Digitalization and journalists in the BRICS countries

The article explores the social profile of journalists and their well-being in the profession within the context of the digitalization of their profession. The analysis focuses on five aspects of the qualitative (in-depth interview) study of BRICS journalists carried out between 2012 and 2015 under funding from the Academy of Finland. The aspects of interest are: workplace preference (traditional or online news), education, professional age, gender, and well-being. The BRICS study sample includes 729 journalists representing both traditional (484 respondents) and online news media (245 respondents) from twenty cities, ten metropolitan and ten provincial. The comparative analysis across the five BRICS countries reveals some connections between digitalization and the journalists’ profile and well-being and also specifies the political, economic and social-professional conditions in which the journalists work and live

The Changing Profession of a Journalist in Russia

Venäläisen journalistin muuttuva ammatti Tämä väitöskirja tutkii, miten journalismi ammattina on kehittynyt Venäjällä journalistien itsensä näkökulmasta. Nämä edustavat sekä Neuvostoliiton ajan että nyky-Venäjän ikäpolvia ja he ilmentävät sitä muutosta, joka on parastaikaa menneillään. Tähän kuuluu siirtymä abstraktista, romanttisesta ja yleisöä palvelevasta journalismista (Neuvostoajan ammattilaiset) sellaiseen journalismiin, jonka avulla voidaan ajaa omia etuja (nyky-Venäjän ammattilaiset). Tämä johtuu siitä, että journalismin asema yhteiskunnassa on muuttunut: entisestä valtion virkamiehestä, joka teki työtä Neuvostovaltion hyväksi, siirrytään markkinahenkiseen free lancer toimittajaan, joka työllistää itseään ja yhdistää tehtäviä journalismissa ja sen ulkopuolella päämääränä huolehtia omista eduista. Neuvostoajan ikäpolvien työhön liittyvät arvot (kollektiivinen ajaa yksilön ohi, henkinen ajaa materiaalin ohi, työ ohittaa yksityiselämän) eivät kelpaa uusille ikäpolville, joita kiinnostavat markkina-arvot ja yksilöllinen onnistuminen. Viime vuosina valtio on ollut halutuin työnantaja perusetuuksien vuoksi: palkat, työolot, sosiaaliturva ja uralla eteneminen houkuttelevat, ja nuorempi polvi pyrkii enenevissä määrin saamaan työpaikkoja valtion palveluksesta. Viimeisten kahdenkymmenen vuoden aikana journalistien roolikäsitykset ovat muuttuneet vain vähän. Muutos kulkee Leninin propagandistista, agitaattorista ja organisaattorista tämän hetken PR-työntekijään, viihdyttäjään ja organisaattoriin. Tämä osoittaa, että monet nyky-Venäjän mediat toimivat Neuvosto-medioiden klooneina, vaikka 1990-luvun markkinareformien aikana niitä de-kommunisoitiin, yksityistettiin ja kaupallistettiin. Kuitenkin medioiden ja journalistien asennoituminen poliittiseen valtaan on miltei muuttumaton; nuorempi polvi pääasiallisesti katsoo, että julkinen valta on sen toivottava työnantaja, jonka kanssa ei haluta erimielisyyksiä. Venäjän journalismin kehityksen logiikka paljastaa sen syklinen luonteen poliittisessa traditiossa, jossa valtio on kaikkivoipa ja jossa yksilön oikeudet ovat alikehittyneitä. Journalismi perustettiin alun perin 1703 osana valtion palveluita tsaari Pietari Suuren toimesta. 1800-luvulla varhaiskapitalismin aikaan journalismi alkoi professionalisoitua, ja näin käynnistyi itseohjautuvuuden ja ammatilisten standardien kehittyminen. Kuitenkin uusi Neuvostovalta muutti journalismin taas valtion palveluksi, ja se elitisoitui osaksi poliittista työtä massojen parissa. Neuvostoliiton hajoamisen jälkeen ja kun suunnittelusosialismi oli muuttunut markkinakapitalismiksi, Venäjän journalismi kehittyy professionaaliseen ja proletariaariseen suuntaan. 