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TRADITIONALISTS VS. INNOVATORS: FRAGMENTATION OF JOURNALISTIC CULTURES IN TODAYВ’S RUSSIAN JOURNALISM

S. S. Bodrunova, K. Nigmatullina

Abstract

Today’s comparative analysis of professional journalistic cultures has quite developed methodologies but relies on national level of comparison, which might be misleading. We test whether, in Russia of 2010s, the structure of professional journalistic community is as diverse and fragmented as the media system itself – and, thus, whether it can be perceived as a whole, unlike journalistic cultures in the West. The cleavages include generational ones as well as value-based ones, the latter being reflected in journalists’ orientation to either post-Soviet or pro-Western standards of reporting. Another cleavage is based on the speed of adoption of ICTs in reporting and editorial practices, a major factor of change, e.g., in American journalism. We argue that this combination of divisions may be re-conceptualized as ‘traditional vs. innovative’ journalistic cultures, based on technological, professional, legislative, and political factors; thus, traditional and innovative cultures co-exist within the Russian media system and do not supplant each other, and the new generation of journalists is described as experiencing rapidly changing professional standards.. Our results are based on an online survey of 200 journalists in Russian regions, 6 in-depth interviews with key media managers, and 30 video interviews with online media managers.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgemsocial2018/4.1/S16.039

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