1. Shifting Norms: A Grounded Theory
Approach to Examining Economic
Effects on Journalistic Public Service in
21st Century Newsrooms
By Jennifer Brannock Cox
University of Florida

2. Objectives
 Describe the problem
 Justification of the study
 Methodological approach
 Future research agenda

3. Statement of the Problem
Audiences shifting online – challenges & opportunities
Challenges:
 Changing business model
 Long-term goals -------> Short-term goals
 Changing news motives
 Changing news definitions

4. Statement of the Problem
Audiences shifting online – challenges & opportunities
Opportunities:
 Changing audience relationships
 Independence -------> Interactivity
 Changing audience expectations
 Changing news definitions

5. Purpose Statement:
To determine how the public
service norms of journalists,
and consequently the
definition of news, are
changing as newspaper
journalism shifts online.

6. Why Public Service?
 Public service guides the definition and practice of
news
 News is produced & shaped by journalists
 Journalists are influenced by news organizations
 News organizations guide journalistic values
 Journalists justify and define themselves through public
service commitment

7. Shifting Norms
Objectivity
Independence
Truth-telling
Transparency
Fostering Participation
Immediacy

8. Research Questions
RQ1: How has the shift from long-term print economic goals (boosting
circulation) to short-term online economic goals (boosting page
views) changed the way news is defined?
RQ2: How has the availability of interactive features on news
websites affected the way journalists relate with their audiences?
RQ3: How has the immediacy of the Internet affected work
expectations in the newsroom?
RQ4: To what extent has the shift to online news affected the public
service norms embraced in newsrooms?
RQ5: In what ways do journalists in print-focused newsrooms differ
from those in online-focused newsrooms regarding the adoption of
public service norms?

9. Theoretical Suppositions
 Print- and online-focused newsrooms may differ in their
embrace of public service norms based on
organizational socialization theory
 Newcomers in organizations are socialized to work and
think similarly to colleagues
 In newsrooms, policies are covertly communicated
 Resocialization occurs at departure; difficult when
culture remains the same

10. Methodological Approach
 Qualitative study
 Public service has neither been defined nor examined
 Previous studies are normative
 Need to present a fully-detailed view of topic
 In-depth interviews & site visits
 Grounded Theory approach
 Goal is to develop substantive-level theory
 Begin with first interview and build from there
 Open, axial, and selective coding for data analysis

11. Future Research Agenda
 Develop a quantitative questionnaire to test substantive
theory
 Look for prioritizations of norms based on newsroom type
 Case studies of news organizations mid-transition
 Plans to publish in peer-reviewed journals and professional
publications
 Collaboration with colleagues regarding specific norms

12. Questions?