Graham, T orcid.org/0000-0002-5634-7623 and Wright, S (2015) A Tale of Two Stories from "Below the Line": Comment Fields at the Guardian. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 20 (3). pp. 317-338. ISSN 1940-1612
Abstract
This article analyzes the nature of debate on “below the line” comment fields at the United Kingdom’s Guardian, and how, if at all, such debates are impacting journalism practice. The article combines a content analysis of 3,792 comments across eighty-five articles that focused on the UN Climate Change Summit, with ten interviews with journalists, two with affiliated commentators, plus the community manager. The results suggest a more positive picture than has been found by many existing studies: Debates were often deliberative in nature, and journalists reported that it was positively impacting their practice in several ways, including providing new story leads and enhanced critical reflection. However, citizen–journalist debate was limited. The results are attributed to the normalization of comment fields into everyday journalism practice, extensive support and encouragement from senior management, and a realization that comment fields can actually make the journalists’ life a little easier.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2015. This is an author produced version of a paper published in The International Journal of Press/Politics. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | comment fields; climate change coverage; Guardian; journalism practice; public sphere; readers' comments; UGC |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Media & Communication (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Apr 2017 13:41 |
Last Modified: | 16 Jan 2018 22:11 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161215581926 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/1940161215581926 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:113491 |