Journalists' Social Identities and Practice in Georgia

Abstract

A 2012 survey of Georgian journalists (n = 141) explored the relationships between social identity and both journalistic values and practice. The study included a focus on identification with the community of journalism as well as the broader Georgian public. The study draws on a social identity perspective to theorize a connection between group identification and compliance with key norms of journalism, including a commitment to journalism that provides a public service, to reporting that is of high quality, and to producing serious, and explanatory stories. These norms are the basis of the Georgian Charter of Journalism Ethics, the Georgian Law on Freedom of Information and Press and the Georgian law on Broadcasting, binding for participating journalists.
The results partially support the argument that identity is related to values and practice. Identification as a journalist and member of the public were both related to a commitment to producing high quality journalism. Those with stronger journalism identities were also more likely to say they were responsible for producing serious, explanatory stories. The weak connection between identification with the public and journalism practice may be explained by the transitional state of Georgian democracy.
Key words: journalism, identity, public identity, public service journalism