Worlds of Journalism - (Reuters Institute Global Journalism) by Thomas Hanitzsch & Folker Hanusch & Jyotika Ramaprasad & Arnold de Beer (Paperback)

About the Book

Based on a landmark study that has collected data from more than 27,500 journalists in 67 countries, Worlds of Journalism offers a groundbreaking analysis of the different ways journalists perceive their duties, their relationship to society and government, and the nature and meaning of their work.

Book Synopsis

How do journalists around the world view their roles and responsibilities in society? Based on a landmark study that has collected data from more than 27,500 journalists in 67 countries, Worlds of Journalism offers a groundbreaking analysis of the different ways journalists perceive their duties, their relationship to society and government, and the nature and meaning of their work.

Challenging assumptions of a universal definition or concept of journalism, the book maps a world populated by a rich diversity of journalistic cultures. Organized around a series of key questions on topics such as editorial autonomy, journalistic ethics, trust in social institutions, and changes in the profession, it details how the practice of journalism differs across the world in a range of political, social, and economic contexts. The book covers how journalism as an institution is created and re-created by journalists and how they experience their profession in very different ways, even as they retain a commitment to some basic, widely shared professional norms and practices. It concludes with a global classification of journalistic cultures that reflects the breadth of worldviews and orientations found in disparate countries and regions. Worlds of Journalism offers an ambitious, comparative global understanding of the state of journalism in a time when it is confronting a series of economic and political threats.

Review Quotes

[An] exceptionally fine book.--Jay G. Blulmer, University of Leeds "Journal of Mass Communication"

A tactfully coherent discussion of its findings, drawing on an extensive amount of data to question normative expectations of journalism culture and highlight rich differences in perspectives from around the world.-- "International Journal of Communication"

Worlds of Journalism is ample proof of the diversity of journalistic cultures around the globe and an excellent example of a truly collaborative study. It provides fascinating insights into the attitudes and values of media personnel beyond the western world. The book is a must-read in journalism research.--Barbara Pfetsch, editor of Political Communication Cultures in Western Europe: Attitudes of Political Actors and Journalists in Nine Countries

One of the key elements of this anthology is an effort to make journalism studies truly global and comparative. This book succeeds on multiple fronts: it provides a comprehensive analysis of the various and competing strands of research in journalism studies, empirically covers the vast geography of journalism practices, and gives us a blueprint of how to analyze and understand such practices. I recommend this book for its scope and theoretical execution. It is a must-read for all journalism scholars.--Shakuntala Rao, author of Indian Journalism in a New Era

This book provides a kaleidoscopic overview of journalism around the world. Its organization and execution provides a model for comparative research, and its findings raise important questions that are sure to orient future scholarship. Already well-regarded by colleagues, this publication solidifies the Worlds of Journalism project as a leading effort to make sense of the complex realities that journalists around the world confront today.--Matthew Powers, University of Washington

This will be a touchstone work for decades to come. It is not an overstatement to say that this book is entirely unique; it's special because of the detailed discussion of national and regional contexts. Worlds of Journalism contributes to the truly global and international perspective of journalism, avoiding normativity and emphasizing diversity using a unique and comprehensive dataset.--Henrik Örnebring, author of Newsworkers: A Comparative European Perspective

About the Author

Thomas Hanitzsch is chair and professor of communication in the Department of Communication and Media at LMU Munich. His publications include The Handbook of Journalism Studies (second edition, 2019).

Folker Hanusch is professor of journalism in the Department of Communication at the University of Vienna, where he heads the Journalism Studies Center, and adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology. He is editor in chief of Journalism Studies.

Jyotika Ramaprasad is professor in the School of Communication at the University of Miami. Her books include Contemporary BRICS Journalism: Non-Western Media in Transition (2017).

Arnold S. de Beer is professor of journalism at Stellenbosch University. His publications include Global Journalism: Topical Issues and Media Systems (2009).