Journalism Values & Roles 2
Personal and Professional Dimensions of News Work
Exploring the Link Between Journalists Values and Roles
While Weaver and Wilhoit
have established the various roles that
journalists perceive themselves as performing social psychology research
suggests that individual value systems may determine how journalists perceive
different roles Moreover it provides a basis from which to explore why
journalists embrace one or more over others Personal values and demographic
factors contribute to a web of context through which journalists view their roles
and make decisions about which functions they feel are central
The values that we hold or the philosophical principles on which we base
our reasons for doing things claims to truth social justice fairness constitute
the engine that drives many discussions about the behavior of media
practitioners Individual values which are conceptually more fundamental than
the roles we see for ourselves in society inform as well as lend context to the
functions that journalists undertake This study seeks to examine how
incorporating value theory research might expand our understanding of
journalistic role conceptions established by the studies of Weaver and Wilhoit
Convention