2000-luvulta lähtien ammatista on taas tullut yhä enemmän valtion palvelusta. Tämä tutkimus esittää uuden näkökulman siihen vanhaan ongelmaan, että venäläinen journalismi ei ole vapaata, kun sitä katsotaan länsimaisesta näkökulmasta ja professionalisoitumisen sekä proletarisoitumisen teorioiden kannalta. Jos haluaa ymmärtää venäläisiä ammattilaisia, on tärkeää analysoida ikäpolvia, joista näkee, miten nuoren ikäpolven tulo kansalliseen poliittiseen traditioon johtaa sen seikan hiljaiseen hyväksymiseen, että valtio määrää yksilöä. Väitöskirja perustuu neljään tapaustutkimukseen, jotka tehtiin Pietarissa 1998-2002, Karjalan tasavallassa 2002-2004 ja Venäjän eri alueilla 2003-2005. Lopuksi palataan Pietariin 2005. Suurin osa empiirisestä materiaalista koostuu journalistien haastatteluista (30+30+30), asiantuntijahaastatteluista (11+12+10), asiantuntijakartoituksista (12) ja journalistien kartoituksista (237).This doctoral dissertation explores the development of Russian journalism as a profession through its practitioners. They represent the old Soviet and new post-Soviet generations in the profession and yield empirical evidence of ongoing change. This includes the transformation of the idea of journalism from an abstract romantic, mostly socialistic, ideal of public service (Soviet professionals) to self-interest in the profession (post-Soviet professionals). It emerges because of a change of journalistic status in society: from the former state worker of the state media of the Soviet epoch to a market freelancer, autonomous, self-employed, combining jobs in/outside journalism in an individual quest to improve his/her own fortune. Moreover, the labour values of the Soviet generation (collective above individual, spiritual above material, work before private life) are rejected by the new generations, pursuing market values and individual success. In the recent years the state has been the most attractive employer with regard to the basic rewards: wages, working conditions, social security, individual career advancement; the young generation increasingly strives to get jobs in the (pro) state media. The repertoire of journalistic roles in essence changed little over the last twenty years, transforming from Lenin s propagandist, agitator and organiser to the present PR worker, entertainer and organiser. It predicts that many post-Soviet media work as clones of the Soviet media, although in the process of the market reforms of the 1990s they were de-communised, privatised, commercialised and capitalised. Nevertheless, the media and journalists show a virtually unchanged attitude to the political authority, taking it as an inevitable factor of influence in their work; mostly the young generation sees it as its potential employer and avoids conflict with those in power. The logics of the development of Russian journalism reveal its cyclical character within the political tradition of the supremacy of the state, on the one hand, and underdevelopment of the rights of an individual, on the other. Originally established as a part of the state service by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703, journalism began to professionalise itself in the epoch of early capitalism of the 1800s, starting a process of self-regulation and drawing up professional standards. However, it was turned again into the state service by the new rule of Soviets with subsequent elitisation of the profession as a part of the political work in the masses. After the collapse of the USSR and a radical turn from planned socialism to market capitalism, Russian journalism is developing the polar trends towards professionalisation and proletarianisation. Since the 2000s, the profession has again turned increasingly to be as a part of the state service. This dissertation suggests a new focus on the problem of the non-freedom of Russian journalism from the perspective of the Western sociology of professions, mainly theories of proletarianisation and professionalisation. What is important for the comprehension of Russian professionals is generational analysis identifying the succession of the young generation to the national political tradition including its condoning of the power of the state over the individual. The dissertation is based on four case studies conducted phase by phase starting in St Petersburg, 1998 2002, moving to the Republic of Karelia, 2002 2004, then to the Russian regions, 2003 2005, and finally returning to St Petersburg, 2005. It represents regional Russia in various ways in geography: the ten regions are at different ends of the country and different in structure: megapolis, regional centre and locality. The major part of the empirical data consists of in-depth interviews with journalists (30+30+30), expert interviews (11+ 12+ 10), surveys of experts (12) and journalists (237); the procedures of grounded theory and factor analysis are used for treatment of the data

