Ingela Wadbring

A Print Crisis or a Local Crisis

Local news is a crucial source of information, as well as a force for cohesion and an arena for debate in local societies. Consequently, it is important to reveal the transformation processes happening among local news audiences. All Western countries are facing a newspaper crisis. It is not, however, entirely obvious whether the crisis is a business model crisis for newspapers in general or only a local news crisis. Our aim is to analyse the consumption of newspapers and other local news media in the light of generational changes, through an annual, longitudinal survey conducted since 1986. The findings indicate that there is neither a print crisis, nor a local crisis, but a general newspaper crisis. The readership for both print and online newspapers is decreasing even as local broadcast news exhibits a rather more stable audience. Free daily newspapers seem to have faced the same kind of challenge as the paid-for daily newspapers, but the critical turning point occurred later and for different reasons. When analysing the transformation processes from a generational perspective, it is evident that the youngest generation in our society is abandoning newspapers, regardless of the form in which they are published, and the rate of decline has increased.

Strong Support for News Media: Attitudes towards News on Old and New Platforms

The aim of this article is to analyse attitudes towards news on old and new platforms. Our study used two types of independent variable: generation, which – along with age – is one of the most important factors explaining news media practices; and news consumption, which is strongly related to attitudes. We utilised a national mail survey of 3000 people in the Swedish population (aged 16–85) to conduct the study. The response rate in the 2010 study was a little over 60 per cent, and the survey gives a significant picture of news attitudes in the population. The findings generally show a strong degree of support for traditional news media such as television and printed newspapers. However, this support is far stronger among the older generations than the younger – who, to a larger extent, express support for other forms of news distribution, in particular the internet and social media networks.

Not Good Enough?: Amateur images in the regular news flow of print and online newspapers

An increasing flow of amateur images of global crises presents challenges and opportunities for mainstream news media. Furthermore, many news organizations now solicit eyewitness reports for near-instant upload to Web editions. Yet, there is a lack of empirical research on amateur images in the regular news flow, in particular in newspapers. Thus, this case study examines the general frequency of amateur content, the gatekeeping process and the opinions of editors making decisions about images for publication in the online and print editions of four Swedish newspapers. Our findings, based on quantitative content analyses and interviews, indicate that a majority of the content falls in the hard-news category in contrast to findings in previous research about user-generated text content. Moreover, it appears regularly but in small numbers in a tabloid-content daily and a regional paper but hardly ever in broadsheet-content papers, and that opinions in the newsroom about amateur images vary from a lack of interest to a stated need for them in the regular news coverage. The low impact of amateur content may be due to the gatekeeping process and professional standards of photography, as well as a lack of audience interest and difficulties in implementing new structures in the newsrooms. In sum, the findings disprove predictions in the literature of a near-paradigmatic rise of amateur content in the mainstream news media.An increasing flow of amateur images of global crises presents challenges and opportunities for mainstream news media. Furthermore, many news organizations now solicit eyewitness reports for near-instant upload to Web editions. Yet, there is a lack of empirical research on amateur images in the regular news flow, in particular in newspapers. Thus, this case study examines the general frequency of amateur content, the gatekeeping process and the opinions of editors making decisions about images for publication in the online and print editions of four Swedish newspapers. Our findings, based on quantitative content analyses and interviews, indicate that a majority of the content falls in the hard-news category in contrast to findings in previous research about user-generated text content. Moreover, it appears regularly but in small numbers in a tabloid-content daily and a regional paper but hardly ever in broadsheet-content papers, and that opinions in the newsroom about amateur images vary from a lack of interest to a stated need for them in the regular news coverage. The low impact of amateur content may be due to the gatekeeping process and professional standards of photography, as well as a lack of audience interest and difficulties in implementing new structures in the newsrooms. In sum, the findings disprove predictions in the literature of a near-paradigmatic rise of amateur content in the mainstream news media.

Public interest or self-interest? How journalism attracts future journalists

Since the 1990s, Western society and its media have veered towards increased market orientation. In this process, values of individualisation and self-interest have emerged as important patterns. Research has shown that media professionals have become slightly more commercially oriented over time, although public interest remains the most important factor when the duties of journalism are fulfilled. What can be said, however, about the journalists of the future? This study aims at analysing why students from different generations are attracted by journalism as profession. It is done by drawing empirical support from two questionnaires completed by first-year students in Sweden in 1994 and 2012. The analysis deals with approximately 160 journalism students and takes as its point of departure the theoretical framework of commercialisation and generational belonging. The main result shows that journalism students have moved slightly towards an increased market orientation but similarly also towards an increased focus on public interest. The article discusses how this change may affect journalism as a media practice in the future.

Diversified Research about Magazines: a Map by Databases of Magazine Research

Abstract Magazine research is done in a variety of scientific fields, which hampers a general understanding of this body of knowledge. This study outlines a map to the specific scientific field of magazine research by categorizing abstracts. Our findings suggest that most magazine research is conducted in fields other than media science, and the focus is primarily not on the magazines per se: magazines are primarily used as a source of knowledge for other research subjects. This implies that content is well researched while other aspects, such as organization, economy, technology, audience and so on are not.

