Proximity as a Key Factor on Journalism Practice: News Production and Consumption from a Cultural, Geographical, and Economic Nearness

Dear Colleagues,

Proximity has always been a key factor in journalism practice, where the offer of nearby content is linked to the very exercise of journalism as a social activity and a creator of public opinion (Huxford, 2007). As noted by previous research, proximity journalism not only favours citizen participation in the public sphere by addressing critical information (Al-Rawi, 2017; Napoli et al., 2017) but also gives visibility to local and regional communities (Morlandstø & Mathisen, 2022). In today's media environment, where global companies operate in platform capitalism and territorial boundaries have been diluted, reconceptualizing this value becomes an essential matter.

Thus, recent research has focused on proximity. Regarding news production, proximity journalists perform from a differential lens that leads them to focus on human interest angles, operating on the basis of community advocacy and the creation of forums for dialogue (Hanusch, 2015; Jenkins & Nielsen, 2020). In this sense, this value has become a cross-cutting pivot of the mission of public service media (Cañedo & Rodríguez-Castro, 2023). Moreover, the possibility of turning media audiences into primary sources of information is highlighted as positive (Jerónimo et al., 2022). However, as a negative side, the common physical presence of journalists when talking about proximity (Huxford, 2007) conditions their journalistic performance both by external pressures and emotional factors (Castelló, 2010; Perreault, 2021).

In terms of consumption, the ability of this value to generate a sense of belonging has been highlighted (Midões and Martins 2023), which brings audiences closer to their content and increases audience engagement (Boukes et al., 2022). Moreover, recent studies evidence that proximity is perceived as trust-building (Uth et al., 2021; Uth, 2022), a relevant issue in a global media ecosystem characterised by the high prevalence of misinformation. However, it has been shown that this trust relationship is stronger in traditional media than in new media, such as internet or social media (Splendore & Curini, 2020), which makes it especially relevant to deepen into platformization. Germane to this, recent research confirms the difficulties, both identity and financial, faced by proximity media when operating in platform capitalism (Sjøvaag and Owren, 2021; Cañedo et al., 2023; Martori-Muntsant, 2023; Stonbely, 2023).

All in all, in this Special Issue, we aim to delve into the way proximity is conceived as an essential value of contemporary journalistic practice. Therefore, we welcome submissions on both theoretical essays and empirical research. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Studies on communication and territory from a proximity perspective;
• Media theories applied to proximity journalism;
• Functions and characteristics of proximity journalism;
• Methodological proposals for the study of proximity media systems;
• Proximity media policy, governance, or economy;
• Case studies on proximity media systems or companies;
• Journalistic routines in proximity media systems;
• Audience studies in proximity media systems;
• Proximity media platformization processes;
• Social media and proximity media systems;
• Proximity journalism and political engagement.

References

Al-Rawi, A (2017) News values on social media: News organizations’ Facebook use. Journalism, 18(7), 871–889.

Boukes, M, Jones, NP & Vliegenthart, R (2022) Newsworthiness and story prominence: How the presence of news factors relates to upfront position and length of news stories. Journalism, 23(1), 98–116.

Castelló, E (2010) Framing news on risk industries: Local journalism and conditioning factors. Journalism, 11(4), 463–480.

Cañedo, A, Galletero-Campos, B, Centellas, D & López-Cepeda, AM (2023) New Strategies for Old Dilemmas: Unraveling how Spanish Regional Public Service Media Face the Platformization Process. Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, 29(1), 67–77.

Cañedo, A & Rodríguez-Castro, M (2023) La proximidad, eje transversal al servicio audiovisual público regional europeo. Estudio de caso comparado de España y Alemania. AdComunica, 26, 231–251.

Jenkins, J & Nielsen, RK (2020) Proximity, Public Service, and Popularity: A Comparative Study of How Local Journalists View Quality News. Journalism Studies, 21(2), 236–253.

Jerónimo, P, Correia, JC & Gradim, A (2022) Are We Close Enough? Digital Challenges to Local Journalists. Journalism Practice, 16(5), 813–827.

Hanusch, F (2015) A Different Breed Altogether? Distinctions between Local and Metropolitan Journalism Cultures. Journalism Studies, 16(6), 816–833.

Huxford, J (2007) The proximity paradox. Live reporting, virtual proximity and the concept of place in the news. Journalism, 8(6), 657–674.

Martori-Muntsant, A (2023) Multimedia and transmedia dynamics in local press: utopia or fact? An analysis of the Catalan case. Revista Mediterránea de Comunicación, 14(2), 299–309.

Morlandstø, L & Mathisen, BR (2022) Blind spots and diversity in a local media landscape. Journalism, 0(0), 1–18. [Online First]

Napoli, P, Stonbely, S, McCollough, K, & Renninger, B (2017) Local Journalism and the Information Needs of Local Communities: Toward a Scalable Assessment Approach. Journalism Practice, 11(4), 373–395.

Perreault, MF (2021) Journalism Beyond the Command Post: Local Journalists as Strategic Citizen Stakeholders in Natural Disaster Recovery. Journalism Practice, 22(10, 1279–1297.

Sjøvaag, H & Owren, T (2021) The Non-substitutability of Local News? Advertising and the decline of journalism’s umbrella market model. Nordicom Review. 42 (1), 1-–14.

Splendore, S & Curini, L (2020) Proximity Between Citizens and Journalists as a Determinant of Trust in the Media. An Application to Italy. Journalism Studies, 21(9), 1167–1185.

Stonbely, S (2023) What Makes for Robust Local News Provision? Structural Correlates of Local News Coverage for an Entire U.S. State, and Mapping Local News Using a New Method. Journalism and Media, 4, 485–505.

Uth, B, Badura, L, & Blobaum, B (2021) Perceptions of trustworthiness and risk: how transparency can influence trust in journalism. In: Blobaum, B (Ed.) Trust and Communication. Findings and Implications of Trust Research, pp. 61–81. Springer.

Uth, B (2022) The quality oriented, the audience engagers, the transparent: Types of editorial trust-building in German news outlets. Journalism, 0(0), 1–18. [Online First]

Dr. Azahara Cañedo
Dr. Marta Rodríguez-Castro
Dr. Luis Cárcamo
Guest Editors

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