| Popis: |
Claims asserting a decline in journalistic values are not new, dating back to the rise of the penny press in the 1830s. With the ascendance of the Internet, however, such claims have proliferated. These assertions, often referenced as a so-called ‘tabloidization,’ have frequently cited an ascension of tabloid values and content, and/or a decline in the values and content traditionally characteristic of ‘quality’ newspapers. The scholarship, however, lacks longitudinal empirical data from before and during the Internet era which supports, refutes, or modifies these allegations, a lacuna which is particularly problematic in view of the pivotal role of journalism in upholding democracy. This thesis intervenes methodologically and theoretically in the literature, investigating a possible ‘tabloidization’ of tabloid and ‘quality’ British newspapers between 1968 and 2016. ‘Tabloidization’ is defined as the convergence of ‘quality’ newspapers towards ‘soft’ news content, and the journalistic values of sensationalism and personalization seen as traditionally characteristic of tabloid newspapers. In line with the relevant literature, economic, technological, and cultural factors are assessed as potential agents of these possible shifts. Methodologically, change and continuity in journalistic values and content are examined through application of corpus linguistic and content analytic methods, with a composite tabloidization measure generated to account for changes across values and content. Findings show that between 1968 and 2016, a tabloidization of newspapers has not occurred. In particular, while tabloid elements have increased between 1968 and the end of the 20th century, in the wake of the Internet’s ascendance, tabloid characteristics have declined, and ‘quality’ elements have augmented. The identified shifts in journalistic values and content indicate that newspapers have maintained and even increased their public service function, marking an intervention to media and journalism scholarship lamenting a disintegration of journalism in the public interest ostensibly connected to the Internet’s ascension. Recent changes in newspapers can be understood as a means for reassurance, rather than despair, for those concerned by a putative decline in ‘quality’ journalism. |
