Juliette De Maeyer

Towards a hyperlinked society: A critical review of link studies

The hyperlink is a fundamental feature of the web. This paper investigates how hyperlinks have been used as research objects in social sciences. Reviewing a body of literature belonging to sociology, political sciences, information sciences, geography or media studies, it particularly reflects on the study of hyperlinks as indicators of other social phenomena. Why are links counted and hyperlink networks measured? How are links interpreted? The paper then focuses on barriers and limitations to the study of links. It addresses the issue of unobtrusiveness, the importance of interpreting links in context, and the possibilities of large-scale, automatic link studies. We finally argue that beyond the apparent diversity and ad hoc methodologies that the reviewed studies propose, a unified framework exists. It combines quantitative link counts, qualitative inquiries and valuation of field expertise to support link interpretation.The hyperlink is a fundamental feature of the web. This paper investigates how hyperlinks have been used as research objects in social sciences. Reviewing a body of literature belonging to sociology, political sciences, information sciences, geography or media studies, it particularly reflects on the study of hyperlinks as indicators of other social phenomena. Why are links counted and hyperlink networks measured? How are links interpreted? The paper then focuses on barriers and limitations to the study of links. It addresses the issue of unobtrusiveness, the importance of interpreting links in context, and the possibilities of large-scale, automatic link studies. We finally argue that beyond the apparent diversity and ad hoc methodologies that the reviewed studies propose, a unified framework exists. It combines quantitative link counts, qualitative inquiries and valuation of field expertise to support link interpretation.

Waiting for Data Journalism

Data journalism has emerged as a trend worthy of attention in newsrooms the world over. Previous research has highlighted how elite media, journalism education institutions, and other interest groups take part in the emergence and evolution of data journalism. But has it equally gained momentum in smaller, less-scrutinized media markets? This paper looks at the ascent of data journalism in the French-speaking part of Belgium. It argues that journalism, and hence data journalism, can be understood as a socio-discursive practice: it is not only the production of (data-driven) journalistic artefacts that shapes the notion of (data) journalism, but also the discursive efforts of all the actors involved, in and out of the newsrooms. A set of qualitative inquiries allowed us to examine the phenomenon by first establishing a cartography of who and what counts as data journalism. It uncovers an overall reliance on a handful of passionate individuals, only partly backed up institutionally, and a limited amount of consensual references that could foster a shared interpretive community. A closer examination of the definitions reveal a sharp polyphony that is particularly polarized around the duality of the term itself, divided between a focus on data and a focus on journalism, and torn between the co-existing notions of “ordinary” and “thorough” data journalism. We also describe what is perceived as obstacles, which mostly pertain to broader traits that shape contemporary newsmaking; and explain why, if data journalism clearly exists as a matter of concern, it has not transformed in concrete undertakings.

THE JOURNALISTIC HYPERLINK

Hypertextuality has been a fundamental characteristic of the Web since its inception. It also impacts on journalism: the ability to link pages, sites and documents stands out as one of the features that essentially differentiates online news from other media. This paper investigates how prescriptive discourses about online journalism deal with hypertextuality. Focusing on hyperlinks as a concrete embodiment of the vague notion of hypertextuality, this project discusses how hyperlinks have been incorporated within the body of journalistic shared knowledge. We draw on a qualitative content analysis of journalism textbooks, as well as interviews with journalism educators in French-speaking Belgium. Analysing them qualitatively, we discuss how different traditional journalistic values are invoked and articulated when it comes to give guidelines about the ideal use of hyperlinks. Results highlight inherent contradictions between the values that are summoned, but we argue that such inconsistencies are constructive and that they are crucial for journalistic collective identities.Hypertextuality has been a fundamental characteristic of the Web since its inception. It also impacts on journalism: the ability to link pages, sites and documents stands out as one of the features that essentially differentiates online news from other media. This paper investigates how prescriptive discourses about online journalism deal with hypertextuality. Focusing on hyperlinks as a concrete embodiment of the vague notion of hypertextuality, this project discusses how hyperlinks have been incorporated within the body of journalistic shared knowledge. We draw on a qualitative content analysis of journalism textbooks, as well as interviews with journalism educators in French-speaking Belgium. Analysing them qualitatively, we discuss how different traditional journalistic values are invoked and articulated when it comes to give guidelines about the ideal use of hyperlinks. Results highlight inherent contradictions between the values that are summoned, but we argue that such inconsistencies are construct...

Objects of journalism and the news

This article provides an overview of what an “object-oriented” approach to journalism studies might look like, based on a survey of articles collected for this special issue on journalism and materiality. We argue that focusing on the objects of journalism, rather than limiting or trivial, can provide scholars with insights into the social, material, and cultural context that suffuses our technologically obsessed world. The article pushes back against a dominant perspective in the Actor-Network Theory literature that sees the major value of that theory in studying technological innovation, calling instead for a theoretical approach open to questions of historical change, power, and symbolic practices.

