The SAGE Handbook of Digital Journalism
- Tamara Witschge - University of Groningen, Netherlands
- C. W. Anderson - College of Staten Island, CUNY
- David Domingo - Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
- Alfred Hermida - University of British Columbia, Canada
The production and consumption of news in the digital era is blurring the boundaries between professionals, citizens and activists. Actors producing information are multiplying, but still media companies hold central position. Journalism research faces important challenges to capture, examine, and understand the current news environment. The SAGE Handbook of Digital Journalism starts from the pressing need for a thorough and bold debate to redefine the assumptions of research in the changing field of journalism. The 38 chapters, written by a team of global experts, are organised into four key areas:
Section A: Changing Contexts
Section B: News Practices in the Digital Era
Section C: Conceptualizations of Journalism
Section D: Research Strategies
By addressing both institutional and non-institutional news production and providing ample attention to the question ‘who is a journalist?’ and the changing practices of news audiences in the digital era, this Handbook shapes the field and defines the roadmap for the research challenges that scholars will face in the coming decades.
Just like the news and newswork, journalism studies comes in increasingly varied forms and formats. Rather than trying to tame this tiger, the editors of this truly impressive Handbook succeed in setting scholars free - offering a glimpse of the many trees rather than focusing on the forest. The field will be so much better for it.
Here is a really useful book that helps us make sense of digital journalism in flux – how technology is disrupting the economy of traditional journalism, changing what ‘doing journalism’ means, redefining who gets to speak and listen, and yet leaving some things unchanged, all set within a wider conceptual framework that takes account of comparative difference and past theorising.
This gloriously eclectic compendium embraces the “messiness” of the digital world while celebrating the diverse and continually evolving nature of journalism within it. The superb group of leading journalism studies scholars assembled here raise enough intriguing issues to keep our intellects happily engaged for a long time to come.
This ambitious reference project enlists an international cast of academics for substantive entries (with bibliographies) on the protean issues posed by digital journalism. This reviewer found it interesting that the volume begins with politics, moves through changing business models to questions of practice and ethics, and concludes with a section on research strategies (the most important section is on big data analysis). Underlying themes include the chip on the shoulder that bloggers always wear when comparing themselves with the "elite" or "mainstream" media and the overblown claims for "citizen witnesses" and the supposed gains in "transparency" that digital brings.
