Role perception and role performance: Attempt at a clarification
What do we actually measure in the World of Journalism Study? Do we attempt to describe the ‘state of journalism’ or do we attempt to describe ‘journalistic ideologies’? Or both?
This paper discusses these and related questions with the view to illuminate what is actually exposed through the WJS questionnaire. The paper emerges from a realization of the Ethiopia part of WJS, where it becomes clear that the gap between ideals (role perception) and practice (role performance) is large. Similar gaps have been identified in studies elsewhere on the globe, even in liberal media environments. However, it appears that the gap is treated somewhat differently by different studies, not least through diverging (and sometimes conflating) uses of the ‘role perception’, ‘role performance’ and related concepts. The same appears to be the case in relation to various contributions emerging from the previous World of Journalism pilot study (2007–11).
In light of this, the present paper attempts to clarify WJS’ relationship to ‘role perception’, ‘role performance’ and related concepts (‘role conception’, ‘role behaviour’, etc.). The paper argues for an uncomplicated distinction between normative and descriptive aspects of the research along the traditional tension between ideals and practice, and for the need to clarify this distinction when aggregating data from WJS. Finally, the paper argues for the use of ‘journalism culture’ as an overarching concept of journalistic norms and journalistic practice.
This paper discusses these and related questions with the view to illuminate what is actually exposed through the WJS questionnaire. The paper emerges from a realization of the Ethiopia part of WJS, where it becomes clear that the gap between ideals (role perception) and practice (role performance) is large. Similar gaps have been identified in studies elsewhere on the globe, even in liberal media environments. However, it appears that the gap is treated somewhat differently by different studies, not least through diverging (and sometimes conflating) uses of the ‘role perception’, ‘role performance’ and related concepts. The same appears to be the case in relation to various contributions emerging from the previous World of Journalism pilot study (2007–11).
In light of this, the present paper attempts to clarify WJS’ relationship to ‘role perception’, ‘role performance’ and related concepts (‘role conception’, ‘role behaviour’, etc.). The paper argues for an uncomplicated distinction between normative and descriptive aspects of the research along the traditional tension between ideals and practice, and for the need to clarify this distinction when aggregating data from WJS. Finally, the paper argues for the use of ‘journalism culture’ as an overarching concept of journalistic norms and journalistic practice.
Publisert i Paper presented at the first global conference of the Worlds of Journalism Study (WJS), Thessaloniki, Greece, 2014
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