Service Providers, Sentinels, and Traders

Abstract

This article presents a typology of role perceptions arrived at by a base of about 500 qualitative interviews conducted with German journalists from all branches of the media system. Between 2005 and 2008 German journalists were questioned about their careers, their working conditions, and their role perceptions. The present study uses the field theory of Bourdieu in order to examine the factors which influence the journalists’ role perceptions. Bourdieu's terms habitus, capital, and field are used as analysis instruments, and guided the research process.

Keywords:

• Bourdieu
• Germany
• journalist
• qualitative research
• role perception