GLOBAL JOURNALISM: AN EMERGING NEWS STYLE Outline for a ...

Abstract for the international conference Democracy, Human Rights and Social Justice in
A New Global Dispensation – Challenges and Transformations. 1-3 February, 2010,
UNISA Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria, SA.
Peter Berglez (PhD in Media and Communications)
Örebro University
Research School Conditions of Democracy
701 82 Örebro
Sweden
ph: +4619303461
fax: +4619303427
e-mail: peter.berglez@oru.se
GLOBAL JOURNALISM: AN EMERGING NEWS STYLE
Outline for a training program and collaboration with media
practitioners
Global journalism is a relatively new concept and research field in Media and
Communications. Among various definitions, global journalism could be defined as an
emerging news style which goes beyond the boundaries of foreign journalism, including the
distinction of domestic vs. foreign news. Its presence in everyday news is presently limited,
but it could be observed in journalism on climate change and other kinds of transnational
issues. Global journalism is based on a global outlook on reality, possibly precipitating the
development of global citizenship. Furthermore, it potentially establishes communicative
bridges between the North and the South by paying attention to globally related social justice
issues. Given that today‟s world is in need of more global journalism, the next step ought to
be further education and training, as well as collaboration with media practitioners. More
precisely, it is necessary…
to refine the empirical characteristics of a global news style, and to formulate the
basic criterions of such a style.
in the training context, to mainstream and anchor the “emergent” (the global news
style) in established and traditional journalistic styles and forms, geared towards local,
domestic and foreign news.
to combine a global news style with various ICTs (information and communication
technologies).
to develop concepts for global news reporting together with media practitioners.
In this paper, global journalism will be presented and discussed partly in relation to our
International MA Program in Global Journalism (www.magj.se) at the HumES Academy,
Örebro University, Sweden (the program is run together with the Schools of Journalism in
Oslo, Norway, Helsinki and Tampere, Finland).
KEY WORDS: Global journalism; global news style; social justice; news media; ICTs;
media practitioners.
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Introduction
Global journalism has successively established itself as a concept and a research field.
It comprises quite diverse research interests, such as conflict (Seib, 2002) and global crisis
reporting (Cottle, 2009a; 2009b), global culture and media (van Ginneken, 2005; Volkmer,
1999), and the mapping and analysis of journalistic cultures in the world (Herbert, 2001; de
Beer & Merrill, 2004; Löffelholz & Weaver, 2008). Global journalism could also be
considered an emerging type of news reporting, and more precisely a news style which
“makes it into an everyday routine to investigate how people and their actions, practices,
problems, life conditions etc. in different parts of the world are interrelated” (Berglez, 2007,
p. 151). This kind of reporting is primarily associated with financial news (as Bloomberg),
which has been globally oriented for a long time, but could be observed in other news as
well. The global news style appears in news stories which, for example, focus on the
interdependent relationship between Swedish consumers and Brazilian farmers, or on the way
in which the CO 2 emissions in a particular region affect the world a whole. It differs from
foreign news reporting, which instead covers “events” in distant places: elections in Russia,
an automotive industry crisis in the US etc. While foreign news upholds spatial distance
between a domestic and foreign world, global news reporting tends to generate spatial
proximity.
Discussions on the potential expansion of a global news style in news media give rise
to at least two types of standpoints. First, the deterministic stance, in which global news
reporting is considered a natural consequence of economic, political, cultural and
technological globalisation. More precisely, “…globalisation, defined as ongoing relations
between regions and peoples, generated by capital, trade, human mobility and technology…”
(Berglez, 2008, p. 846) by necessity generates globally oriented news reporting. If
globalisation will continue to evolve and expand, global news reporting will grow as well.
But then there is also the voluntarist stance, which stresses the importance of human agency.
