Reading and writing news: Why consumption and production modes matter

Abstract

In this article, we analyze two central features of newspaper consumption and production. Reading and writing concern both journalists and readerships, and are closely interconnected. The modes of these practices require a systematizing framework of analysis grounded in theories from sociology, communication studies, and the humanities. At an operational level, we focus first on reading, positing that consumption of newspapers is not confined to browsing, or leafing through them, as traditionally has been maintained. In their practices of newspaper use, audiences apply two contrasting modes, which are distant reading and close reading. Second, we posit that corresponding categories can be applied to writing. The article reflects on a loss of capacity in writing by journalists and by new actors who for the most part have acquired, not so much the ability to write in accordance with accepted norms, but a new habit in and familiarity with casual, quotidian writing. The modes of reading and writing, and especially recent changes around them, are examined with the purpose of considering their implications for journalism and, by extension, for the wider society.