About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherColumbia University Press

ISBN-100231207913

ISBN-139780231207911

eBay Product ID (ePID)10060735287

Product Key Features

Number of Pages288 Pages

Publication NameJournalist's Predicament : Difficult Choices in a Declining Profession

LanguageEnglish

SubjectPolitical Process / Media & Internet, Media Studies, Journalism

Publication Year2023

TypeTextbook

AuthorMatthew Powers, Sandra Vera-Zambrano

Subject AreaPolitical Science, Language Arts & Disciplines, Social Science

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.7 in

Item Weight16.1 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional

LCCN2023-003315

ReviewsPowers and Vera-Zambrano's excellent book analyzes how journalists in the United States and France respond to the economic and symbolic decline of their profession . They reveal the pragmatic adjustments that journalists must make to continue believing in their work. The Journalist's Predicament is a profoundly humane, generous, and compelling book on the current transformations of newsmaking., Local reporters are closer to the "crisis" in news than anyone. What keeps journalists going in the face of wrenching changes across the news industry? When and why do some of them give up? Matthew Powers and Sandra Vera-Zambrano offer the most convincing answer yet to these vital questions. Based on nearly a decade of comparative research in France and the United States, The Journalist's Predicament develops a powerful new framework that connects professional norms to the individual aspirations and career trajectories of working journalists. The result is a major contribution to the sociology of news: the first comprehensive account of democratic renewal--and erosion--in newsrooms under threat., In a path-breaking sociological analysis, Powers and Vera-Zambrano force a reckoning with the journalistic profession's enduring inequalities. Read this essential book to gain a deeper understanding of journalism's contemporary "crisis"--who thrives, who barely survives, who leaves, and why., What keeps journalists going in the face of wrenching changes across the news industry? Matthew Powers and Sandra Vera-Zambrano offer the most convincing answer yet to this vital question. Based on nearly a decade of comparative research in France and the United States, The Journalist's Predicament develops a powerful new framework that connects professional norms to the individual aspirations and career trajectories of working journalists. The result is a major contribution to the sociology of news., How do French and American journalists behave in market-driven newsrooms, in the face of declining work conditions? Some resist these changes and some surrender to them; some find springboards for innovation and others leave the profession entirely. To map these varied experiences, this insightful book explores journalists' strategies and the social conditions that subtly shape them., An important topic and a good read that tackles big problems head on, mixing candid interviews and wholesome moments with tough career changes.

TitleLeadingThe

Dewey Edition23

Dewey Decimal070.4

Table Of ContentAcknowledgments Introduction: Why Would Anyone Be a Journalist? 1. The Genesis of the Journalist's Predicament 2. Living For--and Maybe Off--Journalism 3. At Their Best 4. Conserve, Challenge, Accede 5. Leaving Journalism Conclusion Epilogue: Is Journalism Dying? Appendix A: Interviewing as Comprehension Appendix B: Seattle and Toulouse as Regional Media Appendix C: Tables and Data Notes Bibliography Index

SynopsisLow pay. Uncertain work prospects. Diminished prestige. Why would anyone still want be a journalist? Drawing on in-depth interviews in France and the United States, Matthew Powers and Sandra Vera-Zambrano explore the ways individuals come to believe that journalism is a worthy pursuit-and how that conviction is managed and sometimes dissolves amid the profession's ongoing upheavals. For many people, journalism represents a job that is interesting and substantial, with opportunities for expression, a sense of self-fulfillment, and a connection to broader social values. By distilling complex ideas, holding the powerful to account, and revealing hidden realities, journalists play a crucial role in helping audiences make sense of the world. Experiences in the profession, though, are often far more disappointing. Many find themselves doing tasks that bear little relation to what attracted them initially or are frustrated by institutions privileging what sells over what informs. The imbalance between the profession's economic woes and its social importance threatens to erode individuals' beliefs that journalism remains a worthwhile pursuit. Powers and Vera-Zambrano emphasize that, as with many seemingly individual choices, social factors-class, gender, education, and race-shape how journalists make sense of their profession and whether or not they remain in it. An in-depth story of one profession under pressure, The Journalist's Predicament uncovers tensions that also confront other socially important jobs like teaching, nursing, and caretaking., Low pay. Uncertain work prospects. Diminished prestige. Why would anyone still want be a journalist? Drawing on in-depth interviews in France and the United States, Matthew Powers and Sandra Vera-Zambrano explore the ways individuals come to believe that journalism is a worthy pursuit--and how that conviction is managed and sometimes dissolves amid the profession's ongoing upheavals. For many people, journalism represents a job that is interesting and substantial, with opportunities for expression, a sense of self-fulfillment, and a connection to broader social values. By distilling complex ideas, holding the powerful to account, and revealing hidden realities, journalists play a crucial role in helping audiences make sense of the world. Experiences in the profession, though, are often far more disappointing. Many find themselves doing tasks that bear little relation to what attracted them initially or are frustrated by institutions privileging what sells over what informs. The imbalance between the profession's economic woes and its social importance threatens to erode individuals' beliefs that journalism remains a worthwhile pursuit. Powers and Vera-Zambrano emphasize that, as with many seemingly individual choices, social factors--class, gender, education, and race--shape how journalists make sense of their profession and whether or not they remain in it. An in-depth story of one profession under pressure, The Journalist's Predicament uncovers tensions that also confront other socially important jobs like teaching, nursing, and caretaking., Drawing on in-depth interviews in France and the United States, Matthew Powers and Sandra Vera-Zambrano explore the ways individuals come to believe that journalism is a worthy pursuit--and how that conviction is managed and sometimes dissolves amid the profession's ongoing upheavals.

LC Classification NumberPN4797.P66 2023