paid to questions of culture went hand in hand with the
adoption of qualitative methodologies, most notably ethnographic and discourse
analytical approaches
- Along those lines, the predominant discourse still very much constructs a history of
journalism studies based on the work of scholars based in the US and UK
- This Western hegemony somewhat eroded after the end of the Cold War and with the
rise of the internet
- Increased globalization and political liberties provided a space conducive to
interaction among scholars from different nations and cultures
- At the same time, journalism studies as a field underwent further institutionalization at
the international level
Challenges to Journalism as an Institution
The Digital Era and “Creative Destruction”
2