Why linking matters: A metajournalistic discourse analysis

Journalists have incorporated hyperlinks (i.e. linking) into their professional practice since the early stages of digital news expansion. Media scholars and professionals have continually championed their use, yet little is known about the perceptions and uses of links in journalism practice on a broad journalistic scale. Drawing on an analysis of metajournalistic discourses, this study finds that links in news resonate with different aspects of newsmaking: the transparency of news production processes, the user experience, and the economic context. While journalists and other news media experts may indeed see value in linking, that optimism is tempered by levels of caution and worry, suggesting a need for media scholars, journalists, and news organization to re-evaluate the deployment of links within the news process.

The Material Traces of Journalism

This paper explores how the study of objects of journalism, retraced through the material traces left in metajournalistic discourses, might constitute a robust basis to investigate change and permanence in contemporary journalism. We delineate a research program focusing on materiality that requires foremost that objects should not be taken for granted and, therefore, that each object’s social history be minutely retraced. Stemming from two specific objects (the blog and the hyperlink), the paper argues that beyond their idiosyncrasies, both follow a similar rationale that could be extrapolated to other objects and lead to a materially focused social history of journalism in a digital age. The paper first clarifies how we approached the notion of “objects of journalism” and which objects we chose to study. Then, we show how different theoretical frameworks led us to adopt a similar research stance and a shared hypothetico-inductive path: determining how objects are parts of a series and analyzing metajournalistic discourses to retrace each object’s history on an empirically grounded basis. The resulting attention to filiations and context ultimately produces a contextualized socio-history of objects.This paper explores how the study of objects of journalism, retraced through the material traces left in metajournalistic discourses, might constitute a robust basis to investigate change and permanence in contemporary journalism. We delineate a research program focusing on materiality that requires foremost that objects should not be taken for granted and, therefore, that each object’s social history be minutely retraced. Stemming from two specific objects (the blog and the hyperlink), the paper argues that beyond their idiosyncrasies, both follow a similar rationale that could be extrapolated to other objects and lead to a materially focused social history of journalism in a digital age. The paper first clarifies how we approached the notion of “objects of journalism” and which objects we chose to study. Then, we show how different theoretical frameworks led us to adopt a similar research stance and a shared hypothetico-inductive path: determining how objects are parts of a series and analyzing metajour...

Citation Needed: Investigating the use of hyperlinks to display sources in news stories

The ability to add hyperlinks to a news story is a key feature of online news. In addition to the—aging—technical novelty, one can wonder what functions hyperlinks perform in news stories. Previous research, as well as my previous examination of meta-journalistic discourses, has shown that one of the alleged functions of links is to display the writers sources. In that sense, hyperlinks are “journalistic objects of evidence” as they can directly point to the documents, data or discourses used as rough material for a news story. The present paper puts that particular function of hyperlinks to the test. It conducts a content analysis on a sub-sample of the stories published on six Belgian news sites that contain at least one external link, and compares the links with the sources explicitly mentioned in the news story itself. Results highlight that links and the mentions of sources do not overlap completely. Many sources are not reflected in links, and most links do not point to primary sources per se. Othe...The ability to add hyperlinks to a news story is a key feature of online news. In addition to the—aging—technical novelty, one can wonder what functions hyperlinks perform in news stories. Previous research, as well as my previous examination of meta-journalistic discourses, has shown that one of the alleged functions of links is to display the writers sources. In that sense, hyperlinks are “journalistic objects of evidence” as they can directly point to the documents, data or discourses used as rough material for a news story. The present paper puts that particular function of hyperlinks to the test. It conducts a content analysis on a sub-sample of the stories published on six Belgian news sites that contain at least one external link, and compares the links with the sources explicitly mentioned in the news story itself. Results highlight that links and the mentions of sources do not overlap completely. Many sources are not reflected in links, and most links do not point to primary sources per se. Other functions of links emerge, such as providing a service or contextual information to the readers. These findings thus question the material nature of “journalistic objects of evidence” and the possibility for journalists to build networks of distributed responsibility with links.

@franklinfordbot: Remediating Franklin Ford

Franklin Ford (1849–1918) is mostly known for his association with the philosopher John Dewey in the late 1880s and early 1890s. Together, they attempted to launch Thought News, a “philosophical newspaper” that never saw the light of day. But both before and after that failed project, Ford never stopped developing a vision for the future of the news. Reading Ford is a jumping-off point for experimentations that raise original methodological questions in the field of media history and theoretical developments that speak to contemporary media problems. In that regard, our paper focuses on the methodological experiment undertaken to explore Ford’s work: the creation of an automated Twitter account, a “bot” that uses text-mining techniques to automatically tweet excerpts from his writings. The paper describes the concrete steps of that remediation: from the delineation of Ford’s written work to the gathering and digitization of the material and its transformation into tweetable soundbites. We argue that this combination of close and automated reading offers heuristic elements of surprise to guide the historical inquiry. As the tweets echo the specific genre of today’s “future-of-the-news” thinkers, they also constitute an attempt to explore the relationship between “old” and “new” media.Franklin Ford (1849–1918) is mostly known for his association with the philosopher John Dewey in the late 1880s and early 1890s. Together, they attempted to launch Thought News, a “philosophical ne...