Work

The impact of local culture on journalistic roles and practices: Evidence from the Pacific Islands

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Scholarship into the role that culture plays in journalistic role orientations and practices remains scarce, despite a small increase in recent years. Drawing on the concepts of journalistic embeddedness, cultural values and journalistic roles, this paper examines the extent to which a local cultural role perception and culturally specific journalistic practices can be identified. Reporting results of a survey of Pacific Islands journalists, we find that journalists strongly support a role that places emphasis on reflecting, defending, and preserving traditional customs and values, more so than other roles. This role, as well as specific cultural journalistic practices, is explained in large part by conservation values and peculiarities in the small and micro media systems of the Pacific. The results suggest that journalists are highly embedded within their respective communities, contributing to our conceptual understanding of culture in journalistic roles and practices.

Source: Journalism

DOI: 10.1177/14648849251326034

Authors: Birte Leonhardt, Folker Hanusch, Shailendra Singh

Institutions: University of Vienna, University of the South Pacific

Language: English

Topic: Media Studies and Communication

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,900

Funder: University of the South Pacific