Journalism and the Public

The public, James Carey famously wrote, is the �god-term� of journalism, �the term without which the entire enterprise fails to make sense.� In the last thirty years, scholars have made great progress in understanding just what this means.

In this much-needed new book, leading scholar David Ryfe takes readers on a journey through the literature that explores this most important of relationships. He discusses how and why journalism first emerged in the United States, and why journalism everywhere shares a family resemblance but is nowhere practised in precisely the same way. He goes on to explain why journalists have such difficulty talking about the business aspects of their profession, and explores the boundaries of the field�s collective imagination. Ryfe looks at the nature of change in journalism, providing sketches of its possible futures. Ultimately, he argues that the public is a keyword for journalism because it is impossible to understand the practice without it.

This rich and insightful guide will prove indispensable for anyone interested in understanding the practice of journalism.

Figures and Tables vii

Preface viii

Acknowledgements xi

Introduction1 1

The Tradition 2

A New Approach 7

Plan of the Book 22

Chapter 1 Theory 22

Publics 30

Journalism 35

Journalism and the Public 40

Chapter 2 Emergence 47

Early Cases 49

The Development of American Field 59

The Field of French Journalism 67

The Form of News 70

Conclusion 73

Chapter 3 Outside the West 75

History 76

Markets 83

The Chinese Field of Journalism 87

Investigative Journalism 93

Conclusion 101

Chapter 4 The Journalistic Imagination 103

Normative Accounts 106

Journalists Should Tell the Truth 108

Journalists Should Build Community 112

Journalists Should Foster Deliberative Conversation 118

What Should Journalists Do? 125

Chapter 5 Journalism and Change 131

A Recap 132

Mapping Change 137

Time and Change 145

Persistence 149

Conclusion 156

Chapter 6 Moving Forward 158

What We Know 159

What We Do Not Know 163

References 174

Index 199

"In this brilliant and wide-ranging book, David Ryfe demonstrates how journalism is deeply shaped by its relations to other institutions of public life. Journalism and the Public is an important contribution to the international comparative study of news."
Rodney Benson, New York University

"A picture of the public and its relationship with journalism has held us captive. In this excellent book, David Ryfe sets us free. Writing with clarity and verve, he shows that while the relationship varies in response to pressures from state, market, and civil society, a connection between journalism and the public is everywhere at the heart of the profession and what it aims to accomplish."
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, University of Oxford David M. Ryfe is Professor and Director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Iowa.