Public journalism and professional reflexivity

Abstract

The self-understanding of journalists is framed by shared norms, values, and a sense of belonging to a professional group. In this article, the journalistic profession is discussed from the viewpoint of journalists’ own work experiences in public journalism projects. The article examines the way in which public journalism projects in three different newspapers in Finland have acted as a ground for professional reflexivity for journalists. The present study suggests that public journalism, as a participatory news practice, challenges some of the core dimensions of classical professionalism. In the Finnish context, journalists generally regard public journalism as a moderately positive but slightly problematic set of ideas. Journalists re-articulate their role as a helper, accessible collaborator, discussion moderator or ‘connector’, and as a commercial representative of the paper. Thus, despite its stability, the journalist’s professional self-image is a construct that can be re-articulated, and public journalism is evoking much of this redefinition.