![Sample our Politics & International Relations journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5947/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Politics-International-Relations.jpg"})
Abstract
In newsrooms journalists encounter numerous constraints accelerated by increasing technological and economic pressures. The complexity of the job and the need for (constant) innovation coupled with the rising call for transparency and accountability ask for journalists who “reflect-in-action”. Newsroom ethnographies consistently suggest that journalists experience a gap between the wish for increased self-reflection and its actual practice. Additionally, both newsroom research and journalists’ expressions in the trade press show significant resistance against reflection as being a largely academic exercise, or simply too time-consuming. We propose that considering reflection primarily from a learning perspective can overcome this resistance. Secondly, the article acknowledges that in order to enable professionals to fit reflection into their precarious practice, critical reflection should develop out of the practice itself. Reflection only makes sense if it starts from the sense of immediacy and autonomy within journalistic practice, recognises the constraints that journalists face and acknowledges the aversion among journalists against standardised protocols in their craft. Outlining the basic tenets of reflective practice, journalism's current precarity and the learning perspective, we propose further research in how informal reflective practices can enhance professional autonomy.
Notes
1 Trouw is criticised, however, by among others journalism professor Piet Bakker (Citation2014) for deleting the articles out of its archive instead of adding a disclaimer.
2 Translation from the original: “de journalistiek staat te weinig open voor kritiek en is in zijn interne discussies—als daar al ruimte voor is—onvoldoende professioneel.” Accessed December 29, 2014. http://www.rvdj.nl/weblog/de-affaire-ramesar-en-de-journalistiek
3 Donsbach (Citation2012) writes about process competence as one of the five competencies of journalism.
4 Nederlandse Publieke Omroep, Lunch! Radio 1, 1 July 2013.
5 In Schön's definition, reflective practice is seen as (a) a professional competence. This needs to be distinguished from (b) reflective practices as social practices in a profession and (c) reflective practices as exercises or assignments in educational context.
6 For a critical review of rational decision-making models in business ethics, see Painter-Morland (Citation2011), who, discussing Derrida, mentions the importance of imagination and undecidability in ethics.
7 On embodied knowledge, see especially the work of the French phenomenologist Merleau-Ponty (Citation2013, English translation).
8 Van Zoonen (Citation1998) also mentions the legitimacy of intuition.
9 For an interesting parallel in aviation, see the post “Force of Habit”. Accessed May 17, 2015. http://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2015/02/force-of-habit/
10 Ahva (Citation2013) comes to a similar conclusion in her article on public journalism. Ahva thinks public journalism can be best understood from the viewpoint of professional reflexivity. Professional reflexivity refers to journalists’ capacity for self-awareness; their ability to recognise influences and changes in their environment, alter the course of their actions and renegotiate their professional self-images as a result.
11 This can be a starting point for casuistry, a method for ethical decision-making (Boeyink and Borden Citation2010).
12 Compare newsroom research by Ryfe (Citation2009a, Citation2009b) and Usher (Citation2013) on structure and agency.
13 For research on perceived influences, see Hanitzsch et al. (Citation2010).
14 Here we use the concepts from the revised 2014 edition of their book. In earlier editions the authors mention the individual level, routine level, organisational level, extra-media level and ideology level.
15 In recent research by Stefano et al. (Citation2014), reflection is shown to improve performance. They focus on the role of enlarged self-efficacy as an explanation of their findings.
16 “Onderzoekscommissie: ‘We kregen vanaf het begin carte-blanche’” Trouw, December 20, 2014.
17 For reflection as an internal and external dialogue, see Meijers (Citation2014) inspired by the dialogical self-theory of psychologist Hermans (Hermans and Hermans-Konopka Citation2010). Geul (2010, 26–37) focuses on the internal dialogue. He considers himself to be part of the psychological tradition in professionalism studies, starting with Schön (Geul Citation2010, 17).
18 Zelizer writes interchangeably about “journalists as interpretive communities” and “journalists as an interpretative community”. In 2010 she wrote about “journalists as members of interpretive communities” and as such rightly indicating a pluriformity of cultures and quality standards (Buijs Citation2014, 23–39) within journalism.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Timon Ramaker
Timon Ramaker is Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Ethics at Ede Christian University of Applied Sciences' Department of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ede, the Netherlands.
Jan van der Stoep
Jan van der Stoep is Professor of Media, Religion and Culture at Ede Christian University of Applied Sciences' Department of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ede, the Netherlands. Email: [email protected]
Mark Deuze
Mark Deuze is Professor of Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam's Department of Humanities, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Email: [email protected]