The Forces Shaping Journalism and Journalism Studies: A Reply to Vos, Craft, and Witschge and Sabbah

Abstract

This essay is a reply to the three response essays discussing our essay “Journalism studies for realists: Decentering journalism while keeping journalism studies.” Recognizing the value of their comments and criticisms, our reply reiterates and clarifies three claims central to our argument for decentering journalism in journalism studies: that the metaphorical value of “decentering” lies in broadening the field’s conceptual and empirical horizons; that there is value in not taking normative assumptions for granted but instead considering norms from an extraprofessional perspective; and that decentering journalism helps expose how news relates to patterns of systemic inequality more clearly, systematically, and contextually. We argue that such considerations can make the field better equipped to help contribute towards addressing the pressing global issues and challenges of this era.