This book addresses the transformative role that so-called peripheral actors in journalism – emerging outlets diverging from the norms fiercely held by mainstream media outlets – play in today’s news ecosystem. The author charts the rise to prominence of these actors, outlining how they have successfully managed to challenge the authority held by mainstream, legacy outlets, whose claims to be the “storytellers of our time” no longer exclusively pertain to them. Beginning by identifying these peripheral actors specifically, the book then considers whether what they do is “journalism” as traditionally conceived, what their motivations are, and why their role is important in light of journalism’s democratic function in holding power to account. Ultimately, it is argued that, despite the perceived role of peripheral actors as “deviant”, they still demonstrate a surprising degree of ideological continuity in the face of industrial disruption. Drawing on research from Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom, Peripheral Actors in Journalism is an insightful resource for journalism and media scholars with an interest in alternative media sources.

Online Journalism from the Periphery looks at how a range of new media actors, communicating online, have challenged us to think differently about the journalistic field. Emerging from the disruption of digital technology, these new actors have been met with resistance by an existing core of journalism, who perceive them as part of a ‘digital threat’ and dismiss their claims of journalistic belonging. As a result, cracks are appearing in the conceptual foundations of what journalism is and should be. Applying field theory as a conceptual lens, Scott Eldridge guides the reader through the intricacies of these tensions at both the core and periphery. By first unpacking definitions of journalism as a social and cultural construction, this book explores how these are dominated by narratives which have reinforced a limited set of expectations about its purpose and reach. The book goes on to examine how these narratives have been significantly undermined by the output of major new media players, including Gawker, reddit, Breitbart, and WikiLeaks. Online Journalism from the Periphery argues for a broadening of ideas around what constitutes journalism in the modern world, concluding with alternative approaches to evaluating the contributions of emerging media heavy-weights to society and to journalism.

Bringing together original contributions from a worldwide group of scholars, this book critically explores the changing role and influence of institutions in the production of news. Drawing from a diverse set of disciplinary and theoretical backgrounds, research paradigms and perspectives, and methodologies, each chapter explores different institutions currently impacting journalism, including government bodies, businesses, technological platforms, and civic organisations. Together they outline how cracks in the autonomy of the journalism industry have allowed for other types of organizations to exert influence over the manner in which journalism is produced, funded, experienced and even conceptualized. Ultimately, this collective work argues for increased research on the impact of outside influences on journalism, while providing a roadmap for future research within journalism studies. The Institutions Changing Journalism is an invaluable contribution to the field of journalism, media, and communication studies, and will be of interest to scholars and practitioners alike who want to stay up to date with fundamental institutional changes facing in the industry.

This book documents the unique reporting practices of humanitarian journalists – an influential group of journalists defying conventional approaches to covering humanitarian crises. Based on a 5-year study, involving over 150 in-depth interviews, this book examines the political, economic and social forces that sustain and influence humanitarian journalists. The authors argue that – by amplifying marginalised voices and providing critical, in-depth explanations of neglected crises – these journalists show us that another kind of humanitarian journalism is possible. However, the authors also reveal the heavy price these reporters pay for deviating from conventional journalistic norms. Their peripheral position at the ‘boundary zone’ between the journalistic and humanitarian fields means that a humanitarian journalist’s job is often precarious – with direct implications for their work, especially as ‘watchdogs’ for the aid sector. As a result, they urgently need more support if they are to continue to do this work and promote more effective and accountable humanitarian action. A rigorous study of how unique professional practices can be produced at the ‘boundary zone’ between fields, this book will interest students and scholars of journalism and communication studies, sociology and humanitarian studies. It will also appeal to those interested in studies of news and media work as occupational identities.

The Routledge Companion to News and Journalism brings together scholars committed to the conceptual and methodological development of news and journalism studies from around the world. Across 50 chapters, organized thematically over seven sections, contributions examine a range of pressing challenges for news reporting – including digital convergence, mobile platforms, web analytics and datafication, social media polarization, and the use of drones. Journalism’s mediation of social issues is also explored, such as those pertaining to human rights, civic engagement, gender inequalities, the environmental crisis, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Each section raises important questions for academic research, generating fresh insights into journalistic forms, practices, and epistemologies. The Companion furthers our understanding of why we have ended up with the kind of news reporting we have today – its remarkable strengths, the difficulties it faces, and how we might improve upon it for tomorrow. Completely revised and updated for its second edition, this volume is ideal for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers, and academics in the fields of news, media, and journalism studies.

Emerging Practices in the Age of Automated Digital Journalism provides detailed insight into the current state of journalism and its future challenges. The book brings together a global team of authors to review and analyse emerging practices in the automated digital scenario through which journalism is being reshaped, such as novel languages, storytelling forms, and business models. Providing a much-needed review of the field to apprehend the knowledge and experience acquired, the collection also offers an up-to-date overview of digital journalism today, outlining those trends pointing to the future of journalism practice and media in the online sphere. Through a multidisciplinary and international approach, chapters delve into the main technological changes that digital journalism has recently faced, closely related to digital native media, novel storytelling forms, social media, innovation, television broadcasting, new media management structures and procedures, content automation, fact-checking, web analytics, and social audiences. Offering new insights into this fast-developing area, this volume will be an engaging and vital resource for media professionals and researchers in journalism and communication studies, as well as those interested in contemporary journalism practice and communication technology.