The gap between journalists’ and audiences’ perceptions of reporting on diversity

Jee Young Lee, Kieran McGuinness, Sora Park, Janet Fulton, William Lukamto

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Research suggests that the relationship between journalism and its audience is changing. As online platforms and various organisations participate in the production of information content audience expectations of what constitute news and who produces it is changing. They often seek various resources to meet their information needs, widening the gap between audiences’ and journalists’ perceptions about the role of news. This paper presents findings from a survey of n = 2266 multicultural audiences and n = 196 journalists in Australia to explore this gap. While audiences and journalists were similar in their views about traditional news values such as accuracy and timeliness, gaps emerged in their perceptions of reporting on issues of diversity. Audiences value the importance of diversity in reporting but journalists may consider it as one of the many competing priorities in their practice.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-20
Number of pages20
JournalJournalism
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - Sept 2024

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