Whenjournalistsand marketersnegotiate: A competency-based analysis of negotiation processes in Brazilian and Belgian media organizations

Abstract

This study consists of understanding how interactions between journalists and marketers occur in the context of two organizations from Belgium and Brazil. We seek to understand what is being negotiated, as well as whether there are differences in their applied strategic approaches. To do this, we conducted a cross-national perspective on participant observation and open interviews for data collection. We describe the elements found in the field and relate these processes using “competency-based” analysis. The results of this approach show that issues such as revenue models, organizational cultures, hierarchical positions, relevant professional skills, and personal motives play an important role in the negotiation processes between journalists and marketers. Also, we observe that gatekeeping practices are – to some extent and in specific cases – shared between journalists and marketers.