A few words of introduction

Nordicom Review is now in its 36th year, and this is the first issue with a new editor since the publication began. From 1981 onwards, the former director and editor at Nordicom, Ulla Carlsson, has run and developed Nordicom Review, making it what it is today. Ulla left Nordicom in the spring of 2015 for a new position as UNESCO Chair in Freedom of Expression, Media Development and Global Policy at the University of Gothenburg. Nordicom Review introduced the peer review process and began publishing referred papers in the early 1990s. It has subscribers all over the world, and it is the publication most frequently downloaded from Nordicom’s website. Nordicom Review is also included in many of the most important international databases and is, thus, widely distributed. Most aspects of Nordicom Review will remain the same in the years to come. However, I will try to develop a few things further, and some of these changes are already being implemented. The articles are now subject to a double-blind peer review process, an assistant editor has been appointed, and an extensive editorial board, including scholars with different areas of expertise, will be introduced in the near future. It is important that the editorial board members are knowledgeable in different aspects of our research area and that all of the Nordic countries are represented. My mission in the coming years is to increase Nordicom Review’s impact factor. That is possible only with the help of all of you who are involved in publishing in the journal: Well-written articles of good quality, containing interesting and challenging research questions are needed. One goal for the not-too-distant future is for Nordicom Review to be published quarterly instead of biannually. With such a publishing schedule, we can shorten the time it takes for a manuscript to be published following acceptance. I must say that following in Ulla Carlsson’s footsteps is a challenge. Along with her highly skilled staff, she has successfully initiated, operated and gradually built up Nordicom’s function as a knowledge centre, with Nordicom Review as the jewel in the crown. I will do my best to continue her work. With a background as a professor in media development at Mid Sweden University and previously as a researcher at the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication at the University of Gothenburg, I hope my knowledge base and networks are strong enough to continue the work that has been conducted at Nordicom over the years, including the editorship of Nordicom Review. However, without collaborations and co-operation with others this will not be possible. Let’s keep in touch!

With or Without Them : Amateur Images in Print and Online Mainstream News Media

An increasing flow of amateur images of global crises presents challenges and opportunities for mainstream news media. Furthermore, many news organizations now solicit eyewitness reports for near-instant upload to Web editions. Yet, there is a lack of empirical research on amateur images in the regular news flow, in particular in newspapers. Thus, this case study examines the general frequency of amateur content, the gatekeeping process and the opinions of editors making decisions about images for publication in the online and print editions of four Swedish newspapers. Our findings, based on quantitative content analyses and interviews, indicate that a majority of the content falls in the hard-news category in contrast to findings in previous research about user-generated text content. Moreover, it appears regularly but in small numbers in a tabloid-content daily and a regional paper but hardly ever in broadsheet-content papers, and that opinions in the newsroom about amateur images vary from a lack of interest to a stated need for them in the regular news coverage. The low impact of amateur content may be due to the gatekeeping process and professional standards of photography, as well as a lack of audience interest and difficulties in implementing new structures in the newsrooms. In sum, the findings disprove predictions in the literature of a near-paradigmatic rise of amateur content in the mainstream news media.An increasing flow of amateur images of global crises presents challenges and opportunities for mainstream news media. Furthermore, many news organizations now solicit eyewitness reports for near-instant upload to Web editions. Yet, there is a lack of empirical research on amateur images in the regular news flow, in particular in newspapers. Thus, this case study examines the general frequency of amateur content, the gatekeeping process and the opinions of editors making decisions about images for publication in the online and print editions of four Swedish newspapers. Our findings, based on quantitative content analyses and interviews, indicate that a majority of the content falls in the hard-news category in contrast to findings in previous research about user-generated text content. Moreover, it appears regularly but in small numbers in a tabloid-content daily and a regional paper but hardly ever in broadsheet-content papers, and that opinions in the newsroom about amateur images vary from a lack of interest to a stated need for them in the regular news coverage. The low impact of amateur content may be due to the gatekeeping process and professional standards of photography, as well as a lack of audience interest and difficulties in implementing new structures in the newsrooms. In sum, the findings disprove predictions in the literature of a near-paradigmatic rise of amateur content in the mainstream news media.

Not Good Enough

An increasing flow of amateur images of global crises presents challenges and opportunities for mainstream news media. Furthermore, many news organizations now solicit eyewitness reports for near-instant upload to Web editions. Yet, there is a lack of empirical research on amateur images in the regular news flow, in particular in newspapers. Thus, this case study examines the general frequency of amateur content, the gatekeeping process and the opinions of editors making decisions about images for publication in the online and print editions of four Swedish newspapers. Our findings, based on quantitative content analyses and interviews, indicate that a majority of the content falls in the hard-news category in contrast to findings in previous research about user-generated text content. Moreover, it appears regularly but in small numbers in a tabloid-content daily and a regional paper but hardly ever in broadsheet-content papers, and that opinions in the newsroom about amateur images vary from a lack of interest to a stated need for them in the regular news coverage. The low impact of amateur content may be due to the gatekeeping process and professional standards of photography, as well as a lack of audience interest and difficulties in implementing new structures in the newsrooms. In sum, the findings disprove predictions in the literature of a near-paradigmatic rise of amateur content in the mainstream news media.An increasing flow of amateur images of global crises presents challenges and opportunities for mainstream news media. Furthermore, many news organizations now solicit eyewitness reports for near-instant upload to Web editions. Yet, there is a lack of empirical research on amateur images in the regular news flow, in particular in newspapers. Thus, this case study examines the general frequency of amateur content, the gatekeeping process and the opinions of editors making decisions about images for publication in the online and print editions of four Swedish newspapers. Our findings, based on quantitative content analyses and interviews, indicate that a majority of the content falls in the hard-news category in contrast to findings in previous research about user-generated text content. Moreover, it appears regularly but in small numbers in a tabloid-content daily and a regional paper but hardly ever in broadsheet-content papers, and that opinions in the newsroom about amateur images vary from a lack of interest to a stated need for them in the regular news coverage. The low impact of amateur content may be due to the gatekeeping process and professional standards of photography, as well as a lack of audience interest and difficulties in implementing new structures in the newsrooms. In sum, the findings disprove predictions in the literature of a near-paradigmatic rise of amateur content in the mainstream news media.