The ‘story’ in a risk society: A case study of the BBC and the ‘riskiness’ of journalism

ABSTRACT

This article argues that one way the ‘story’ has changed is that it has become a source of potential ‘risk’ (Beck 1992; Giddens 1990) for media organizations operating in a globalized media environment. Through applying a ‘risk’ perspective to the practice of journalism, this article argues that the news story is not only a site where risk is represented and contested but also a source of risk for journalists and media organizations. This conceptual argument is made by reflecting on the significance of the external scrutiny and internal reflection of the BBC's coverage of the Middle East crisis. Attention is also given to the BBC's 2009 decision to deny a Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal for Gaza and how this management decision may be understood in ‘risk’ terms. A larger theoretical objective is to illustrate the utility of a ‘risk’ approach as a new theoretical lens to critically explore the practice of journalism.

KEYWORDS:

• public service broadcasting
• risk
• news story
• BBC
• Middle East