Between Ideals and Practices Conference

Dr. Claudia Mellado is Professor of Journalism at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile and the lead investigator for both waves of the international Journalistic Role Performance (JRP) project, a research partnership with 37 countries from the Global North and South. In this keynote, Mellado expands on the framework that grounds the JRP project, shares best practices and lessons learned for articulating international studies, and takes a look forward to the future of journalistic role-performance research, including the potential for new insights and new lines of inquiry into the study of role performance cross-nationally.

Dr. Daniel C. Hallin is Distinguished Professor of Communication Emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, and a member of the Executive Committee for the second wave of the Journalistic Role Performance Project (JRP). Hallin is known for his work on comparative analysis of media systems. In this keynote, he reflects on the kinds of issues that arise in the effort to use large N research projects using standardized measures for comparative analysis of media systems and the relation of this kind of research to the historical-institutional tradition. He also discusses issues related to the complexity of media systems, the importance of context, and the importance of keeping in mind definitions of concepts that are rooted in different research traditions, illustrating these points in part using the JRP data he collected on the case of the United States.

Researchers present their findings on how journalists in the United Arab Emirates, Canada, USA, South Korea, and Taiwan adapt to different political and media environments, the cultural influences on journalistic roles, how journalistic roles are perceived, and how they are actually carried out across different media environments.

Role conception in an uncertain time: The case of Arab journalists: Presenter(s): Elsayed Darwish, Zayed University, Dr. Ahmed Mansoori, United Arab Emirates University 

Canadian reporting practice & democratic ideals: Presenter(s): Davis Vallesi, York University 

Insiderization or celebrification? A comparative study on political journalists’ role conception in South Korea and the United States: Presenter(s): Young Eun Moon, Arizona State University

How political journalists perceived and performed divergent roles online and offline: Presenter(s): I-Chun Lin, University of Leeds

Ranging from ‘distantly informing citizens’ to ‘cultivating fans’ to ‘coping with troublemakers’, the first presentation of this panel outlines 11 forms of audience relationships journalists can maintain, as well as ways in which emotion and different audiences influence journalistic role performance. The rest of the panel covers the role of infotainment journalism in the Arab world, the interconnection of local and international journalists in Nairobi, and how a rapidly changing media landscape impacted journalism in Iceland, resulting  in greater emphasis on traditional journalistic roles.

Emotions play a role now, too: How affective relationship practices expand traditional role enactment in journalists’ audience-relationships: Presenter(s): Julius Reimer, Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI)

Exploring the factors associated with infotainment journalistic role performance: Evidence from five Arab countries’ news media: Presenter(s): Hossam Elhamy, College of Communication & Media Sciences, Zayed University Rasha El-Ibiary, Future University in Egypt

Feeding off each other: Journalistic role negotiations between local and foreign reporters in Nairobi: Presenter(s): Cecilia Arregui Olivera, Aarhus University

Icelandic journalists: Emphasizing classic journalistic roles but under increasing economic pressure: Presenter(s): Valgerður Jóhannsdóttir, University of Iceland, Jón Gunnar Ólafsson, University of Iceland. Additional Authors: Birgir Guðmundsson, professor University of Akureyri

In the video below, the first English* presentation of this panel discusses the benefits and challenges of teaching journalism in English in Algeria.

The second presentation discusses the lack of global exposure of African researchers in African journalism studies.

*The French presentation from this panel can be found on the French JRP Canada site.

Toward promoting the English language in teaching journalism, media, and communication sciences: A new approach to improving journalistic performance in Algeria: Presenter(s): Redouane Touati, Université Yahia Farès de Médéa Hafidha Touati, Etablissement de l’Enseignement Moyen Rabah Bounar – Dely Ibrahim

The (other) Anglophone problem: The ‘peripheries within the periphery’ in African journalism studies: Presenter: David Cheruiyot, Centre for Media and Journalism Studies, University of Groningen

The panel covers ways journalism can perpetuate misinformation, particularly about marginalized communities. The first presentation focuses on how Indian alternative journalists address misinformation through fact-checking and uncovering the actors behind it. The second shares how coverage of homelessness over-represents white males, with recommendations for more inclusive practices.

Silver bullet or rusty nail? Tech-reporting, misinformation, and Indian alternative journalism: Presenter(s): Darsana Vijay, University of Toronto

‘Giving voice to the voiceless’ and best intentions: A qualitative study on journalists’ perceptions of advocacy and objectivity in their reporting on homelessness: Presenter(s): Laura Moorhead, San Francisco State University

These presentations analyze journalism and media in different contexts: Colombian journalists support peace journalism but often use war frames in practice. In Cuba, labour precarity faced by journalists is the largest factor which can undermine democracy, and despite not being homogeneously dominated by elites’ interest, journalists can still use these relationships to advance personal agendas. ​​Cuban media’s loyalty dynamics under an authoritarian regime also differ from other non-free countries, showing a lower elite-support dimension and a much higher nation-support dimension.

