Networking Journalism Studies: Towards a World Journalism Survey

Abstract

Most scholars argue that cross-national research is indispensable for establishing the generalizability of theories and the validity of interpretations derived from single-nation studies. Another important aspect of comparative studies is that they force us to test our interpretations against cross-cultural diferences and inconsistencies. In journalism studies, the advantages of cross-national research are obvious. While the empirical inquiry into news-making has generated a vast quantity of data, some of the more fundamental questions in journalism research remain largely unresolved: What shapes the news and the structures of journalism most? Is it politics, economy, or culture? How do the conventional Western values of objective journalism ft in with non-Western cultures? In this article, I would like to propose the creation of a “World Journalism Survey”, modeled after the World Values Survey, for a better map of the cultural diferences in journalism practices around the world.