Does Making Journalism More Public Make a Difference? A Critical Review of Evaluative Research on Public Journalism

Abstract

A critical review of forty-seven evaluative studies on public journalism shows that its philosophy and newswork practices have had generally limited effects on the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of journalists and news audiences. These works tend to focus on a handful of showcase public-journalism news organizations and projects. Methodological shortcomings found in several of the studies are discussed. Suggestions for future research are offered.