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The Public Image of Journalists
Wolfgang Donsbach
Communication Research Center at Boston University
November 12, 2009
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Reasons to Deal With the Public Image of Journalists
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Commercia-lization
Inflation of media
Allegations of bias and negativity
Media scandals
Vanishing identity of journalism
Current stress on journalists‘ public image
Decreasing trust and esteem
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…and it shows in surveys: Confidence in the press on the decline
Press
All other institutions
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Germany: Slow but steady decline of trust
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Representative survey of the German population
1,054 citizens of 18 years and older
RDD
Split-ballot
Field time: November 2007 until January 2008
Methodological Details of Our Survey
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"In the following I will read to you some professions. Please tell me if you have rather esteem for/trust in that profession or not." (rather esteem and rather trust as percentage)
n=527 (each split)
79
73
69
54
68
35
50
23
13
8
90
82
80
66
64
61
56
44
36
28
doctors
professors
teachers
lawyers
priests
journalists
public opinion researchers
press spokesmen
advertising specialists
politicians
020406080100 0 20 40 60 80 100
trustesteem
Low esteem, low trust - and far away from the true professions
Source: Donsbach et al. 2009
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n=527
24
50
35
23
74
45
60
70
18-24 25-44 45-59 60+
Age
0
20
40
60
80
rather trust
rather not trust
"In the following I will read to you some professions. Please tell me if you have rather esteem for/trust in that profession or not." (rather esteem and rather trust as percentage)
Lowest trust among the younger
Source: Donsbach et al. 2009
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What are the reasons?
4 x Content / 1 x Structural
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1. Too powerful
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Basis: Q1 = 1054; Q2 = 574
14
41
31
11
3
18
77
5
fully agree
agree
disagree
fully disagree
DK/NA
I find this acceptable
I find this unacceptable
DK/NA
0 20 40 60 80 100Prozent
Q1: Some people say that today journalists are more influential than politicians. Do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Q2: And do find this acceptable or unacceptable that journalists are more iinfluential than politicians?
Journalists more powerful than politicians
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Split Ballot, n=527 each, scale points collapsed: important and rather important
-60%
-45%
-39%
-12%
-10%
-9%
1%
37%
40%
be respectful to other people
tolerate other opinions
help socially impaired people
live and act self-dependendly
be hard-working and ambitious
be independent of others
be politically active
pursue one's own needs
have power and influence
0% 20% 40% 60%-20%-40%-60%-80%
0% 20% 40% 60%-20%-40%-60%-80%
Goals and values: Discrepancy between public's expectations and evaluations
Too little
Too much
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Impartiality vs subjectivity
Expect? Most journalists?
Imp
art
ial
rep
ort
Su
bje
cti
ve
rep
ort
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2. Too unethical
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19
91
79
8
expectation evaluation0
20
40
60
80
100
acceptable/happens oftennot acceptable/happens rarely/never
A famous actor spends his vacation with his family. A journalist who ihappens to be in the same hotel shoots fotos of him and his children playing in the pool. Do you think the publication of these pictures acceptable or not acceptable?
And do you think this happens often, rarely or never in day-to-day media work?
Protection of privacy vs a scoop
Not
accep
tab
le
Hap
pen
s o
ften
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3. Too corrupt
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Independence vs gratification
Acceptable? Happens?
No!
oft
en
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47
65
48
28
Expectation Perception0
20
40
60
80
100
n=527
"A newspaper solicits a new big advertiser. Shortly after it prints a favorable story about this company. Is this acceptable or not acceptable? Follow-up Question: "And do you think this happens frequently, sometimes or not at all in day-to-day practice of the media?"
not
acc
ep
tab
le
happens
frequentl
y
Independence vs revenues
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4. Too much tabloidization
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Hard vs soft news?
Acceptable? Happens?
No!
oft
en
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Summary: What Content Features Drive Public Image of Journalists?
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The Public's expectations and evaluations concerning news quality "In your opinion, how important are the following caracteristics for news in TV, radio, newspaper and internet?" (expectation)/"By thinking about news in TV, radio, newspaper and Internet, how much do the following characteristics actually apply?" (evaluation) (very and rather important/apply and rather apply as percentage)Differences between percentages for expectation and evaluation in percentage points
n=527 (each split)
-27
-21
-13
-13
-12
-7
-3
-1
22
provide detailed background information
present opposing opinions on issues
more facts, less opinions
cover the lifes of ordinary people
beeing not so negative
be a guidance in everyday life
help to understand social issues and events
be vivid and entertaining
prompt feelings and emotions
0 20 40 60 80-20-40-60-80
positive balancenegative balance
The public‘s expectation and evaluation concerning news quality
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(rather trust journalists as percentage)
fulfillment of
expectation
non-fulfillment of expectation
sign.
