Journalism Practice

Objectivity as the professional norm of Western journalism has–forquite some time–been under scrutiny. Questioning a norminevitably leads to a search for other normative anchor points.One guiding principle that is currently attracting much attentionis transparency. Despite extensive research on audienceperceptions of journalistic transparency efforts, less is knownabout journalists’ transparency practices and how they areembedded in journalistic content. This study investigates a novelpractice of source transparency that we term footnote journalism:the visually-emphasized use of scholarly referencing practicesthat substantiate news content by listing sources in the form offootnotes. Using quantitative content analysis, we assessed N =2,588 footnote references embedded in N = 127 journalistic newsitems across three outlets to explore what types of sources wereused, what types of statements were substantiated, and whethersources were specific, traceable, and accessible. We find thatfootnote journalism cites sources of high scientific quality to asubstantial extent, but it is rather narrow in its thematic focus.The type of sources used depends on several factors, includingthe author’s profession, the nature of the statement, and thetopic. The discussion addresses the theoretical and practicalimplications of footnote journalism.

This article explores advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) within scholarly research and practical applications in the journalistic subgenre of fact-checking in Europe and Latin America using a mixed-method approach. Building on a prior systematic review of 348 peer-reviewed publications on algorithm-driven journalism, this study examined articles on fact-checking to outline the field. The review identified European and Latin American countries as both prominent and underrepresented, guiding subsequent investigation stages. A quantitative content analysis of 3,154 verification articles across eight countries (AR, BR, CL, VZ, the UK, DE, PT, SP) and 23 organisations in both continents was conducted to observe the most used automated verification tools. A qualitative analysis of the organisations' websites and promotional materials, which tracks in-house AI projects aimed at monitoring, detecting, verifying, and disseminating claims, was conducted. The analysis revealed a significant imbalance in scholarly production and a dearth of studies combining algorithm-driven journalism with fact-checking. Fact-checking organisations predominantly employ basic automated tools like reverse image search and geolocation apps, indicating a trend towards convergence. However, proprietary automated tools for misinformation detection, monitoring, and compilation show regional disparities, with many being based in Europe and funded by major entities such as Google, EU projects, and the IFCN.

Workers in the United States are organizing their workplaces in record numbers. Due to budget cuts, corporate takeovers, and mass layoffs, many journalists are doing the same, hoping that unions can stem the collapse of the news industry. From small town five-person publications to large metro newspapers, news workers are organizing in solidarity with autoworkers, baristas, and Amazon warehouse workers, joining their picket lines and collaborating across industries to demand better working conditions and wages. Relying on 24 in-depth interviews with women journalists in the US who have participated in unionization campaigns, this study investigates how union organizing affects journalists' work routines, professional identities, and relationships with the public. The study demonstrates how workplace organizing among journalists complicates longstanding professional norms, decenters news production away from elites and the powerful, and has the potential to promote solidarity within and across journalism cultures.

Constructive or solutions-focused news is often promoted as a way to mitigate news avoidance and declining levels of trust in mainstream news media. The constitutive element of the constructive approach is the prioritization of solutions-focused news stories. Rather than reporting negative, conflict-driven news about societal issues, journalism should focus more on presenting concrete solutions to problems. This study examines how solutions-focused journalism is applied and enacted in mainstream news media in Sweden. By drawing from research on news discourse and news as narrative, we examine journalism as a storytelling practice, analyzing both the “story”—what is told about solutions to problems - and the “telling”—how is it told, i.e., the forms of expression used by journalists. The aim is to analyze how solutions-focused news stories are constructed in journalistic news discourse through a repertoire of storytelling devices. This study presents a qualitative analysis of a corpus of 218 solutions-focused news stories sampled from press, radio, TV, and online news in Sweden. The results describe the prevalence and characteristics of solutions-focused news, identifying the three main formulas for solutions-focused storytelling in mainstream news media. We also outline the potential challenges the solutions-focused approach presents to professional news journalism.

Nowadays, newsletters play a crucial role in digital media. This study aims to investigate the content curation strategies utilized in The New York Times newsletters, assessing curation techniques, sources, the temporal spans of the curated content, or the relationship between curation characteristics and newsletter models. The findings reveal a dominant utilization of summarization and commentary techniques, emphasizing informative journalistic styles. The research also contrasts the quality of newsletters from the NYT with those from other sources. In summary, this study illuminates the dynamic terrain of curated newsletters and their influence on reader engagement and retention.

Data journalism is one of the trending journalistic approaches. However, although many countries practice data journalism, it still faces many issues in the developing region, particularly Pakistan. This study also investigated the three primary challenges that hinder data journalism in Pakistan. Based on the social construction of technology theory, the qualitative data was gathered by n = 20 journalists working in different organizations. Findings revealed that despite journalists indicating a sound awareness of data journalism and its importance, they showed its future is still being determined due to the current crisis in Pakistani media organizations. The participants argued that lack of interest in designing relevant policies and the government's involvement in news proceedings are vital obstacles to data journalism. Besides, the lack of technical expertise and limited institutions offering formal data journalism education hinder professional practices. Finally, insufficient financial resources and a lack of interest in investing in data journalism are some financial constraints hindering data journalism practices in Pakistan. It is concluded that data journalism is one of the significant journalistic practices today. By resolving these challenges, we can ensure a brighter future for data journalism in Pakistan. Consequently, it will promote transparency, audit, and informed decision-making in Pakistan.