Investigating News Selection

An Integrated Model for Cross-national Comparisons

Résumé

Objective: The goal of this paper is to suggest a mix of conceptual and methodological approaches through which the factors and dynamics influencing journalistic decisions during the process of news selection and evaluation are investigated in the context of countries of different journalistic cultures. Rationale: The need for devising analytical models operating at a meso-sociological level arises from the realisation that a great volume of research attempts to provide full explanations of news selection by using mainly micro or macro approaches, either of which can only partially serve that objective. Therefore, a bridge between the two is proposed here. Theoretical framework: Bourdieu’s field theory, Hanitzsch’s deconstruction of journalistic culture, Hantrais’s comparative research design, and Bryman’s logic of integrating research methods, are combined to serve the desired focus on the relationship between micro and macro societal factors. The starting point of this investigation is that the combined consideration of the theoretical domains of news values, news practice and journalistic professionalism is required, so that an adequate explanation of the dynamics of news selection and evaluation is produced. Methodology: To suit the above theoretical framework, a mixed methods approach is pro- posed, comprising: (1) a quantitative survey via questionnaire, establishing patterns and assessing the strength of various factors at play during news selection; (2) a qualitative focus group approach, simulating editorial meetings and shedding light on the decision-making process and the logic behind it. Conclusion: On the basis of an extensive literature review, complemented by empirical examples from an ongoing comparative research project, it is suggested that a meso-sociological approach in journalism research can bring micro- and macro-accounts of journalistic practice closer to each other.