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Organisation

Brussels Institute for Journalism Studies

Research Group

Main organisation:Research Council
Lifecycle:4 Dec 2014 →  Today
Organisation profile:

The Brussels Institute for Journalism Studies (BIJU) takes a distinctively multi- and interdisciplinary approach to the subject of journalism, bringing together scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds such as linguistics, literary studies, communication studies, political sciences, law studies, and logopedics, around the heterogeneous subject of journalism. As such, our research agenda is premised on the multifaceted nature of journalism, with a primary focus on news production and journalism practice, and on the news product or 'text', essentially located within broader socio-historical, political, judicial, technological and economic contexts. Additionally, we look into different sorts of media, both print, broadcast and online journalism, and mainstream as well as alternative news outlets, while accounting for the multimodality of journalistic discourses. In terms of journalism's topical areas, BIJU's multidisciplinary profile covers a broad range of domains, including (international) politics, law, environment, lifestyle, culture and sports. Research projects within BIJU fit one or more of the following main research strands: Journalism & Discourse Questions and issues related to journalism's role in shaping public discourse, and thus in the representation and social construction of 'reality', which includes gender, national, and cultural identities. Journalism & Genre Questions and issues related to the (ever-evolving) codes and conventions defining journalistic genres and styles, and to the forms and implications of hybridity. Journalism & Practice Questions and issues related to (developments in) methods of gathering and disseminating news, and the legal and moral issues involved in the process. These strands comprise several different methodological approaches, which may be variously combined within individual research projects: discourse analysis (including linguistic and critical variants), framing analysis, systematic-quantitative content analysis, semiotics, aesthetic genre analysis, interpretative approaches, and qualitative interviews.

Keywords:journalism, genre, professional ethics, media law, hybridity, journalism practice, multimodality, interdisciplinary, discourse
Disciplines:Journalism and professional writing, Specialist studies in education, Linguistics, Law