Journalism Audiences: Expectations and Perceptions of Journalistic Roles
Abstract
The main objective of this essay is to highlight the need to research the audience’s news needs from the perspective of journalistic roles. In a media landscape where audience loyalty is crucial for media survival, understanding the models of journalism that citizens expect to find in the media, and determining whether there is a gap between these expectations and the actual fulfillment of journalistic roles, presents a significant challenge for journalism research. This essay reviews the emerging literature on this topic to outline the current knowledge of the disconnect between media organizations and their audiences regarding the roles that journalism must fulfill in various political, social, and cultural contexts. Finally, we discuss two major consequences of failing to meet audience news expectations: news avoidance and the decline in trust in the media.
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