The Relevance of Journalism

Abstract

The media-saturated nature of everyday life is well acknowledged in current audience research, but the role of journalism for people living in this digitalised environment remains less clear. To provide a better understanding of the role of journalism and news in everyday life, this article states the case for combining two complementary analytical perspectives in cultural audience research that draw on the framework of practice theory. We need to focus on both interpersonal communication practices within social networks and on discursive practices and patterns of how people use the media. Empirically, this article draws on an extensive audience study conducted in Finland, whose findings provide a cause for moderate optimism regarding the sustaining relevance of journalism in people's everyday life in the digital era. Firstly, social networks—both offline and online—constitute a vital structure within which the output of journalism is rendered meaningful by users. Secondly, the discursive practices applied by the participants emphasise the importance of news as a central means of orientation to society and making sense of the political nature of the public world. However, much of this potential remains unknown to journalists because users' activities occur at a distance from journalism and political institutions, which poses a challenge to digital journalism.

KEYWORDS:

• audience research
• journalism
• news
• practice theory
• relevance
• social networks

FUNDING

This work was supported by The Helsingin Sanomat Foundation [grant for a project: Towards Engaging Journalism].

Notes

1. The study was conducted between 2009 and 2012. In addition to the authors of the article, the research team included Jaana Siljamäki (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) and Sanna Valtonen (University of Helsinki, Finland).

2. The group compositions were based on a self-organising principle. As a result, our sample was demographically over-represented by females (67 per cent women; 33 per cent men) and the middle-aged (50 per cent being 35–50 years). Socio-economically, most of the participants ranked at the average level or higher, while in two groups the level of income was lower than the average (student theatre, the unemployed).

3. The survey, encompassing 455 respondents from three different regions in Finland, was conducted in September 2010. The representative sample was drawn from people who subscribed to the biggest newspaper in their respective region.

4. The news item published on 19 April 2010 focused on the theme of working life, an issue initially identified as extremely relevant by all the groups. The article looked into the ramifications of a government policy that aims to facilitate and encourage pensioners' return to work. The tone was supportive of the policy, as many of the sources quoted highlighted positive aspects of the policy.

Additional information

Funding

Funding: This work was supported by The Helsingin Sanomat Foundation [grant for a project: Towards Engaging Journalism].