Normative and Audience Discourses on Public Service Journalism at a “Critical Juncture”: the Case of TVE in Spain

Abstract

The concept of journalism, its metatheory and, in particular, public service journalism is regulated by feedback between political models (legal and normative framework), academic precepts and social practices. Scant attention has been paid to date to the impact that these models have on citizens' discourses, which is especially relevant at "critical junctures", i.e. periods in which the old institutions are collapsing and require renovation (McChesney, 2007). Hence, this paper addresses the issue in the Spanish context in order to explore the similarities and differences between the academic/legal/normative framework and audience discourses. The former has been studied using documents, reports and legislation, and the latter explored by means of discussion groups with viewers of the newscasts of Televisión Española (TVE).

The role of public service journalism and television in fostering public voice and the capacity to consent: An analysis of Spanish viewers’ discourses

“…Academic normative discourses and journalistic practices influence citizens’ discourses on journalism too, as our previous findings illustrate as regards Spanish viewers’ discourses (Lamuedra et al, 2018). As before, audience opinions not only have an impact on journalism in the shape of ‘expected expectations’ (Schmidt, 2008: 67).…”

“…In all the groups analysed, it was recognised that the media represented the voice and interests of ‘others’. What was involved was a sort of ‘super-subject’ with limitless political, economic and media power to whom the respondents often referred using the pronoun ‘them’ (Lamuedra et al, 2018). 6 And this led to visible frustration.…”

“…All the groups called for a more diverse kind of journalism, which was linked to a greater recognition of their status as citizens, and a more equitable representation of several sectors of society, such as the young (Lamuedra et al, 2018). But besides this, three of the five groups held that news making had to take into account the voices of citizens in several ways: (1) a certain degree of control over content allowed for several forms of feedback in the digital ecosystem, (2) some participation in agenda setting through their capably to exchange information and news and (3) finally the possibility of citizens’ co-responsibility in the news making process.…”

“…The qualitative analysis performed here constitutes a third differential line (Alonso et al, 2016; Lamuedra et al, 2018). The first insights of the present work had emerged after a close and exhaustive reading of the group sessions’ transcripts in a previous study on the relationship between academic, normative and citizen discourses (Alonso et al, 2016; Lamuedra et al, 2018 Ibid). These insights were then developed into hypothesis in interaction with the theoretical framework (Conde, 2009: 39).…”

Digital Technologies and the Public Sphere in Spain: Spatial Metaphors, Viewers’ Perceptions and Demands in Light of the Democratic Challenge (2014–2017)

“…An initial analysis of these three groups showed that they shared similar critical diagnoses and demands (see Lamuedra et al 2018;Lamuedra Graván et al 2020). In view of this, an attempt was made to determine whether or not these-and other-similarities in their discourses could be found in other social groups.…”