The main argument here is that globalisation does not necessarily generate global news
reporters and reporting. Intense economic and cultural globalisation does not automatically
bring forth news information with lots of global outlooks: instead, the domestic news
paradigm might still continue to dominate media markets. Not even existing global media
networks, such as CNNi, deliver global outlooks. To rapidly transmit news from all possible
corners of the world is something else entirely than reporting the world as a single place. As a
conclusion, global news reporting will only expand provided that various news media and
educational institutions in society consciously decide to develop it.
Particularly those who stress the voluntarist perspective tend to argue for the
increasing social and political need for global journalism. A world of global issues and crises,
in terms of climate change, epidemics, humanitarian catastrophes, “new terrorism” etc., needs
more news journalism with global outlooks (Beck, 2006; Cottle, 2009b; Hafez, 2009 etc.), i.e.
social and political news information of the intercontinental kind, which discursively mix
international relations (between nation-states) and transnational relations (all other types of
relations which cross continental borders). It is often pointed out that, in domestic news
media, the global outlook is still too repressed by the national outlook and its nation-centric
view on society and politics (Nossek, 2004; Berglez & Olausson, 2007). In the news: first
comes Sweden, then comes Sweden again, and then the rest of the world. The national
outlook is rather present in foreign reporting as well. Instead of establishing social and
political bridges between nations (Olausson, 2005), news media tend to primarily domesticate
foreign events (Any Swedes involved?) (Riegert, 1998).
But due to the “new global reality” and the fact that policy processes increasingly take
place outside the nation-state, domestic news media need to become more global in order to
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obtain their democratic legitimacy. News media which promote themselves as the citizens‟
democratic watchdog are forced to increase their reporting on cross-national and crosscontinental
problems, power struggles and politics. For numerous domestic news media, a
great challenge is thus waiting around the corner: how to unite media consumers‟ continuing
demand for traditional domestic news with the democratic urge for more global news. The
purpose of global news reporting should not only be to make the public increasingly aware of
the effects of globalisation, but also to support the generation of transnational political
engagement among the public, as well as to put pressure on political parties, organisations
and groups to become more transnationally oriented (Beck, 2006).
Global news reporting is however not endowed with some inner ability to generate a
better and more harmonious world. By the same token, local or foreign news reporting is
neither genuinely good nor bad for society. In other words, it is not endowed with a particular
(global) ethics, such as peace journalism. Its potential contribution is instead to deepen the
consciousness about the global dimensions of life (and the interconnectedness of reality),
which, in turn, could generate more cross-national and intercontinental political engagements
among political parties, organisations and citizens (which will possibly generate crossnational
solidarities and new kinds of conflicts and struggles between various interests).
At HumES, Örebro University, we are in the initial stage of expanding our
engagement in global journalism in two respects 1 . First, the idea is to further implement
“practical” global journalism at the MA Program in Global Journalism, i.e. concrete
education in global news reporting. At the program, global journalism has so far primarily
appeared as a theoretical concept, while the purpose is to transform it into a journalistic
practice, endowed with certain style conventions, which could be taught.
Second, we aim to deepen our contacts with practitioners in the media industry for
mutual exchange of knowledge on the conditions of news journalism in global times
(Berglez, 2009). In our initial discussions with staffs at several Swedish media companies, it
has become clear that few local and national news media have accomplished any serious
concentration on global news. There is awareness of the relevance of global outlooks on local
and national affairs, and that this type of news might/should expand in mainstream news
production. Some individual chief-editors and journalists have developed particular skills in
producing global angles on local and national news, but it does not exist as a more
standardised mode of producing news, and as a more general competence among journalists
and editors. It also tends to be associated with commercial risks. It is considered an expansive
mode or producing news, primarily reserved for major networks as Al Jazeera, CNNi and
BBC World News. Low-cost production of global news by means of ICTs has thus not
established itself as an option (discussed next)
The rest of this paper will focus on how to proceed with these plans on global news
reporting. It involves (1) the refining of the empirical characteristics of a global news style;
(2) the mainstreaming of the global news style; (3) the integration of ICTs, and (4) concrete
collaborations between scholars and practitioners.
