Journalism faculty and students collaborate on renowned international research project
Faculty and students from the School of Journalism examine the Canadian journalism industry in a new research publication titled Epic snowmen, expert takes, and audience orientation: How journalistic roles are performed in Canadian media. This is the first major publication from the Journalistic Role Performance (JRP) team in Canada. The international project brings together researchers from 37 countries. From Toronto Metropolitan University, research was conducted by Journalism Professors Nicole Blanchett and Lisa Taylor, as well as Sociology Professor Heather Rollwagen.
Journalism Professor Nicole Blanchett
Journalism Professor Lisa Taylor
The research publication is guided by questions surrounding various topics in journalism, including the roles of Canadian journalists, the differences in role performance between French and English media in Canada, and how journalistic role performance in Canada differs from other countries. The aim of the research is to gain a better understanding of newsroom practice and the content being created by journalists, and foster better relationships between academics and journalists that can lead to better analysis and more robust and transferable findings.
Researchers from 37 countries including Canada have come together for the Journalistic Role Performance project
A first-of-its-kind examination of Canadian journalism
Epic snowmen, expert takes, and audience orientation: How journalistic roles are performed in Canadian media shares results from a content analysis of thousands of stories with a survey of journalists that is further contextualized by interviews with journalists. This examination also provides a new perspective on the industry, Blanchett says.
“Due to the breadth of the study, we have greater understanding of journalistic practice in English and French media, where the gaps are between ideals and practice, where traditional narratives of journalism are being challenged, and how we might need to rethink what's prioritized in journalism education,” she explained. “It also provides an important temporal perspective, as it captures practice during the eruption of a global pandemic and a time of transformation within the journalism field.”
In addition to bridging the gap between journalism practice and education, Blanchett says this project has also been an opportunity to involve journalism students in this area of research.
“This project has provided an amazing opportunity to mentor TMU students, get them excited about research, and give them a chance to connect with the wider research community,” she said.
Creating new narratives
Third-year Journalism student Sama Nemat Allah worked on the publication in a research assistant capacity. As someone who will soon be breaking into the industry, she says this research has made her think about her role as a journalist in a completely new light.
Sama Nemat Allah is a third-year Journalism student at The Creative School
“Scholarship like this has the power to reverberate deeply within the industry. As an incoming journalist that is breaking into the field during a period of deep and foundational disruption for news organizations, this project is a paramount step in unpacking how journalists might best service the public, our communities and one another,” she said. “It also allows us to approach our roles within media apparatuses with more intention and understanding. Our journalism, our words and our narratives make ripples and I think this piece of work shows us that."
Bringing together international researchers
Researchers from around the world, including those from other countries working on the Journalistic Role Performance project, will be coming to TMU in the spring to a conference being organized by the Canadian JRP team. The conference is supported by a SSHRC Connection grant and will build on international partnerships with hopes to sustain them in the future.
For more information on the conference, visit the website (external link, opens in new window) and access the complete publication here (external link, opens in new window) .
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