Resisting Perceived Interference in Journalistic Autonomy : The Study of Public Service Media in Slovakia

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14230%2F21%3A00122618" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14230/21:00122618 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4204" target="_blank" >https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/4204</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.17645/mac.v9i4.4204" target="_blank" >10.17645/mac.v9i4.4204</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Resisting Perceived Interference in Journalistic Autonomy : The Study of Public Service Media in Slovakia

Original language description

Autonomy is of paramount importance for journalism, but there is little empirically based knowledge of how journalists cope when it is threatened. Using a case study approach, this contribution examines a newsroom conflict that took place in the public service Radio and Television of Slovakia. It started when the new director general, a person believed to have ties to one of the coalition political parties, was elected by the parliament in 2017, and it culminated in layoffs and resignations of more than 30 reporters and editors in 2018. The case study is based on semi-structured interviews (N = 16) with the journalists who decided to quit in protest of what they called “creeping political pressure,” those whose contracts were not prolonged, those who decided to stay at their jobs, and the members of the previous and the new management. Building on the interviews and document analysis, the article inductively develops a classification scheme for resistance practices the journalists used to cope with the perceived interference with their professional autonomy that came from within their media organisation. These practices include having internal discussions, voicing concerns during newsroom meetings, writing an internal letter to the management, meeting with the management, establishing a trade union, requesting mediation, writing an open letter to the viewers and listeners, publicly criticising the management in the media, voluntarily asking to be re-assigned to another topic area or position in order to avoid interference, staying at one’s job in open opposition to the management, and resigning in protest.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

50800 - Media and communications

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2021

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Media and Communication

ISSN

2183-2439

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

9

Issue of the periodical within the volume

4

Country of publishing house

PT - PORTUGAL

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

93-103

UT code for WoS article

000721148300010

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85117374790