Fake News: Australian and British journalists' role perceptions in an era of "alternative facts". (14th September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Schapals, Aljosha Karim
• Is Part Of: Journalism practice. Volume 12:Number 8(2018)
• Page Start: 976
• Page End: 985
• Publication Date: 2018-09-14
• Subjects: Fake news -- misinformation -- professional roles -- journalism -- fact-checking -- verification -- objectivity -- Trump election; Journalism -- Periodicals; 070.405
• DOI: 10.1080/17512786.2018.1511822
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-2786

Abstract

Abstract : Much has been written about the alleged "crisis" of journalism, with narratives of cultural pessimism centred on the decline of legacy news media, and print media in particular. Whilst factually accurate in parts, such narratives offer an incomplete picture not just of how journalism is declining, but also evolving as it transitions in the digital age. This paper is funded by a major Australian Research Council-study of "Journalism beyond the crisis", a project which seeks to evaluate the emerging assemblage of journalistic forms, practices, and uses in a transnationally comparative study across four different countries. The present study is a first step in investigating how journalists perceive their roles at a time in which the legitimacy of factual accounts of current events is increasingly put into question. To do so, it draws on in-depth interviews with senior journalists based in London and Sydney, providing topical insights into how these practitioners understand their role in an era of "fake news". The findings indicate that journalists are particularly concerned about a decrease of public trust in the media, and urge colleagues to adapt more rigorous fact-checking techniques – particularly at times when the role of journalism as a "watchdog" over society appears to be most crucial.