χ2
Example case objectivity II 42 37 3.34Example case moral considerations II
35 35 3.34
Example case soft versus hard news II
33 38 2.52
Example case privacy issues I
37 34 1.71
Example case economic independence II
42 31 * 6.19* p<0.05 ** p<0.01 *** p<0.001
Discrepancy expectations/perceptions of behavior in news sitiuations Trust
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(rather esteem journalists as percentage)
fulfillment of
expectation
non-fulfillment of expectation
sign. χ2
Example case objectivity I 65 58 2.87Example case moral considerations I
68 59 * 8.50
Example case soft versus hard news I
64 59 6.27
Example case privacy issues I
68 59 * 8.50
Example case economic independence I
68 57 ** 9.34* p<0.05 ** p<0.01 *** p<0.001
Discrepancy expectations/perceptions of behavior in news situations Esteem
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5. The Structural Reason: Fading Identity
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Donsbach et al. 2009
Who is a journalist?
Q: "I'am going to read you a list of different types of professions. Please tell me whether this is a journalist for you or not."
66%
63%
58%
53%
41%
28%
18%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
commentator
editor of a customer magazine
news anchor
spokesman
owner of a newspaper
'blogger'
talk-show host
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Fading coordinates: definition by age
"I am now going to read to you a few occupations. Please tell me in each case whether this in your eyes a journalist."
n= 1054
73%
47%
63%
32%
66%
31%
58%
14%
editor of a costumer magazine Blogger
"Is a journalist"
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%Age
18-24 25-44 45-59 60+
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Source:
Who is a journalist?
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Fading Ethical Coordinates: Acceptance of freebies by age"A journalist wants to report on cross country vehicles. He takes part in a journey to Dubai, where a new vehicle is presented. The journey is paid by the carmaker. Acceptbable or not?" (as percentage)
n=527
61
5147
3237
4853
61
18-24 25-44 45-59 60+0
20
40
60
80
acceptable
not acceptable
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Fading Coordinates: Website Traffic – Changes 2006-2007
Large City Newspapers
Mid-size City Dailies
News Aggregators
Bloggers
Joan Shorenstein Center for the Press, Politics, and Public Policy (2007): Creative Destruction: An Exploratory Look at News on the Internet. Cambridge: Harvard University
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Finally: What then IS journalism?
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The three traditions of journalism
Donsbach 2009
Subjective Tradition Pursuing individual
goals
Commercial Tradition
Give the people what they want
Public Service Tradition
Supplying valid in-formation
Goal Self-actualization Economic interest of
owners
Adaption of individ-ual to reality and
functioning of society Dominant Rela-
tionship Journalist-Authorities Media-
Mar-kets/Shareholders
Medium-Society
Prototypes John Milton Rupert Murdoch Joseph Pulitzer
Dominant Value Subjectivity/Freedom of expression
Economic suc-cess/shareholder
value
Objectivity/Plurality
Dominant Con-tent
Opinions over facts Whatever sells Facts over opinions
Journalist’s Role Individual writer Employee Professional
Defines professional journalism
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“Journalism is a constellation of practices that have acquired special status within the larger domain of communication through a long history that separated out news-sharing from its origins in interpersonal communication.
Telling others about events in one’s social and physical surroundings is a common everyday activity in human cultures…A main difficulty for sharing intelligence is ascertaining truth, or, put the other way round, distinguishing intelligence from gossip”
Barnhurst and Owens (2008: 2557)
Public service function: Distinguishing between evidence and gossip
News = more than personal communication
Society needs institution that assesses truth and relevance
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Subjective Tradition Pursuing individual
goals
Commercial Tradition
Give the people what they want
Public Service Tradition
Supplying valid in-formation
Goal Self-actualization Economic interest of
owners
Adaption of individ-ual to reality and
functioning of society Dominant Rela-
tionship Journalist-Authorities Media-
Mar-kets/Shareholders
Medium-Society
Prototypes John Milton Rupert Murdoch Joseph Pulitzer
Dominant Value Subjectivity/Freedom of expression
Economic suc-cess/shareholder
value
Objectivity/Plurality
Dominant Con-tent
Opinions over facts Whatever sells Facts over opinions
Journalist’s Role Individual writer Employee Professional
Is it all collapsing into the commercial function?
Donsbach 2009
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Figure 2: Diagrammatic Representation of the Econometric Model (will make this look better)
Sridhar, Thorson & Mantrala 2009
Investment in editorial quality pays off
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Figure 3a: Result of a 1% Cutback
Figure 3b: Results of Large-Sized Cutbacks
Basis: Data of ca. 300 papers in the US, Source: Inland Press Association
Revenue losses as a consequence of
cutbacks
Sridhar, Thorson & Mantrala 2009
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Quality Credibility Financial Success
Basis: Data from 26 Knight-Ridder papers
Size of Market (Logarithm)
Credibility of Newspaper (measured
through surveys)
Stability of Circulation 1995-2000
-0,046 +0,448
Meyer, Philip (2004): The Influence Model an Newspaper Business. NRJ 25, No.1, 66-83
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Credibility problem of journalism jeopardizes social capital
What do do?
Actively propagate the function and identity of journalism…
…in journalism education
…in schools
…in public campaigns
Re-consider professionalization of journalists
best practice in exchange for…
…protection from unprofessional influences
Journalism as the new knowledge profession (Gregorian)
The crisis of journalism as chance