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This article examines the adoption of cross-border collaboration practices by introducing the concept of ‘intermediaries of change’: individual journalists who drive the adoption and gradual normalisation of pioneering cross-border practices. We ask how they implement cross-border practices, integrate them into existing working routines, and how th...
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... Recently, the research on cross-border journalism has mainly focused on dynamics, statements, and effects of local-foreign news work, based on experiences of cross-border collaboration and the establishment of global networks between journalists, news fixers, non-journalistic agents, citizens, and in the news industry between Western countries or Western countries and developing countries (Berglez and Gearing, 2018;Blacksin and Mitra, 2024;Heft et al., 2019;Heft and Baack, 2022). These descriptive and exploratory studies find that cross-border journalism is not practiced only in geographical spaces, power, culture and identity have also been important factors in shaping the boundaries of news production (Blacksin and Mitra, 2024;Hellmueller and Berglez, 2023). ...
... In this regard, there is a high degree of theoretical consistency between "crossing" and "embeddedness" in cross-border journalism. Existing research on cross-border journalism has focused on the process and motivation of news organizations, foundations, NGOs, and other entities that can break through the borders formed by unique political, cultural, social, and professional concepts between different countries, and achieve and facilitate the flow of resources and technology in different types of organizations/individuals and local-foreign news works (After, 2016: 300;Berglez, 2013;Heft and Baack, 2022). ...
... Referring to recent research about cross-border journalism (Heft and Baack, 2022) while following our focus on organizations'/journalists' cross-border cooperation practices, we deployed qualitative research methods for this study. In-depth interviews were conducted between May 2022 to May 2024. ...
Commencing with the distinctive institutional environment of China, this study broadens the perspective of cross-border journalism from the transnational/international dimension to the institutional dimension. Drawing upon embeddedness theory, the research delves into the forms, scope, and characteristics of cross-border cooperative relationships established by private news organizations as a means for grappling with dual legitimacy dilemmas to embed themselves in the journalistic field. Qualitative interviews with 24 Chinese unlicensed journalists in private news organizations reveal a preference for their cross-border collaboration with government and state-owned media, possessing political or cultural authority, while deliberately avoiding engagement with foreign media, self-media and users. This pattern of cross-border cooperation exhibits a distinctive trait of dependency embeddedness. Furthermore, it is observed that these practices primarily serve as self-protection measures with limited impact on publicity and the democratic development of journalism. These findings contribute to our comprehension of the self-protection strategies employed by China’s private news organizations and their unlicensed journalists in the digital media era, offering a novel institutional perspective in understanding cross-border journalism practices within a non-Western context.
... As a result, scholarly research on this phenomenon has also increased. Some authors have taken an approach to CBIJ that focuses on the analysis of professional practices (Alfter, 2016;Alfter & Candea, 2019;Heft, 2021;Heft & Baack, 2022;Konow-Lund, 2019;Wuergler & Cancela, 2022), while others have highlighted its capacity to offer a solution to the current crisis in journalism by fostering synergies between media organisations facing financial difficulties (Michailidou & Trenz, 2023). The technological dimension has also been an important focal point (Bird & Candea, 2017;Bunce et al., 2018;Ng, 2021), with detailed descriptions of the digital technology that has accelerated this practice in contemporary society. ...
... Concerning the levels of journalist autonomy within collaborative networks (H3), it is worth noting that Dataharvest conferences favour integration into consolidated structures, a phenomenon consistent with the findings of this study in relation to the prominence of high-level organisations (Heft & Baack, 2022, p. 2341 (Hepp & Loosen, 2021) are displaced by "top media organizations" (Heft, 2021, p. 470). ...
This article analyses how cross-border investigative journalism (CBIJ) has expanded the parameters of the media system described by Hallin and Mancini (2004), with the addition of new indicators to adapt it to the paradigm of global convergent media. To this end, it examines how this type of journalism has been conceptualised in Europe as a result of the forums articulated at Dataharvest (the European Investigative Journalism Conference). A quantitative method is applied with text mining techniques to analyse the frequency, associations, and groupings of terms mentioned in the sessions offered from 2014 to 2023. To classify the language units, the variables of CBIJ’s economic model, its thematic relationship with national contexts, and its professional practices are used. The results reveal a clear predominance of the word “data,” reflecting Dataharvest’s particular interest in the dynamics of data processing, which has become an essential part of the work in these networks. An analysis of organisational culture reveals that high-profile associations play a more important role in collaborative projects than less institutionalised networks. The business model encourages non-profit organisations that depend on foundations to support their work. In thematic terms, CBIJ projects address topics emerging in the supranational space, offered with a common frame of reference for multiple countries. These networks necessitate a redefinition of the model defined in 2004, as they have developed qualities of their own in relation to the business model they adopt, the transnational orientation of reporters, the issues addressed, and, to a lesser extent, professional practices.
... The experts in the focus group described them as great drivers, because of their courage to lead innovative projects, develop new ideas or take on new challenges, even though they often struggle against an adverse context. Transnational ties, in many cases, have encouraged the pace of adoption of new practices (Heft & Baack, 2022). ...
