Language perceptions and use among (TV) journalists in multilingual Belgium: how pragmatic realities affect the idealized benchmark of bilingualism

Abstract

Building on previous research, we investigate how TV reporters at the French- and Dutch-speaking public television networks deal with each other’s language when preparing and producing news reports. Through analysis of 31 semi-structured interviews with journalists from both networks, our study provides both insights into the news production process in a multilingual country, and the individual reporters’ perception of the French- and Dutch-speaking Belgians’ language. By delineating how the idealized benchmark of bilingualism is restrained by pragmatic realities (format, time and language proficiency), we demonstrate how ‘coping strategies’, including collective translation processes, play a role in news production.