Role conception and role performance in reporting Colombian peace building: A paradox between ideals and practice in conflict coverage: Presenter(s): Jesús Arroyave, Universidad del Norte

The precarity trap: Modelling non-democratic journalistic practices beyond media capture: Presenter(s): Ricardo Ribeiro Ferreira, University of Edinburgh

Performing the loyal-facilitator role in Cuban journalism: Political regime, nationalism and national defense in a context of ongoing change: Presenter(s): Dasniel Olivera, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Additional Author(s): Claudia Mellado, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso

Political polarization and journalistic role performance in East Asia: Public function of journalism in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan:Presenter(s): Misook Lee, Otsuma Women’s University Christi I-Hsuan Lin, Rikkyo University. Additional Author(s): Yi-Ning Katherine Chen, National Chengchi University

This panel explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on journalistic roles. The first study presented finds that UK journalists used more of their personal voice, placed more emphasis on the service role, and minimized infotainment. Comparing sourcing practices in Egypt and the UAE, the second presentation shows that UAE journalists had better access to official sources than their Egyptian counterparts, affecting transparency. The third presentation examines how the Australian government’s response to the pandemic influenced journalistic roles. The last presentation discusses how journalists from Egypt, Jordan, Libya, and Tunisia face severe censorship, with governments spreading misinformation and doing little to support independent media.

Patterns of journalistic role performance during public health crises: Covering the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: Presenter(s): Xin Zhao, Bournemouth University. Additional Author(s): Jamie Matthews, Bournemouth University, Daniel Jackson, Bournemouth University, Claudia Mellado, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Antje Glück, Bournemouth University, Yasser Abuali, Bournemouth University, Einar Thorsen, Bournemouth University

Transparency or infodemic? A comparative analysis of journalists’ sourcing practices in reporting COVID-19 in Egypt and the UAE: Presenter(s): Rasha El-Ibiary, Future University in Egypt; Maha Abdulmajeed, Ajman University

Role performance in Australian journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic: Presenter(s): David Nolan, University of Canberra, Jee Young Lee, University of Canberra. Additional Author(s): Kieran McGuinness, University of Canberra, Kate Holland, University of Canberra, Monique Lewis, Griffith University

A critical analysis of journalists’ freedom of expression and access to information while reporting on COVID-19 issues: a case of selected Arab countries: Presenter(s): Miral Sabry AlAshry, Future University in Egypt

In this panel, four studies examine journalistic roles in various political settings: one compares media in Cuba and Venezuela, showing differences in watchdog versus loyal facilitator roles; another explores how exiled Russian journalists shifted to a more activist roles after the Ukraine invasion; a third analyzes the dominance of the “loyal facilitator” role in UAE, Egypt, Qatar, and Lebanon; the final study finds that Ethiopian state media mainly act as loyal facilitators and rarely perform watchdog roles, which are slightly more visible in independent media.

Accommodating journalism in authoritarian political regimes. The interventionist and loyal facilitator roles in state-orientated and private media in Cuba and Venezuela: Presenter(s): David Blanco-Herrero, University of Salamanca. Additional Author(s): Maximiliano Frías Vázquez, Salamanca University, Dasniel Olivera, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Carlos Arcila Calderón, University of Salamanca, Deneb González Méndez, University of Camagüey

“If you are a detached observer, you are pro-war, so there is no choice”: Renegotiation of professional roles by Russian journalists in exile: Presenter(s): Anna Litvinenko, Freie Universität Berlin

One role, one voice, different platforms: Examining the loyal facilitator role in Arab countries: Presenter(s): Nagwa Fahmy, Zayed University. Additional Author(s): Maha Abdulmajeed Attia, Ajman University 

Journalistic roles and political parallelism in a volatile society: The case of Ethiopia: Presenter(s): Terje Skjerdal, NLA University College

The first presentation in this panel examines lifestyle journalists in Singapore, highlighting how they focus on users’ wants instead of needs and entertainment and practical advice, while also addressing social issues to give their work more depth. The next presentation looks at the relationship between journalists and audiences in Germany, discussing role perceptions and comparing for the first time audience perceptions of social cohesion with those of journalists. The final study analyzes how Canadian journalists perform different roles on TikTok, sharing early insights on narrative, editorial judgment, and engagement practices.

Who are lifestyle journalists? Theorising the role orientations and role performances of lifestyle journalists: Presenter(s): Lydia Cheng, The University of Sydney

Journalism | Audience: Journalistic roles from a relational perspective: Presenter(s): Verena Albert & Wiebke Loosen, Leibniz Institute for Media Research│Hans-Bredow-Institut

#news: Journalistic role performance on TikTok: Presenter(s): Trish Audette-Longo, Carleton University