P7 Theories and Methods of Comparative Journalism Journalism Innovation across Media Systems: Theories and Comparative Research
This two-part module explores how journalism innovation is shaped by differing media systems around the world. In the first course, students will engage with foundational theories from comparative media studies, innovation research, and sociotechnical perspectives to understand how political, cultural, and institutional conditions impact the emergence of innovation in journalism. The second course is practice-oriented: students will design and conduct their own small-scale qualitative comparative case studies, analysing journalistic innovation across selected countries, newsrooms, or media ecosystems.
Course I: Theories of Media Systems and Journalism Innovation
Course II: Comparative Fieldwork in Journalism Innovation
- المعلم: Florian Stalph
The "Worlds of Journalism" study was founded in 2010 to assess the state of journalism throughout
the world and is the largest comparative study ever conducted in the history of communication
studies. After a pilot phase (2007-2011) and a second wave conducted in 67 countries (2012-2016),
the data for "WJS 3" (2021-2024) – including survey data from over 32,000 journalists from 75
countries around the globe – has just been finalized. While this dataset remains under embargo
until 2028 for the wider public, in this seminar, you will get the unique chance to have early access
to this “fresh” and extremely rich dataset. Before doing so, we will first look at the goals and the conceptual and methodological background of the study. We may have the possibility to invite
collaborators from across the globe to reflect with us (via Zoom) on the challenges for journalists
and researchers in their respective countries. We will collaboratively decide which theme of WJS
3 we will focus on – e.g., journalists’ safety, editorial freedom, journalistic roles, or influences on
news production. You will then, in small groups, decide on a specific region/country that you are
particularly interested in. After a recap session on basis statistical knowledge, you will then analyze
the data and wrap up your research project in a term paper.
- المعلم: Mia Grünewald
Unpaid internships, poor work-life balance, and increasing hostility toward media professionals – journalism as a career path seems to be losing its appeal. Applications for journalistic training programs are declining, and industry experts are voicing concerns about an emerging shortage of skilled professionals. So, what still motivates young people to pursue a career in journalism today – and what discourages them?
In this seminar, we will explore these and related questions through empirical research. Our focus will be on the career motivations, aspirations, concerns, and expectations of aspiring journalists. As part of our research project, we will follow the full process of qualitative research: from designing the study and formulating research questions to developing the methodology, conducting interviews, and analyzing the collected data.
- المعلم: Jana Rick
Welcome Mundus Paper Collective!
- المعلم: Alexis von Mirbach
French economist Thomas Piketty has shown that economic inequality has increased dramatically in the age of hyper-capitalism since the 1980s in all regions of the world analyzed, including the United States, Europe, Russia, India, and China. What is the role of journalism in the shift of wealth from the bottom to the top? We approach this question in two ways: 1) We compare on a global scale how the "hyper-meritocratic" ideology of neoliberalism varies across the world and how it is disseminated in selected media. 2) Based on audience data, we construct fields of journalism to analyze which media represent which class in terms of their economic and cultural interests. Putting one and two together, we will compare and measure media inequality. The result of this class will be the starting point for the project of a "World Media Inequality Report".
- المعلم: Alexis von Mirbach
We will discuss the body of knowledge in international media research ranging from the Theories of the Press (Siebert et al., 1956) over Comparing Media Systems (Hallin & Mancini 2004, 2011) to Worlds of Journalism (Hanitzsch, Hanusch, et al., 2019). In addition, students get familiar with the empirical methods of journalism studies. As a relevant issue, we focus on the “Global Trust Deficit Disorder” in and between nation-states (Flew, 2021; Hanitzsch & Van Dalen et al., 2018). Public Scholarship aims to address global injustices, understand the public, and co-create new and unconventional knowledge for a better world (Waisbord, 2020; Billard & Waisbord, 2024). In doing so, we combine the Future Lab Method (Jungk & Müllert, 1979) with standards of empirical social science.
- المعلم: Alexis von Mirbach