In a 2009 report, titled “The Resurrection of American Journalism”, Leonard
Downie Jr., former executive editor of the Washington Post, and Michael Schudson,
professor of journalism point out: “American journalism is at a transformational
moment in history.” (1) They both argue that the era of dominant print journalism
in the United States of America is ending and rapidly giving way to digital
journalism. A range of major regional American newspapers such as the Seattle
PostIntelligencer
in 2009, for example, have gone out of business in recent years.
Even nationwide institutionalized newspapers such as the New York Times are not
exempt from this overall development.
In the digital age there will be a steady rise, not a decline in the general
demand for news – yet the quality, the long established business models, and the
distribution of media are drastically changing at this point. Jeff Jarvis articulated the
most severe change that is currently happening recently in his blog Buzzmachine, in
which he outlines the revolutionary transition from a print to a Link Economy:
Those old companies still operate in the content economy, begun 570 years by Gutenberg, in
which the owner of content profited by selling multiple copies. Online, there needs to be only
one copy of content and it is the links to it that bring it value. Content without links has no
value. So when search engines, aggregators, bloggers, and Twitterers link to content, they
are not stealing; they are giving the gift of attention and audience. Indeed, publishers should
be grateful that Google does not charge them for the value of its links.6
In this thesis I will follow Jarvis’ line of argumentation that the nature of journalism
will change in the Link Economy in many ways, thereby opening a wide range of
discussions among scholars from many different fields.
Table of Contents
1 Decisive Moments and Constitutive Coordinates in the History of American Journalism - Continuities and Discontinuities
1.1 The Production of News
1.2 The Distribution of News
1.3 The Reception of News
2 The Function of Print Journalism for the Creation of Public Spheres and Communities
2.1 Thomas Jefferson: A Noble Experiment
2.2 Alexis de Tocqueville on The Relation Between Public Associations and the Newspapers
2.3 Jürgen Habermas: The Public Sphere
2.4 Benedict Anderson: Imagined Communities
3 Major Shifts in American Journalism from First to Second Media Age
3.1 The Role of the Hyperlink and the Search Engine in the Second Media Age
3.2 Marshall McLuhan’s Visions of the Global Village
3.3 The Temporal Dimensions of Digital News
3.4 Locality and Spatial Dimensions of Digital News
3.5 The Reader’s Desire to be a Writer and Editor of Digital News
4 Transatlantic Reconfigurations of (Print) Journalism in the Digital Age
4.1 A Case Study of the Berlin-based personalized newspaper niiu
4.2 A Case Study of German newspaper WELT KOMPAKT – ‘Scroll Down Edition’
4.3 The New York Times ‘Insight Lab’
Research Objectives and Themes
This thesis examines the fundamental transformation of American journalism as it transitions from the era of print to the digital age. The research explores how shifts in production, distribution, and reception influence the creation of public spheres and the construction of communal identities, while investigating whether the "link economy" preserves or erodes the democratic functions traditionally served by print media.
- The historical continuity and structural changes in American journalism.
- The influence of digital technologies on public spheres and democratic discourse.
- Temporal and spatial shifts in the perception and consumption of news.
- The evolution of the reader from passive consumer to active content creator.
- Case studies on hybrid models of journalism in the digital era.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 The Role of the Hyperlink and the Search Engine in the Second Media Age
In the mid 1960s, writer and technology philosopher Ted Nelson assigned the term hyperlink (cf. Turow 3) to automatic linkage between different pieces of content. Essential to the nature of digital journalism the hyperlink has become “an aspect of a text’s function we all take for granted.” (Deegan vii) In fact, the main distinction between First and Second Media Age the global printed newspapers do not contain hyperlinks.63 Joseph Turow suggests that according to an article from the New York Times Magazine in 2006, “the link may be one of the most important inventions of the last fifty years.” (4) He further states, “links are the basic force that relate creative works to one another for fun, fame, or fortune.” (4) Yet it is important to remark, “despite their ubiquity” (Turow 21), little is known “about the social and political factors that drive the production of hyperlinks.” (21) This idea is important with regards to digital journalism. Again, in digital journalism content without links has no value (cf. Jarvis in Downie). Scholars from different fields have pointed out that links might fundamentally influence our perception of the space-time relationship, storing of information in the brain,64 as well as perhaps even the building of relations to other human beings.
Chapter Summaries
1 Decisive Moments and Constitutive Coordinates in the History of American Journalism - Continuities and Discontinuities: This chapter traces historical milestones in American newspaper journalism, focusing on how technical and socio-historical developments shaped the production, distribution, and reception of news.
2 The Function of Print Journalism for the Creation of Public Spheres and Communities: This section explores the social and political roles of the press, analyzing theoretical frameworks by Jefferson, de Tocqueville, Habermas, and Anderson to understand how newspapers foster national unity and public debate.
3 Major Shifts in American Journalism from First to Second Media Age: This chapter examines the transition between media eras, highlighting how hyperlinks, search engines, and changing temporal and spatial perceptions are reshaping journalistic practice and public participation.
4 Transatlantic Reconfigurations of (Print) Journalism in the Digital Age: This part applies the previous theoretical findings to practical case studies of hybrid journalism models, specifically looking at the personalized newspaper niiu, the German WELT KOMPAKT, and the New York Times ‘Insight Lab’.
Keywords
American Journalism, Print Media, Digital Journalism, Link Economy, Public Sphere, Imagined Communities, Hyperlink, Second Media Age, News Consumption, Media Transformation, Journalism History, Blogosphere, Glocalism, Democracy, News Distribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this thesis?
The thesis investigates the transformation of American journalism from the traditional print-based model to the digital landscape, analyzing how this shift impacts journalism's democratic role.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
Key themes include the history of news production, the impact of new media technologies on democratic public spheres, and the changing relationship between journalists and readers.
What is the primary research goal?
The objective is to understand how the "link economy" and digital tools fundamentally alter the production, distribution, and reception of news, and to explore the implications for democratic nation-states.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The work utilizes a combination of historical analysis, theoretical exploration based on media scholars like Habermas and McLuhan, and qualitative case study evaluation of contemporary digital journalism projects.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body covers historical continuities, the role of print in forming communities, the transition from the First to the Second Media Age, and specific case studies like niiu and WELT KOMPAKT.
Which keywords best characterize this academic work?
Central keywords include American Journalism, Public Sphere, Digital Transformation, Link Economy, and Imagined Communities.
How does the author define the "Second Media Age" in relation to news?
The author uses the term to describe the transition away from the broadcast model (a few producers to many consumers) toward a fragmented, decentralized environment defined by interactivity and digital navigation.
Why are the case studies (niiu, WELT KOMPAKT) significant to the conclusion?
These cases are significant because they illustrate how traditional print media attempts to survive or adapt in the digital age through personalization, concise formats, and hybrid integration of online content.
- Quote paper
- Bjoern Schubert (Author), 2010, American Journalism after ‘The Age of Mechanical Reproduction’, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/175196
