Social Roles of Journalism

Tim P. Vos is Professor of Journalism at Michigan State University.Thomas Hanitzsch is Professor of Communication at LMU Munich.

• PrefaceIntroduction: Why Journalistic Roles Matter Section I: An Institutional Understanding of Roles1. A Genealogy of Studying Journalistic Roles2. Thinking About Roles and Institutions 3. Journalistic Roles as Communicative Constructs4. Who Speaks for Journalism? Section II: The Roles Journalists Perform 5. Foundations of Journalistic Roles in Political Life6. Mapping Journalistic Roles and Political Life7. Foundations of Journalistic Roles in Everyday Life8. Mapping Journalistic Roles and Everyday LifeSection III: Journalistic Roles and Change 9. Journalistic Roles as a Dynamic Process10. A Process Model of Journalistic Roles11. The Temporal Properties of Journalistic RolesConclusion: Final Thoughts NotesReferences Index

"Vos and Hanitzsch have written the definitive book on journalistic roles. Equipped with encyclopedic knowledge of journalism studies, they offer a comprehensive and persuasive analysis, with plenty of examples, nuance, and analytical heft. Their framework provides a useful set of categories to organize a rich field of inquiry."Silvio Waisbord, George Washington University"At a time of dramatic transformation and challenges, the social roles of journalists are both more important and more complex than ever. In this book, Vos and Hanitzsch bring together their unsurpassed theoretical and empirical expertise to deliver this instant classic: A magisterial, rigorous, and engaging account across time and place, providing a coherent vocabulary to talk about journalism studies' most vital questions."Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, Cardiff University