Journalists & Social Media: a two folded survey

This document is a working document and does not constitute an agreement until both parties have agreed formally on its content.

Project Objectives

The aim of the research project is to understand journalists’ attitudes toward new social media (blog, wikis, etc.). The main question being: how does social Media contribute to the transformation of journalists’ practices?

Methodological setting

The survey will take place in two phases: an exploratory study and a wider survey

The exploratory study

During the exploratory study, researchers will interview from 12 to 20 journalists working for the major media companies in television, radio, and written press from both the Dutch and French speaking communities. We believe that these respondents should be selected on the base of their involvement in the media Web activities: leader or member of the Web redaction.

Researcher will use semi-structured interviews to avoid imposing externally defined categories, questions, and beliefs (Fontana and Frey 2000). The interview guide only lists a number of areas of discussions that need to be addressed.
Questions will stay very broad in order to leave the opportunity for respondents to talk about subjects unexpected by the researchers.

For example:

• What do they use, what do not they use? (blogs, wikis, rss, etc.)
• For which purpose?
• Collecting information
• How do you use it?
• Does it transform your activity?
• Does it facilitate or constrain your activity?
• Broadcasting information
• How do you use it?
• Does it transform your activity?
• Does it facilitate or constrain your activity?
• Emergent or planned use?
• Is it a personal initiative and for personal purposes?
• Is it part of your company strategy?
• Why don’t you use such applications?
• Trust or validity of content?
• Opposed to deontological values?
• Is it a threat or an opportunity for your profession?

Data analysis

Interviews will be transcribed and analyzed using a grounded theory analytical strategy. Grounded implies an emergent categorization of the main facts and issues. These categories are then refined and validated through a second round of analysis.
This emerging approach helps to identify the main attitudes, issues, values, differentiation factors at based on the practice instead of imposing them from the beginning.

Deliverable

At the end of this first phase, the researchers will deliver a factual report on the current attitudes of journalists towards new social media. This report’s content will stay the property of the researchers but its use and broadcast by Blackline is permitted.

Planning:

1. Data collection: February to July
2. Preliminary Highlights Press Release - July.
3. Data analysis: July to August
4. Factual report & Promo: September

Support needed from Blackline during this first phase

In order to focus on the research work the following elements need to be discussed:

• Journalists’ contact DB
• Help for transcription of interviews
• Transportation costs