Jurisdictional protectionism in online news: Am erican journalists and their perceptions of hyperlinks

Abstract

Because of their widespread use on the internet, hyperlinks have become a useful tool in information sharing and knowledge distribution in online communication, particularly in the realm of journalism. Their importance has received little scholarly attention, however. Against the backdrop of the sociology of professions, the purpose of this study is to determine how journalists approach hyperlinks and what they perceive to be their functions in online news. A national survey of newspaper editors and TV news directors in the United States shows that American journalists exhibit a sense of jurisdictional protectionism in online news. They appear to privilege US hyperlinks over foreign ones, especially internal links to their own websites. They are also predominantly against linking to foreign news media that cover the same events or issues. Financial consideration seems to be the main reason behind the journalistic preference.

Hyperlinking practices in Swedish online news 2007–2013: the rise, fall, and stagnation of hyperlinking as a journalistic tool

“…Therefore, our results support the observations of Weber (2012) that external links allow for building a stronger position in a network and, consequently, can be monetized, suggesting that external links are to a certain extent a resource enhancer rather than a resource drainer. Thus our longitudinal study spanning over several years contradict predictions made based on 'snapshot' studies (Barnhurst, 2010;Chang & Himelboim, 2009;Chang et al, 2012;Himelboim, 2010;Sjøvaag et al, 2012;Tremayne, 2006;Weber & Monge, 2011). Looking at financial considerations, it is thus not a question of whether external linking is bad for the bottom line per se, but what kind of hyperlinking produces what kind of economic effect.…”

“…Since online news still lacks a viable business model, media organizations experience difficulties in obtaining funding to support journalists, and because resources are scarce, prioritizing how resources are used becomes a key, often subjected to cost-benefit analyses (Dunaway, 2011;Mierzejewska, 2011). Studies finding low-cost automated linking practices in turn suggest that the number of links is not as important as their qualitative contribution to the news context (Chang et al, 2012;De Maeyer, 2013;Larsson, 2013). In addition, it could be argued that the continuous and immediate publishing mode of online news foster shallow rather than in-depth (and thus hyperlinked) news.…”

“…Note also that none of these studies are longitudinal. Overall, research shows that internal links are used more often than external ones, and are perceived as more important (Carpenter, 2010;Chang, Southwell, Lee, & Hong, 2012;Larsson, 2013;Sjøvaag et al, 2012). Steensen (2011b) stresses that most studies of linking practices are made at a specific point in time, making it impossible to see any patterns in hyperlinking.…”

“…Advertising is dependent on exposure and external links would thus negatively affect the bottom line, especially since competition increases online (Himelboim, 2010;Sjøvaag et al, 2012;Weber & Monge, 2011). Although research has found that journalists are positive toward links and think they help to create context, in the end hyperlinking is constrained by financial considerations (Chang et al, 2012;Coddington, 2012). Thus, it is only logical to find journalistic gatekeeping still in use (Dimitrova et al, 2003;Himelboim, 2010).…”

“…In this context it becomes even more vital for media organizations to attract and keep users on their websites in order to attract advertisers (Mierzejewska, 2011). Chang et al have in two studies (Chang & Himelboim, 2009;Chang et al, 2012) singled out financial considerations as the sole factor having a negative impact on (external) hyperlinking practices, arguing that it is 'unthinkable' (Chang & Himelboim, 2009, p. 144) for commercial websites to direct readers out of their own online space. Advertising is dependent on exposure and external links would thus negatively affect the bottom line, especially since competition increases online (Himelboim, 2010;Sjøvaag et al, 2012;Weber & Monge, 2011).…”