Conversation and Credibility: Broadening Journalism Criticism Through Public Engagement

Abstract

As technology and public expectations have expanded journalism into a practice shared by many, criticism remains the province of a relative few. Bloggers have added their voices to professionals' self-criticism, and social media have vastly expanded opportunities for dialogic exchanges. Building on earlier research, this article seeks to expand journalism criticism by applying the dominant public relations model of two-way symmetrical communication. This includes collaboration, compromise, listening, and a desire to balance power-attributes that can enable journalists to be transparent, accountable, and autonomous if they publicly replicate the thoughtfulness of conversations they have long had among themselves.

The Audience-Oriented Editor

“…They also establish organizational strategies that further cement the relationship between the news outlet and its audience, as well as find new avenues that secure audience growth and loyalty. The strategies are far from the two-way symmetrical communication between the audience and journalists that Feighery (2011) proposes, and echoes the commercial need to have a large, loyal audience.…”

Dilemas éticos y modelos deontológicos para el periodista usuario de medios sociales

“…Así, en lugar de una lección impartida a las audiencias, el periodismo se convierte en una conversación (Ludtke, 2009;Cuen, 2012). Esta comunicación simétrica de dos vías contribuye a fortalecer la credibilidad de los periodistas, puesto que ofrece la posibilidad de justificar y contextualizar sus decisiones, así como también de recibir opiniones respecto de sus prácticas (Feighery, 2011).…”

Reconceptualizing Mass Communication as Engagement: The Influence of Social Media

“…In fact, our research and criticism will profit by focusing on the dominant public relations model of two-way symmetrical communication characterized by collaboration, compromise, and listening [9]. This means that as we consider the impact of social media, we should be analyzing and measuring the way that individuals and organizations effectively use social media as a form of engagement instead of a more traditional dissemination approach to measuring and analyzing mass communication.…”