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Social Construction, Control, and News Work: A Study of Newsworkers as Agents of Civic Function and Resistance in the Changing Media World

Schulte, William J.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1339101391

Abstract Details

2012, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Journalism (Communication).
This study looks at social construction of reality as it relates to the challenges of modern news work. The goal of this study was to better understand how corporate directives and changing technology is challenging the civic responsibility of individual newsworkers and the specific jobs they do. Interviews, job shadowing, and participant observation were the primary methods used to generate data about this evolving profession. Social controls and influences are constantly at work on newsworkers as they try to master new digital skills and organizational directives in a profession that is struggling to stay viable. Many newsworkers are doing jobs, which are not related to the traditional journalism craft skills with which they entered the business. As newsrooms become smaller, reporters are challenged to do even the most fundamental tasks associated with investigative, civic, or enterprise reporting. Likewise, technology is demystifying photography and design, causing executives to see those personnel areas as over-staffed. Those who are slow to adapt are laid off, negatively labeled, and lose their professional mobility. Organizations make decisions above a ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿black ceiling¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ without newsworker influence and are actively working against older newsworkers as they restructure operations to be more streamlined. As a result, newsworkers resist organizational controls with ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿Sunshine Blogs¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ that network newsworkers together. They also resist by not conforming to an encouraged culture of loyalty and organizational support. They do not trust that digital media is always the best service to readers. As conditions change, the reality of the newsworkers' function and their place in the organization becomes transparent. The cultural reality for many newsworkers is a distasteful job and they cannot be moved between tasks with commitment unless the task is perceived by them to be a civic service or a personal passion. Newsworkers find the printed-paper to be sacred and hold it in reverence, but most do not look at digital products in the same way. This creates an irreconcilable friction between management and newsworker with neither filling the others' needs.
Marilyn Greenwald, PhD (Committee Chair)
Joseph Bernt, PhD (Committee Member)
Duncan Brown, PhD (Committee Member)
Gene Ammarell, PhD (Committee Member)
143 p.
Communication; Cultural Anthropology; Ethics; History; Journalism; Law; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Organization Theory; Sociology
Newsworkers: Social Construction: Modern Newsroom: Sunshine Blog: Black Ceiling: Organizational Controls:

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Schulte, W. J. (2012). Social Construction, Control, and News Work: A Study of Newsworkers as Agents of Civic Function and Resistance in the Changing Media World [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1339101391

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Schulte, William. Social Construction, Control, and News Work: A Study of Newsworkers as Agents of Civic Function and Resistance in the Changing Media World. 2012. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1339101391.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Schulte, William. "Social Construction, Control, and News Work: A Study of Newsworkers as Agents of Civic Function and Resistance in the Changing Media World." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1339101391

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1339101391
943
© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.