(1) The refining of the empirical characteristics of a global news style
It is important not to mystify the global news style as something yet-to-come. Even if
it is in its embryonic, initial stage, it could be observed in the everyday news,
particularly in the coverage of various global crises (Cottle, 2009a), as in the recent news
reporting on the Swine flu pandemic, which interrelated events, decisions and processes
worldwide. From Guardian:
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FIGURE 1: Example of global news reporting
Swine flu pandemic alert raised to level five (Headline).
World Health Organisation raises global epidemic threat to second highest level as
numbers of infected continue to rise. Audrey Gillan. guardian.co.uk, Thursday 30
April 2009 05.50 BST
US travellers who were on a flight
from Mexico wear face masks to
protect themselves against the risk
of contracting swine flu.
Photograph: Mark
Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
The World Health Organisation
last night raised its swine flu global epidemic threat level to phase five – the second
highest – as a result of the increasing number of people being confirmed as infected
with the virus across the globe.
The teaching of global news reporting, presupposes continuing empirical
identification of global news in everyday news media. The empirical examples of global
news reporting could found the conceptual refining of its style and criterions. The below
formulated empirical questions might help to identify global news reporting in the news flow.
As globalisation involves particular transformations of space, power and identity, a
suggestion is to focus on how these “nodal points” of globalisation appear in the news
(Berglez, 2008):
TABLE 1: The empirical identification of a global news style
Journalistic representation
of:
Space
Power
Identity
Empirical questions:
In what ways and to what extent is there a
multifaceted geography in which journalism
interrelates processes and practices simultaneously
occurring in separate places worldwide?
In what ways and to what extent are topics and
conflicts explained as a complex mixture of
domestic, foreign and global powers?
In what ways and to what extent does news
journalism cross national and continental borders
when representing (political) identities?
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Here is an attempt to outline the basic criterions of a global news style. In the coverage of an
event:
TABLE 2: Criterions of a global news style
- to report space as multifaceted geography, with processes and practices
simultaneously occurring in separate places worldwide.
- to report power and struggles of power as a mixture of domestic, foreign and
global interests and stakeholders.
- to report (political) identity as cross-national and cross-continental constellations.
The more of these elements in the reporting, the more of a global outlook in the news. The
realisation of these criterions should be understood as potential journalistic choices. If the
ability is there: the decision to report X in accordance with A (the global news style) instead
of B (the more traditional way of reporting X). To construct space as a transnational place
instead of separating the domestic from an outside (foreign) world; to insert relevant
transnational powers in the reporting of a local or national political affair; to categorise an
individual‟s or group‟s identity as transnational (socialist, environmentalist etc.), instead of,
by routine, primarily focusing on national origins (Swedes, Hungarians etc.).
This might be easier said than done. What about the commercial motifs of mainstream
news production? How are journalists supposed to be able to expand their global news
reporting in media environments which, for commercial reasons, concentrate on domestic
proximity, and national identity in particular? An answer to this is: it is naïve to think that
global news could somehow colonize or exchange local, domestic and foreign news. We thus
need to consider the global news style as anchored in existing media logic, i.e. as integrated
with, local, domestic and foreign news reporting:
(2) The mainstreaming of the global news style
In the training context, an important point of departure ought to be that the global
news style is not necessarily in opposition to local, domestic and foreign news. In climate
news, for example, it rather interplays with local, domestic and foreign news reporting. In an
ordinary newspaper, news stories with global outlooks might pop up in the foreign news
section, as well as in the local and domestic sections. It could appear in a news article which
takes its departure in a local or domestic event/issue, or it could complement a foreign news
story. The possible future of most news discourse is thus combinations of
local/domestic/foreign/global information elements and outlooks in one and the same news
story. The following table includes fabricated news headlines in which the domestic category
is synonymous with the nation-state of Sweden. With the global issue of climate change as a
point of departure, the intention is to illustrate the potential mixture of domestic (the local
included), foreign and global news discourse (Berglez, 2008).
