Journalism

Open Access

Abstract

7 pages ; This entry seeks to synthesize the many definitions of journalism. Struggles over defining what qualifies as journalism and who qualifies as a journalist are more than discursive disputes; they are key points of departure for understanding the societal roles as well as social meanings of journalism in the twenty‐first century. In a basic sense, journalism refers to the systematic gathering, filtering, and circulating of information deemed to be news and in the public interest. But, as this entry shows, definitions of journalism are also complex normative, political, and ideological statements that may appear quite differently from different perspectives. This entry reviews how journalism was defined historically, what it came to represent in late modern times, and why it may need to be redefined to capture the complex realities of producing and consuming news in an information environment that challenges supposedly stable notions of what journalism is and why it matters.