Building on literatures that emphasize (1) the standardizing effects of markets and technology, and (2) the historical patterns and social functions of the press, this article theorizes the simultaneous co-presence of cross-national similarities and differences in journalistic judgment. Drawing from Max Weber's early twentieth century writings on journalism, we argue that similar cross-national judgments reveal journalism's shared structural basis as a commercial enterprise, whereas differences highlight the distinctive social functions that journalists assume in particular national settings. We illustrate this framework via semi-structured interviews conducted between 2015 and 2020 with a strategic sample of French and American journalists evaluating their best work. In both country samples, journalists that express pride in attracting audiences by translating complex issues and dignifying story subjects highlight journalism's structural basis. Cross-national differences reflect nationally distinct understandings of journalism's social functions, with French journalists emphasizing their ability to shed light on large issues and their American counterparts highlighting efforts to pry information from power holders.

本文基于强调（1）市场和技术的标准化作用以及（2）新闻界的历史模式和社会功能的文献，对新闻记者判断中跨国相似性和差异性同时存在的理论进行了理论化。麦克斯·韦伯（Max Weber）在20世纪早期的新闻学著作中指出，类似的跨国判断揭示了新闻业作为商业企业的共同结构基础，而差异则凸显了记者在特定国家背景下承担的独特社会功能。我们通过在2015年至2020年之间进行的半结构化访谈对法国和美国记者进行了战略评估，以评估他们的最佳作品，从而说明了这一框架。在两个国家的样本中 对通过翻译复杂的问题和端庄的故事主题吸引观众而感到自豪的记者们强调了新闻业的结构基础。跨国差异反映了国家对新闻业社会功能的独特理解，法国记者强调了他们对重大问题的了解能力，而美国记者则强调了从权力拥有者那里窃取信息的努力。