Previous studies have demonstrated that journalists' normative views of `professional journalism' vary between countries. This study shows that context-bound variations in the meaning of journalistic professionalism also encompass conduct in real-world situations. Indeed, we argue that empirical evidence allows us to speak more of a universal code for professional politicians than for professional journalists. For instance, we find evidence of gender-related bias and bias against right-wing protest parties in the conduct of journalists. The study is based on a content analysis of live television interviews in Finland and Sweden.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Altheide, D.L.
and R.P. Snow (1979) Media Logic. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
2.
Asp, K.
(1990) `Medierna och valrörelsen' (`The Media and the Election'), in M. Gilljam and S. Holmberg (eds) Rött Blått Grönt. En bok om 1988 års riksdagsval (Red, Blue, Green. A Book About the 1988 Parliamentary Election), pp. 44-83. Stockholm: Bonniers.
3.
Atkinson, J.M.
and J.C. Heritage (eds) (1984) Structures of Social Action Studies in Conversation Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
4.
Aula, M.K.
(1992) `Journalister och politikere konkurrenter om sammfunnets oppmerksemhet' (`Journalists and Politicians: Competitors for Society's Attention'). Pressens Årbog 1991: 187-204.
5.
Beattie, G.W.
(1982) `Turn-taking and Interruption in Political Interviews: Margaret Thatcher and Jim Callaghan Compared and Contrasted', Semiotica39: 93-114.
6.
Creedon, P.J.
(ed.) (1989) Women in Mass Communication. Challenging Gender Values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
7.
Esaiasson, P.
(1990) Svenska valkampanjer 1866-1988 (Swedish Election Campaigns 1866-1988). Stockholm: Allmänna förlaget.
8.
Esaiasson, P.
(1992) `Scandinavia', in D. Butler and A. Ranney (eds) Electioneering. A Comparative Study of Continuity and Change, pp. 202-221. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
9.
Ferguson, N.
(1977) `Simultaneous Speech, Interruptions and Dominance', British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology16: 295-302.
10.
Fjæstad, B
and P-G Holmlöv (1977) Dagspressen och samhället (The Daily Press and Society). Stockholm: PAN.
11.
Gans, H.J.
(1980) Deciding What's News. A Study of CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, Newsweek and Time. New York: Vintage Books.
12.
Gilljam, M.
and S. Holmberg (1993) Väljarna inför 90-talet (The Electorate and the 1990s). Stockholm: Bonniers.
13.
Greatbatch, D.
(1986) `Aspects of Topical Organization in News Interviews: The Use of Agenda-shifting Procedures by Interviewees', Media, Culture and Society8: 441-455.
14.
Hernes, G.
(1978) `Det media-vridde sammfunn' (`The Media-twisted Society'), in G. Hernes (ed.) Forhandlingsekonomi og blandningsadministration (Negotiating Economy and Mixed Administration), pp. 181-195. Bergen: Universitetsforlaget.
15.
Hernes, G.
(1983) `Media: Structure, Distortion and Drama', Nordic Review of Nordic Mass Communication Research 1983, no. 2, pp. 2-9.
16.
Kahn, K.F.
and E.N. Goldenberg (1991) `Women Candidates in the News', Public Opinion Quarterly55: 180-199.
17.
Katz, E.
(1971) `Platforms and Windows: Reflections on the Role of Broadcasting in Election Campaigns', Journalism Quarterly48: 304-314.
18.
Kepplinger, H.M.
and R. Köcher (1990) `Professionalism in the Media World', European Journal of Communication5: 285-311.
19.
Kuutti, H.
(1992) `Många hinder för undersökande journalistik i Finland' (`Many Obstacles for Investigative Journalism in Finland'), Pressens Årbog 1991: 95-101.
20.
Köcher, R.
(1985) Spürhund und Missionar. Eine vergleichende Untersuchung über Berufsethik und Augabenverständnis brittischer und deutscher juornalisten. Berlin: Allensbach.
21.
Köcher, R.
(1986) `Bloodhounds or Missionaries. Role Definitions of German and British Journalists', European Journal of Communication1(1): 43-64.
22.
Lerman, C.L.
(1983) `Dominant Discourse: The Institutional Voice and Control of Topic', in H. Davis and P. Walton (eds) Language, Image, Media. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
23.
Lippman, W.
(1992) Public Opinion. New York: Macmillan.
24.
Mancini, P.
(1993) `Between Trust and Suspicion: How Journalists Solve the Dilemma', European Journal of Communication8(1): 33-51.
