The future of journalism as a system, profession and culture: The perception of journalism students

Abstract

Currently, there is clear need for traditional journalism to redefine itself. The intention of this article is to portray the voices of future journalists in this quest. Therefore, Belgrade University journalism students were assigned to write down their contemplations about the journalism of tomorrow in essayistic form. In order to systematize their narratives, three theoretical understandings of journalism are introduced based on a literature review: journalism as a societal system, profession and culture. The essays were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative content and critical discourse analyses. The students' anticipated changes in journalism understood as a system, profession and culture are discussed, with a special focus on language, in order to deconstruct how students evaluate the future of journalism. Furthermore, the article shows how students perceive their role in redefining journalism.