Digitization has expanded the boundaries of a journalistic field that was built up over more than a century and has
led to questions about media, journalism, and the public spheres. The main objective of this article is to review and
analyze the complex scenario in which journalism and digital journalism are developing, affecting legacy and digital
native media, the profession and citizens, who, as an audience, occupy an increasingly central position. In the first
phase of the study, the main axes and actors driving the metamorphosis of digital journalism are analyzed, to assess its
functions and relevance using focus groups with academics and professionals in the area. The second phase focuses
on the study of audiences and their relationship with journalism through a systematized literature review. The results
show that the public is one of the main forces driving journalism. Placing them at the center of journalistic strategy
involves understanding their needs, offering quality content, promoting transparency and credibility, and promoting
literacy for critical media consumption. Prioritizing audiences is fundamental for establishing a solid and long-term
relationship based on trust, an essential attribute for the success and sustainability of journalism in the digital era.
... The experts in the focus group described them as great drivers, because of their courage to lead innovative projects, develop new ideas or take on new challenges, even though they often struggle against an adverse context. Transnational ties, in many cases, have encouraged the pace of adoption of new practices (Heft & Baack, 2022). ...
La digitalización ha ampliado las fronteras del campo periodístico construido durante más de un siglo y ha obligado a revisar las cuestiones relacionadas con los medios, el periodismo y las esferas públicas. En este artículo partimos del objetivo general de revisar y analizar el escenario complejo en el que se desarrolla el periodismo y el periodismo digital, que afecta a medios matriciales y nativos digitales, la profesión y la ciudadanía, que como audiencia ocupa una posición cada vez más central. Para ello se analizan los principales ejes y actores que impulsan la metamorfosis del periodismo digital para valorar sus funciones y relevancia empleando la técnica del grupo de discusión de académicos y profesionales del área. La investigación se enfoca, en una segunda fase, en el estudio de las audiencias y su relación con el periodismo a través de una revisión sistematizada de literatura. Los resultados evidencian que los públicos son uno de los motores principales en el impulso del periodismo. Situarlos en el centro de la estrategia periodística implica entender sus necesidades, ofrecer contenido de calidad, promover la transparencia y credibilidad, y alfabetizar desde la base para un consumo crítico de medios. Priorizar a las audiencias es fundamental para establecer una relación sólida y duradera basada en la confianza, un atributo esencial para el éxito y la sostenibilidad del periodismo en la era digital.
... Recent cross-border investigations have been a driving force in the reconstruction of collaborative forms of working in the news ecosystem (Stonbely 2017). Collaboration in the workplace can yield innovative approaches to overcoming a lack of infrastructure, knowledge, and staff (de-Lima-Santos and Mesquita 2021c; Heft and Baack 2021). ...
... In it, business model patterns can be described in terms of the most important activities a company must perform (key activities), the most important assets required to perform these activities (key resources), and the partner network that makes the strategy work (key partnerships). This provides a framework for understanding how news media companies capture value by collaborating systematically with internal and external partners (Heft and Baack 2022;Westlund, Krumsvik, and Lewis 2021;Westlund and Ekström 2021). This reveals the conceptual and empirical evidence through a cross-disciplinary synthesis of data, which addresses the following research questions: RQ1. ...
... Nevertheless, "highly institutionalized and integrated large-scale examples of cross-border collaborations, such as the Panama Papers, provide pioneering role models that can only partly be transferred to the broader field" (Heft and Baack 2022, 14). These extensive resources for the infrastructures required to maintain and coordinate collaboration are not easy to deploy on the organizational side, but provide considerable practical experience to practitioners taking this to other cross-national collaborations, for instance (Heft and Baack 2022). In addition, "frequent collaboration across countries can be read as a tendency toward internationalization" of the practice (Ausserhofer et al. 2020, 966). ...
Despite it being somewhat of a niche project back in 2009, at this stage of its evolution, data journalism has gained significant traction to grow into a maturing field. However, little is known about the intersection of data journalism and collaboration in the news organizations' business models from an infrastructure perspective, that is, key activities, key resources, and partner networks. These elements play an important role in the business model as they outline how an organization can optimize the efficiency within the business to provide the public with the best value proposition, in this case, data storytelling. Therefore, through a systematic literature review, this study aims to identify research trends and gaps in the field, conceptualize current paradigmatic views and therein provide clear propositions to guide future research in the entan-glements of data journalism, collaboration, and business models. The originality of this study is rooted in the comprehensive search and systematic review of studies in the discourse around data and collaborative journalisms as part of the news organizations' business models, which have not been unified to date, although both practices became popularized with the digitization of news organizations.
... Instead, organizations form strategic partnerships to achieve a common goal (De Reuver, Bouwman, and Haaker 2013). In the news industry, this is commonly seen in collaborative journalistic projects (Carson and Farhall 2018;Heft, Alfter, and Pfetsch 2019;Heft and Baack 2021). ...
