Reconceptualizing journalistic media: Defining boundaries and identity in the digital era

Abstract

In a context of digital transformation, technological convergence, and emergence of new intermediaries, the media ecosystem has been reconfigured, blurring the boundaries of journalism and its professional practices in contrast to other media content. This research article explores the discursive contest over the definition of journalistic media and the influence of emerging actors who challenge the profession with external norms and practices. Specifically, this study analyzes how journalistic media are defined in the current landscape and examines whether academia should continue emphasizing the conceptual distinction between traditional and digital native media. To offer a conceptual framework, this research applies a qualitative methodology based on a focus group discussion, subsequently subjected to thematic analysis and open coding. The findings indicate that a legitimate journalistic media outlet is a legally constituted entity composed of professionals who adhere to the basic principles of the profession and ethical standards, providing factual, relevant, and timely information. The distinction between traditional and digital native media is deemed functionally irrelevant today, since both types of media share the same social roles and ethical principles. However, nuances persist due to their origins and levels of digital adaptation. The study underscores the need to maintain a flexible definition of journalistic media, open to technological changes and social transformations that influence and reshape both the journalism industry and the wider communication ecosystem, to preserve their relevance and legitimacy.