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TABLE 3: The relationship between domestic, foreign and global news styles
NEWS
O
U
T
L
O
O
K
Domestic
Foreign
Global
Domestic Foreign Global
“Carbon dioxide “British-French
emissions in climate change
Stockholm put project includes
pressure on local Swedish
government” (a) researchers” (d) (g)
“The Swedish
climate policy –
criticized by
several European
countries” (b)
“The ecological
crisis in southern
Sweden – caused
by climate
change?” (c)
“Flood
catastrophe in
Burma” (e)
“Flood disaster
in Burma – a
case of climate
change?” (f)
“How does
climate
change affect
Stockholm?”
“Climate
change –
many
Germans are
concerned”
(h)
“Climate
change – a
challenge for
humankind”
(i)
The global news style appears in the italicised boxes and could thus operate as an outlook in
domestic (c) and foreign news (f), or as news which include domestic (g) or foreign (h)
outlooks. Global news with global outlooks (i) often generate rather abstract and distant kind
of news information, which only attract particular news audiences, while in mainstream news
media, “global news discourse” could possibly develop and grow by becoming mixed with
the already commercially established types of news (domestic and foreign news) in
accordance with above constellations. Furthermore, the global news style is not restricted to
any particular news issues (climate change, epidemics, war and conflicts etc.). Theoretically
speaking, everything that involves, is part of, or is affected by globalisation is a potential
object of the global news style.
(3) The global news style and ICTs
Many media researchers argue for more serious global news, but there have been few
constructive ideas on how this should be realised. It tends to turn into mere theory, saved
within the walls of the academy. A modest attempt to break this tradition has been initiated at
HumES, Örebro University. The idea is to develop various concepts for global news
reporting, which could be taught, but which could also be concretely implemented at small
and mid-size media companies with local or national scopes (domestic news media), with
rather restricted budgets for international/global news reporting (see Bergstrand, 2009).
The basic concept for global news reporting is thus the above presented theoretical
model on a global news style (on space, power, identity) and its criterions, which could
hopefully support our journalistic training on the mixing of domestic, foreign and global
news and outlooks. However, this competence should be complemented with various ICTs.
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When thinking about global news production, one tends to think of great networks as CNNi.
But thanks to the development of ICTs and the Internet, for the first time in history it is also
possible for domestic media to produce their own global news content. It could be produced
at various levels, depending on the economic resources and staff structure. For local media, it
could possibly replace some of the subscribed news agency materials (from Reuters etc.), and
reduce the information homogeneity (the fact that exactly similar news is published
everywhere). Many globally oriented journalists make use of the Internet rather creatively,
while the idea here is to rather imagine more standardised ICT-tools for global news
production. As a concrete example, our global journalism research and education group, and
PhD (Cand.) Walid Al-Saqaf in particular, has initiated research on (a) a web portal (b) and
an online search engine & database, to support global news reporting.
(a) The GJN web portal. Even if the Internet is loaded with information, it is not
designed to meet the particular demands of news journalists, who have limited time to find
valuable and reliable information and sources. One way to assist global news production
among domestic news media is to construct web portals which are specially designed for
news journalists, for efficient communication and exchange of information among journalists
worldwide. At best, they could become alternative “news agencies”. At HumES, we are now
developing a Global Journalism Network (GJN) and a GJN web portal (www.gjnet.org). Its
70 members are ex-students who are now practising media researchers, journalists, editors, or
chief-editors in 35 countries, including Asian and African regions which very seldom get
attention in Swedish media. The network will hopefully continue to grow, as every second
year, 20 new students graduate from our MA program in Global Journalism. So far, the web
portal has only been used for registration of profiles, information needs and interests, and for
publication of news material, but the portal has the potential to develop into a complementary
tool for media/journalists who seek to enrich their local/national news with a global outlook.
The basic rationale goes like this: the domestic journalist in Tashkent, Stockholm or Accra
writes a story about X, in which the GJN web portal could help to provide the story with a
global angle, in terms of sources, contacts and material from other countries and regions in
the world. A GJN web-coordinator (a global “fixer”) is supposed to make the web portal
attractive for journalists in various ways, to regulate the exchange between particular
journalists/media (in terms of contracts) and help to navigate journalists and editors to the
requested information.