It has been almost a decade since the term data journalism was coined. Since then, much has changed and often in unexpected ways. Data journalism has become a global phenomenon. However, much of the ongoing and fast-paced evolution of the practice still occurs in well-resourced news outlets. Smaller organizations continue to struggle to understand how to deploy data skills in their newsrooms. This study draws on extensive research involving over 60 interviews with experts on four continents (Americas, Europe, Asia, and Oceania) and participant observations in four well-known data-driven news outlets-La Nación (Argentina), ProPublica (US), Al Jazeera (Qatar), and BBC (UK)-to illuminate best practices that transcend organizational differences and contribute to calibrating the execution of journalistic data-driven projects. By examining the infrastructure levels of these organizations, that is, key activities, key resources, and partner networks, I propose a roadmap that conceptually describes the key factors in the business model decisions of news organizations to enable the emergence of data-driven storytelling in newsrooms. Ultimately, this study notes that this roadmap is not a solution but a way to provide guidelines for news outlets that are willing to adopt data journalism practices.
... Ferrucci andPerreault (2021, 1445) suggest three factors that make technological innovation particularly difficult in journalism: strong professional cultures; lack of training; and a practice of pushing back technologies because of a belief that they do not contribute to better journalism. Nevertheless, newsrooms still adopt new practices, and in such processes, certain journalists act as intermediaries of change, contributing to a gradual normalization by incorporating pioneering practices into existing organizational structures and routines (Heft and Baack 2021). Similarly, Molyneux and Mourão (2019) state that journalists tend to map existing norms onto new technologies; however, as technology has developed and journalists have become more accustomed to technology, it has become part of their routines and as such normalized. ...
... However, in terms of ethics, interviewed journalists did not see a need for updated codes of conduct, while scholars did. This could be related to how journalists have been found to normalize technological practices rather than disrupting routines (Molyneux and Mourão 2019;Heft and Baack 2021). Instead of explicitly working toward formalizing best practices, we found that interviewed data journalists gradually self-regulate the production process by either referencing informal rules or loosely basing their work on existing ones. ...
As data are becoming increasingly central to journalistic practice, a number of technology-driven approaches are emerging among data journalists. This article focuses on sensor journalism, which brings new practical and ethical concerns to journalism. By interviewing and working with data journalists and journalism scholars, we analyze the new technological and ethical challenges that sensors bring to journalism. The results contribute to the knowledge on how data journalists implicitly embed ethical values into their everyday work. Furthermore, they suggest that general ethical values are revisited and extended by the influence of sensors.
... WikiLeaks has definitely been the most visible example of this kind (Lynch, 2010;Zajácz, 2013, etc. 6 ). In turn, cross-border collaboration practices have been indicated as fundamental turning points in journalists' adoption of encryption technologies (Heft & Baack, 2021) and constitute one of the areas where they have found adoption in the most comprehensive way (Alfter, 2016), with the "Panama Papers" investigation definitely being one of the most important experiences of this kind (Baack, 2016). The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, one of the major players in whistleblowing-led journalism, has been analyzed in relation to new political practices that have emerged through digital disclosures in light of its own communication practices, with infosec tools aimed at facilitating secure communications and leak submissions (Heemsbergen, 2018). ...
Information security (infosec) has become a field of primary interest for journalism, especially in the wake of the 2013 Edward Snowden revelations about the ramifications of Internet mass surveillance. Following the increasing dangers posed by digital threats—and surveillance in particular—to the safety of journalists and their sources, newsrooms and reporters have shown an increased interest in technological solutions for improved protection of their work and sources. In particular, the adoption of strong encryption tools for communication purposes has become an urgent matter for journalists worldwide, becoming a niche of research in journalism studies as well. By reviewing the existing literature in the field, this article examines how journalism studies approach the use of encryption and information security tools for journalistic purposes. Based on research on the major journalism studies journals and other publications, the article offers an overview of the research advancements, highlighting current major trends and research areas.
... Recent cross-border investigations have been a driving force in the reconstruction of collaborative forms of working in the news ecosystem (Stonbely 2017). Collaboration in the workplace can yield innovative approaches to overcoming a lack of infrastructure, knowledge, and staff (de-Lima-Santos and Mesquita 2021c; Heft and Baack 2021). ...
The environmental crisis and more recently climate emergency have driven news media outlets to create editorial brands that specifically cover these topics. To make itself heard in a market for environmental news that is increasingly dominated by global media outlets, La Nación (Argentina) has leveraged its reporting on the topic by developing a novel editorial brand focused on environmental data journalism: “Proyecto Naturaleza.” Through the lens of data journalism and collaborative journalism, this article relies on methods such as participant observation and in-depth interviews to understand the practices, norms, and routines adopted by La Nación to produce data journalism focused on environmental topics. The results indicate three specific pillars for such journalism: climate change, biodiversity, and audience participation. The team sets an agenda based on these topics in light of annual events or large celebrations, resulting in a calendar of proposed activities (the production of data stories or crowdsourcing actions). The data team holds meetings with different individuals and organizations from different sectors to identify distinct perspectives on environmental issues to discuss undertakings and collaborate as needed with these actors. La Nación also emphasizes involving audiences on a deeper level, transforming their traditional role as passive recipient into active participant.
