Times Are a Changin’: How a Merger Affects Construction of News Processes

• In Event: The New Organizational Landscape of Journalism

Abstract

This study offers an ethnographic analysis of the merger of the digitally native news nonprofit the St. Louis Beacon and St. Louis Public Radio. Researchers observed news work and interviewed journalists before and after the merger, paying close attention to how routines shifted after the merger. Through the lens of gatekeeping theory, researchers discuss how new specialized roles, technical changes and shifting news judgments affected communication routines and how journalists did their jobs. These findings are then discussed in the context of the ever-changing journalism industry and what this means for future gatekeeping studies.

Authors

• Patrick Ferrucci, Bradley U

• Frank Michael Russell, U of Missouri

• Heesook Choi, U of Missouri

• Margaret Ellen Duffy, U of Missouri

• Esther Thorson, U of Missouri