Players and Contestation Mechanisms in the Journalism Field

Abstract

Journalism awards have been staples of professional journalism since the beginning of the twentieth century with the introduction of the Pulitzer Prizes. Dozens of awards programs have emerged since then to recognize journalists and news organizations working in print, broadcast, and online news media. This study uses data from the 1969, 1998, and 2008 editions of Awards, Honors & Prizes to consider how major journalism awards programs have advanced alongside shifts in the journalistic field overall. Considering journalism as a professionalized field, the analysis examines how journalism awards confer legitimacy for agents who are recognized while also highlighting the key players in the field, including founders, sponsors, judges, and participants, who vie for legitimacy. The findings address how the emergence and evolution of journalism awards programs mirror changes in the journalism field historically, including the education and socialization of journalists, economic and geographic shifts, and the adoption of new technological tools. Ultimately, the study endeavors to shed light on how journalism awards and the varied players involved with them contribute to determining what constitutes exemplary journalism and shape the autonomy, legitimacy, professionalization, and doxa of the field.

KEYWORDS:

• field theory
• historical analysis
• journalism awards
• journalism history
• journalistic field
• media institutions
• professionalization

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank Yue Xi for his assistance with the data collection, and David Park and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.