Contemporary BRICS Journalism Non-Western Media in Transition

"Contemporary BRICS Journalism: Non-Western Media in Transition is the first comparative study of professional journalists working in BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). The book presents a range of insider perspectives, offering a valuable insight into the nature of journalism in these influential economies. Contributors to this volume have conducted in-depth interviews with more than 700 journalists, from mainstream and online media, between 2012 and 2015. They present and analyse their findings here, revealing how BRICS journalism is envisioned, experienced, and practised in the twenty-first century. Compelling evidence in the form of journalists' narratives reveals the impact of digital culture on modern reporting and the evolving dynamic between new media technology and traditional journalistic practice. Insightful comparisons are made between BRICS countries, highlighting the similarities and differences between them. Topics covered include; professionalism, ethics and ideals, community journalism, technological developments in the newsroom and the reporting of protest movements. This book's ambitious analysis of journalistic landscapes across these non-Western nations will significantly broaden the scope of study and research in the field of journalism for students and teachers of communication, journalism, and media studies. "--Provided by publisher

Digitalização e jornalismo nos países do BRICS

El presente artículo se basa en un estudio más amplio de los periodistas y medios de comunicación en los sistemas de BRICS. Este estudio colectivo de los cinco países no sólo es oportuno, pero también es importante ante la crítica a la naturaleza más occidental de los estudios de periodismo y históricamente único en la era de prominencia de BRICS a principios del siglo 21. Para cubrir este vacío, se puso en marcha un estudio de investigación internacional de cuatro años de los sistemas de medios BRICS. Se ha incluido en este estudio una investigación empírica de dos años de los periodistas, realizada entre diciembre de 2012 y enero de 2015. Centrándose en la dinámica interna de su profesión, incluyendo la transición de los medios de comunicación de fuera de línea para en línea o, como mínimo, la adición de un poco de en línea en los medios periodistas fuera de línea, con el fin de entender los cambios producidos por la entrada de Internet en espacios mediáticos, el estudio presenta en todo su alcance la auto-percepción de los periodistas sobre diversos aspectos de su trabajo

Digitalization and Journalists in the BRICS Countries

The article explores the social profile of journalists and their well-being in the profession within the context of the digitalization of their profession. The analysis focuses on five aspects of the qualitative (in-depth interview) study of BRICS journalists carried out between 2012 and 2015 under funding from the Academy of Finland. The aspects of interest are: workplace preference (traditional or online news), education, professional age, gender, and well-being. The BRICS study sample includes 729 journalists representing both traditional (484 respondents) and online news media (245 respondents) from twenty cities, ten metropolitan and ten provincial. The comparative analysis across the five BRICS countries reveals some connections between digitalization and the journalists’ profile and well-being and also specifies the political, economic and social-professional conditions in which the journalists work and live

BRICS journalists in global research

This chapter provides an introduction to international comparative research about journalists with a focus on the BRICS countries. It reports the early results of a study of BRICS journalists, from 2012 to 2016, which aims to scrutinize and understand the media systems of BRICS through the human dimension, taking a view from within, from the subjective world of the journalist-practitioners themselves. Each of the BRICS countries has its particular history of development of media and journalism, and of research about journalists. Attempts to classify media systems based on different criteria have long been part of the literature. The BRICS countries are among the top ten growing economies with the greatest share of investments in global advertising markets: China holds the second place, Brazil the third, Russia the fifth and India the ninth. Journalism is a popular profession in the BRICS countries, especially among the young, particularly in China and South Africa. This chapter provides an introduction to international comparative research about journalists with a focus on the BRICS countries. It reports the early results of a study of BRICS journalists, from 2012 to 2016, which aims to scrutinize and understand the media systems of BRICS through the human dimension, taking a view from within, from the subjective world of the journalist-practitioners themselves. Each of the BRICS countries has its particular history of development of media and journalism, and of research about journalists. Attempts to classify media systems based on different criteria have long been part of the literature. The BRICS countries are among the top ten growing economies with the greatest share of investments in global advertising markets: China holds the second place, Brazil the third, Russia the fifth and India the ninth. Journalism is a popular profession in the BRICS countries, especially among the young, particularly in China and South Africa

Coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war by television news

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