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This dissertation investigates how journalists in Croatia use Twitter and what meanings they give to their Twitter use in relation to their occupational practice. The research conceptualizes journalism as an ideology (Deuze, 2005), understanding it in terms of how journalists give meaning to their work and how they identify their role in society. In line with Hanitzsch’s (2018) research into the roles of journalists, the dissertation is conducted with respect to four different dimensions: normative, cognitive, practiced and narrated. By employing a mixed methods approach (content analysis and in-depth interviews), the dissertation explores the extent to which the normative and cognitive roles of journalists are being negotiated in the context of social media. More specifically, the empirical research looks at two dimensions: what journalists do on Twitter, and what meaning they give to their Twitter use. Both are assessed against normative professional principles and routines, such as objectivity, gatekeeping, verification, and a separation between journalistic work and commercial practices. The findings suggest that Croatian journalists who use Twitter use it mostly for work purposes. They build their Twitter presence in relation to their job, and they very often acknowledge who their employer is. However, a relevant difference in attitudes has been observed with respect to different generations: while more experienced journalists have argued that their activity on Twitter should be distinguished from their media work, younger journalists tend to see it as an extension of their work and, as such, bounded by the same principles and conventions. Journalists use Twitter as a virtual platform from which to connect with their colleagues and exchange information with them: to follow what other journalists do, to promote their own work, and to express opinions on news. Their Twitter use is coloured by commentary and (self)promotion, but not by opening the gates of news processes to the audience, despite social media being praised as encouraging participatory culture. This dissertation contributes to the scholarship on journalism practice on social media by employing a multi- method approach and by exploring the case of Croatia. |
