Media Discourse About Entrepreneurial Journalism

Abstract

Drawing on insights from field theory, this article examines journalists’ textual and discursive construction of entrepreneurial journalism from 2000 to 2014. The goal is to understand how such discursive practices contribute to the articulation and legitimation of entrepreneurial journalism as a form of cultural capital as the field's economic imperatives change. The findings suggest that “entrepreneurial journalism” is a condensational term: it is defined broadly and loosely but generally in a positive way. Despite the potential for disruption to long-standing journalistic doxa, particularly normative stances related to the separation of editorial and commercial interests, much of the examined discourse seems to reflect a belief that entrepreneurialism is not only acceptable but even vital for survival in a digital age.

KEYWORDS:

• cultural capital
• entrepreneurial journalism
• field theory
• norms
• textual-discourse analysis

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

FUNDING

No external funding was received in support of this work.

Notes

1. Parts of the literature cited in this paper also have informed the publications by Singer (2016a, 2016b).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tim P. Vos

Tim P. Vos (author to whom correspondence should be addressed), Journalism Studies, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA.

Jane B. Singer

Jane B. Singer, Department of Journalism, City University London, UK. E-mail: [email protected]