What is narrative journalism? A systematic review and an empirical agenda. (June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: van Krieken, Kobie; Sanders, José
• Is Part Of: Journalism. Volume 22:Number 6(2021)
• Page Start: 1393
• Page End: 1412
• Publication Date: 2021-06
• Subjects: Genre -- literary journalism -- narrative journalism -- news narrative -- storytelling -- subjectivity -- systematic review; Journalism -- Periodicals; Journalism -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; 070.405
• DOI: 10.1177/1464884919862056
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1464-8849

Abstract

This article reviews scientific research on narrative journalism, aiming to (1) demystify the nature of narrative journalism by specifying its core characteristics, resulting in a sustainable definition of the genre; (2) characterize the current state of the scientific field; and (3) identify gaps in our knowledge about narrative journalism. A systematic search of the scientific literature between 1998 and 2017 resulted in a set of 103 journal articles about narrative journalism. Their analysis reveals that the scientific field is dominated by essayistic and qualitative studies on printed forms of narrative journalism, with a focus on the history and style of narrative journalism, whereas systematic research on the function and impact of the genre is scarce. A framework is presented that synthesizes the hitherto isolated strands of research on narrative journalism and offers anchors for an empirical turn in narrative journalism studies.