Spectres are haunting the professions. Journalism as a case.

Beskrivelse

In recent journalistic research, it is common to focus upon journalistic processing or preparation as a decisive value, this leading to a classification of journalistic products as examples of service-, routine- or focus journalism (Lund 2002; Olsen 2006; Lewis et al. 2008; Willig et. al. 2015; Svith 2017). In this perspective, journalistic professionalism is defined by what its practitioners do with the substance they get between their hands.

Defining professions through what their practitioners do is not controversial. In quantitative studies it may even be inevitable: It is hard to imagine how one could quantify what practitioners do not do. I will, however, argue that the approach is inadequate. Professional practices cannot be fully described by what the professionals do. In order to understand the value of the professional practice, it is also important to look at what the professional does not do.

To take an example: Journalistic processing can happen in many different ways: It can happen through a supplementing with alternative sources, contribute with new perspectives, tighten the narrative, etc. These kinds of processing are not hard to code in quantitative empirical studies. However, an adequate approach to journalistic processing presupposes awareness of how a decisive part of journalistic processing is to silence numerous voices that try to gain attention. Although journalists’ role as gatekeepers has been undermined by non-journalistic media forms, the value of journalistic media must still be measured by the degree to which they serve a selection of possibly relevant voices in the public spheres – unlike social media’s plethora of endless amounts of information. To understand how professionally run media are still of value as a supplement to social media, it is necessary to understand that professionally run media contribute with certain styles. Styles are, in Deleuze’ words, precisely founded by introducing silence into the words:

... style requires a lot of silence and work to make a whirlpool at some point. [...] Because you don’t get a style just by putting words together[...]. You have to open up words, break things open, to free earth’s vectors. (Deleuze 1995: 133-134)

The point will primarily be brought out against the journalistic profession: To understand journalistic professionalism it is necessary to understand the stories that are not brought out. Concerning the theme of the conference, however, the claim is that the argument could be generalized within most professions: Skilled nurses know when he or she should not be nursing; skilled home helpers know when not to vacuum (but maybe take a cup of coffee instead with a lonely elder); skilled teachers know when to leave students at peace, etc.

Deleuze, Gilles. Negotiations, 1972-1990. European Perspectives. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995.
Lewis, Justin, Andrew Williams, og Bob Franklin. “A Compromised Fourth Estate?: UK News Journalism, Public Relations and News Sources”. Journalism Studies 9, nr. 1 (februar 2008): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616700701767974.
Lund, Anker Brink, og Magtudredningen (projekt). Den redigerende magt: nyhedsinstitutionens politiske indflydelse. Aarhus Universitetsforlag, 2002.
Olsen, Ragnhild K. “Måling av redaksjonell kvalitet. Verktøyskasse for kvalitetsmåling i pressen”. IJrapport. Oslo: Oslomet, 2006. https://issuu.com/dmjx/docs/lokal-_og_regionalmediers_indhold__.
Svith, Flemming, Peter From Jacobsen, Steen K. Rasmussen, Jakob Linaa Jensen, og Helle Tougaard Andersen. “Lokal- og regionalmediers indhold, rolle og betydning i lokalområder 2017”. Mediernes udvikling i Danmark. Aarhus: Kulturstyrelsen, 2017. https://issuu.com/dmjx/docs/lokal-_og_regionalmediers_indhold__.
Willig, Ida, Mark Blach-Ørsten, Jannie Møller Hartley, og Sofie Flensburg. “Journalistiske kvaliteter 1999-2014”. Mediernes udvikling i Danmark. Roskilde: Kulturstyrelsen, 2015. https://mediernesudvikling.slks.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/dokumenter/medier/Mediernes_udvikling/2014/Specialrapporter/Journalistiske_kvaliteter/Journalistiske_Kvaliteter_2015_020315_FINAL.pdf.

Periode	19 nov. 2020
Begivenhedstitel	NordPro2020: Profesjoner i bevegelse i Norden
Begivenhedstype	Konference
Placering	NorgeVis på kort
Grad af anerkendelse	International