African Journalism Studies ( IF 1.673 ) Pub Date : 2020-07-30 , DOI: 10.1080/23743670.2020.1785519 Marenet Jordaan 1
ABSTRACT
Ethnography as a methodological approach to study the cultures, practices and routines of journalists has a well-established legacy that stretches back more than six decades. While key techniques and methods of ethnography to explore news production have remained in place, this approach had to evolve to keep up with changes to its object of study. This paper argues for the continued relevance of ethnographic methods in journalism studies despite far-reaching changes to so-called traditional newsroom structures and routines. As background to its central argument, the paper defines newsroom ethnography as the study of the culture of a people, in this case professional journalists or newsworkers. The paper takes cognisance of criticism against this methodological approach in an era where digital media technologies and the changes that accompany them challenge the very nature of journalism as professional practice. A study of Netwerk24, a niche-language digital-first publication based in South Africa, is used to highlight some of the enduring challenges and opportunities of ethnography. Finally, the paper argues for perpetual waves of newswork ethnography to help keep afloat explorations into the disruptions and transitions that characterise journalism today.
中文翻译:
胸怀开阔,头脑不开:走向新闻民族志的永恒浪潮
摘要
人种学作为研究记者的文化,习俗和惯例的一种方法论方法,已有六十多年的悠久历史。民族志研究新闻生产的主要技术和方法仍然存在,但这种方法必须发展以适应其研究对象的变化。本文认为,尽管对传统的新闻编辑室结构和程序进行了深远的改变,但民族志方法仍在新闻学研究中具有相关性。作为其中心论点的背景,该论文将新闻编辑室民族志定义为对人民文化的研究,在这种情况下,是指专业新闻工作者或新闻工作者。在当今时代,数字媒体技术及其伴随的变化挑战着新闻业作为专业实践的本质的时代,本文认识到对这种方法论方法的批评。对Netwerk24(位于南非的一种利基语言数字优先出版物)的研究被用来强调人种学的一些长期挑战和机遇。最后,该论文主张不断传播新闻工作民族志,以帮助不断探索当今新闻业的特征。