Understanding the Audience Turn in Journalism: From Quality Discourse to Innovation Discourse as Anchoring Practices 1995–2020

Abstract

Paying close attention to news users has become fully integrated in professional journalism. Even though this practice may still meet with resistance, becoming more audience responsive is no longer automatically condemned as the highway to popularization and sensationalism. What has changed in journalism's ecosystem to account for this turnaround? This paper explains how journalists' attitude towards audiences changed from keeping them at a distance to constantly monitoring their movements. It is based on longitudinal participatory observation of key moments (editorial meetings, public debates) in Dutch journalism, as well as on informal talks and formal interviews with more than one hundred journalists and editors during the last twenty years. It traces four tipping points between 1995 and 2020 regarding the audience turn in commercial news and public service journalism: (1) Quality news as "not having to reckon with your audience". (2) Increasing professional awareness of "informed citizenship" as quality journalism's remit; (3) digitalization of journalism; and (4) increasing relevance of "audience engagement". Ann Swidler's concept of "anchoring practice" (2001) will be used as a lens to understand the gradual shift from quality discourse to innovation discourse as anchoring practices in journalism and journalism studies.

The structures that shape news consumption: Evidence from the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Although audience studies research has long focused on the structures that shape media audience behavior ( Taneja and Webster, 2015 ; Webster, 2014 ; Webster and Wakshlag, 1983 ), these discussions tend to play out parallel to those surrounding journalistic production when it would be more useful for these two conversations to converge. Doing so will allow journalism studies researchers to reach a more comprehensive understanding of how news audience behavior unfolds, which is especially important considering the “audience turn” ( Costera Meijer, 2020 ) playing out within journalism practice. To be sure, a number of scholars within journalism studies regularly draw upon audience studies literature in their analyses of news audiences ( Edgerly et al, 2018 ; Fletcher and Nielsen, 2017 ).…”

“…Most journalism studies scholars have followed suit, such as by exploring the extent to which journalists’ output aligns with audience expectations and preferences ( Wenzel, 2020 ). Costera Meijer (2020) refers to this development as the “audience turn”—a turn evident nearly as much in journalism research as it is in journalism practice.…”

“…The most frequent explanations given for this increase in news consumption were (1) that people had more time on their hands because of disruptions to routines brought on by things like stay-at-home orders, layoffs, and shifts to working from home and (2) they were more interested in understanding the coronavirus’ spread and risks as well as the preventative measures that were being pursued. In light of these findings, which capture both preferential and structural explanations for news audience behavior, we argue that the “audience turn” currently unfolding in journalism research and practice ( Costera Meijer, 2020 ) should focus not just on audiences’ innate preferences, nor solely on the structures that shape their encounters with media, but on the convergence of the two. Bridging these two discussions into one will not only improve journalists’ understanding of their own agency when it comes to influencing news audience behavior, but will also improve journalism scholars’ understanding of the relationship between journalism and the public.…”

News Reporting in Drone Internet of Things Digital Journalism

“…The Drones adoption in news correspondence is considerably economical with less risk factors in the twenty first century journalistic expedition (Wasser et al, 2021). The Drones technology use in news gathering and reportages are on increase with the recent development in IoT, empowering individuals to be part of journalistic storylines and to straightforwardly communicate astonishing stories on a very deep concentration beyond correspondent line of sight (Costera Meijer, 2020). The IoT connected technologies had assisted the journalists to explore dangerous war zones, together with restricted areas using drones in no-fly zones.…”

Political Journalism Content in a New Era: The Case of Finnish Newspapers, 1995–2015

“…(Kivioja, 2008, 147–196; Kunelius and Väliverronen, 2012). Similarly, the “audience turn” (Costera Meijer, 2020) is not highly evident in political journalism: the focus is on elites and citizens’ presence has remained marginal (Kivioja, 2008, 147–196; Kunelius and Väliverronen, 2012; Harjuniemi et al, 2015).…”