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Project

Rethinking journalism and ideology in contemporary media and political cultures (RejournID).

The RejournID project will rethink the relationship between journalism and ideology in contemporary media and political cultures. The concept of ideology has been a longstanding concern of media and communication researchers ever since the Frankfurt School. However, the importance of the concept to the field has been displaced in recent decades, despite a revived interest in ideology among political theorists. This project will reinvigorate the place of ideology analysis in media research through an interpretivist study of how journalism and ideology intersect in four European countries: Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands and UK. The project offers a combination of conceptual and empirical innovations. Conceptually, it will put the field of media, communication and journalism studies into interdisciplinary conversation with a theoretical literature on ideology that has been relatively under-explored in media and journalism research. The empirical dimension has two distinct strands. It will extend ideology analysis into the domain of comparative media research through an analysis of how Brexit has been represented in different media cultures. And, most significantly, it will interview journalists to see how they understand ideology and its potential impact on different aspects of their practice. I am well placed to do this project, because I am already internationally recognized for my work on the ideological dynamics of media. The research is important because it speaks to current societal challenges about the place of journalism in liberal democracies, as illustrated by increased public distrust of journalists, the colonization of journalism by economic logics, the emergence of more ideologically partisan media outlets, and intensified political attacks against media. From a training perspective, the fellowship will significantly advance my research programme and facilitate my reintegration within European research networks.
Date:1 May 2019 →  30 Apr 2020
Keywords:MEDIA STUDIES, JOURNALISM, IDEOLOGY, COMPARATIVE RESEARCH
Disciplines:Political sociology, Political communication, Political theory, Media and communication theory, Political economy of communication, Journalism studies, Media discourse reception, Media education, Media research methodology, Media sociology, Discourse studies