Negotiating journalistic professionalism: A case study of OhmyNews in a participatory media climate.

Deborah Chung, Seungahn Nah

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

South Korea's OhmyNews reports unique consequences of citizen reporting and participation. While many citizen news operations have come and gone, OhmyNews has been remarkably successful and has become one of the most powerful news sites in its country. This case study explores the concept of journalistic professionalism among OhmyNews citizen journalists and assesses whether perceptions of their journalistic work align with Singer's dimensions of professionalism (i.e., cognitive, normative and evaluative dimensions). We then compare these perceptions to those of professional journalists within the organization and integrate them into journalistic role conceptions. Findings show that both groups work through collaboration, checks and balances, and a negotiation of autonomy. Both benefit from the partnership and share similarities, rather than differences, in their effort to remain sustainable in contemporary media culture.
Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)390-406
Number of pages16
JournalJournalism Practice
Volume8
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014

Keywords

  • citizen journalism
  • gatekeeping
  • journalistic professionalism
  • journalism role conceptions
  • OhmyNews
  • Professional journalism

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Social Sciences

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