25.
McQuail, D.
(1987) Mass Communication Theory. An Introduction. London: Sage.
26.
Meckstroth, T.W.
(1975) `Most Different Systems and Most Similar Systems: A Study in the Logic of Comparative Inquiry', Comparative Political Studies8: 132-157.
27.
Melin, M.
(1991) `Journalisternas syn på sin yrkesroll' (`Journalists' View of Their Professional Role'), in L. Weibull (ed.) Svenska journalister. Ett grupporträtt (Swedish Journalists. A Group Portrait), pp. 101-126. Stockholm: Tiden.
28.
Moring, T.
(1989) Political Elite Action. Strategy and Outcomes. Helsinki: Commentationes Scientiarum Socialium.
29.
Moring, T.
(1991) `The Finnish Election 1991. A Preliminary Outlining of a TV-campaign Culture in Transition', paper presented at the Nordic Conference of Mass Communication Research,Reykjavik, Iceland, August.
30.
Moring, T.
and H. Himmelstein (1992) `The New Image Politics in Finnish Electoral Television: A Preliminary Assessment of a Political Culture in Transition', paper presented at the IAMCR Conference, Sao Paulo, Brazil. August.
31.
Petersson, O.
and I. Carlsberg (1990) Makten över tanken (The Power Over Thought). Stockholm: Carlssons.
32.
Phillips, E.B.
(1977) `Approaches to Objectivity', in P.M. Hirsch, P.V. Miller and F.G. Kline (eds) Strategies for Communication Research, pp. 63-78. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
33.
Pirttilahti, J. (1993) Toimittajian päällekkäispuhunnoista (The Journalist's Simultaneous Speech), master's thesis, University of Tampere, Suomen ja kielitieteen laitos (Department of Finnish and Linguistics).
34.
Przeworski, A.
and H. Teune (1970) The Logic of Comparative Social Inquiry. New York: Wiley.
35.
Ruble, D.N.
and T.L. Ruble (eds) (1982) `Sex Stereotypes', in A. Miller (ed.) In the Eye of the Beholder: Contemporary Issues in Stereotyping. New York: Praeger.
36.
Rush, R.
and D. Allen (eds) (1989) Communication at the Cross Roads: The Gender Gap Connection. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
37.
Sabato, L.
(1991) Feeding Frenzy. How Attack Journalism Has Transformed American Politics. New York: The Free Press.
38.
Sachs, H
, E.A. Schegloff and G. Jefferson (1974) `A Simplest Systematics for the Organization of Turn-Taking for Conversation', Language50: 696-735.
39.
Schudson, M.
(1978) Discovering the News. A Social History of American Newspapers. New York: Basic Books.
40.
Semetko, H.A.
, J.G. Blumer, M. Gurevitch and D.H. Weaver (1991) The Formation of Campaign Agendas. A Comparative Analysis of Party and Media Roles in Recent American and British Elections. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
41.
Simmel, G.
(1969) The Sociology of Georg Simmel. Toronto: The Free Press.
42.
Thurén, T.
(1988) Ljusets riddare och djävulens advokater (Knights of the Light, and the Devil's Advocates). Stockholm: Tiden.
43.
Tuchman, G.
(1978) Making News: A Study in the Construction of Reality. New York: The Free Press.
44.
Uimonen, R.
(1992) Julkisuuspeli (The Publicity Game). Porvoo: WSOY.
45.
Westerståhl, J.
and F. Johansson (1985) Bilden av Sverige. Studier av nyheter och nyhetsideologier i TV, radio och dagspress (The Picture of Sweden. Studies of News and News Ideologies on TV and Radio and in the Daily Press). Stockholm: SNS Förlag.
46.
Weibull, L.
(1991) `Svenska journalister 1989' (`Swedish Journalists, 1989'), in L. Weibull (ed.) Svenska journalister. Ett grupporträtt (Swedish Journalists. A Group Portrait), pp. 176-185. Stockholm: Tiden.
47.
Windahl, S.
(1975) Professionella kommunikatörer — en explorativ studie (Professional Communicators — An Explorative Study)Lund: Studentlitteratur.
48.
Zilliacus-Tikkanen, H.
(1991) Kvinnliga journalisters strategier — en intervjuundersökning (The Strategy of Female Journalists — An Interview Study). Helsingfors: Svenska social- och kommunalhögskolan.
49.
van Zoonen, L.
(1988) `Rethinking Women and the News', European Journal of Communication3(1): 35-53.