(b) The GJN online search engine & database for global news production: A well
known problem with the Internet is the quality of information and sources and the fact that
engines, such as Google‟s or Bing‟s, could be rather unfocused search instruments. There is
thus need for search engines exclusively designed for globally oriented news journalism. An
online news search engine is planned to be built into the GJN web portal (by W. Al-Saqaf).
News material could be brought to the GJN members by a dynamic aggregator, which fetches
material from various partner websites and sources that agree to have their material retrieved,
including text content or multimedia (audio, video). A digital database, which collects news
material on globally relevant topics (particular environmental issues etc.), will supplement
the search engine.
In sum, this should thus be seen as a small attempt to combine the theoretical concept
for global news reporting with ICTs. Consequently, these tools are supposed to be
implemented in our education program, but they could hopefully also be applied and further
developed by certain news media. When it comes to the latter, concrete collaboration with
media companies becomes important:
(4) Collaboration between scholars and media practitioners
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In Sweden, there are few journalists who would identify and present themselves as
global journalists, but quite many actively aim to include global outlooks in their domestic
reporting. In my view, their role in the further refining of a global news style is rather
important, and as co-teachers of this news style.
University independence and self-control over education and research is essentially
important. But in order to push these things further, the development of global news reporting
could also build on dynamic collaborations between scholars and practitioners, in which
academic research and theoretical models meet the commercial conditions of news
production. The relevance and validity of above presented ideas will have to be reviewed and
developed. Therefore we have established contacts with a local newspaper (Nerikes
Allehanda) as well as with The Swedish Public Service Television Company (SVT) and The
Swedish Public Service Radio Broadcasting Company (SR) 2 . To begin with, the general aim
has been to exchange ideas and knowledge on news journalism in global times. A research
application was recently submitted to the Swedish Knowledge Foundation (KK-stiftelsen), in
which we (at Örebro University) have applied for grants in order to enlarge our contacts with
NA, SVT & SR, and to deepen the discussions on how to teach a global news style and
develop the GJN web portal, search engine and database in accordance with the specific
commercial conditions, needs and ideas of these news media. Ideally, these engagements
could result into a joint research project on the conditions and development of global news
reporting.
In conclusion/summary
This paper has presented some ideas on global journalism as global news reporting,
based on a mixture of theoretical and applied thinking. The central concern is the actual
development and expansion of a global news style. In this context, three processes are
considered crucially important. First, to continue the empirical identification and analysis of
emergent global news discourse in various news media. These empirical materials are
important for the continuing theoretical definition, refining and development of a global news
style (the ideas presented in this paper could be improved in many respects). Second, to
implement theoretical and practical education in global news reporting. Third and last, to
establish collaboration with media practitioners in order to explore media industry‟s view on
existing academic education and research on globalisation and media. Somewhat naively and
idealistically, I hope that these kinds of actions and engagements could support the
development and expansion of global news reporting in domestic news media.
NOTES
1. This group of researchers and lecturers includes Roland Stanbridge, Stig Arne
Nohrstedt, Anna Roosvall, Walid Al-Saqaf, Ernesto Abalo, Ulrika Olausson, Leonor
Camauër, Ahmed El-Gody and Meitab El-Gody.
2. More precisely, leading chief-editors at Nerikes Allehanda (NA), the tenth largest
newspaper in Sweden, The Swedish Public Service Radio Broadcasting Company
(SR) and The Swedish Public Service Television Company (SVT).
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Peter Berglez (PhD) is a researcher and lecturer in media and communications at Örebro
University, Sweden. He is interested in the relationship between globalisation and the news
media, and transnational journalism. Berglez is involved in a research project on analysing
media representations of climate change, and is the author of amongst others of ”What is
Global Journalism? Theoretical and empirical conceptualisations”, Journalism Studies 9(6):
845-858.
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