What if Reporters Need Creativity to Keep Their Jobs: Aggregate Results of Journalistic Consensual and Conflictual Creativity from Front-Line Journalists Working in the Field

Abstract

This article proposes a model of journalistic creativity based on 21 in-depth interviews conducted with seasoned front-line journalists and award winners from the field, together with 405 journalism students and student journalists. The said model frames “journalistic creativity”, which is hinged on the concepts of media professionalism from the traditional perspectives of journalism literature and political ideology albeit least studied in the academia–especially in journalism studies. As exemplified by the interviews and surveys conducted for this study, respondents seem to believe that creativity has now been taking a more prominent role especially in the manner of news presentation. Ostensively, they agree that creativity could only take place when the environment (accounting for media professionalism and political stance) allows. This study spotted the way media professionalism and political ideology serve as boundaries for journalists; however, there is always space for journalistic creativity especially when the conforming environment meets the conditions of consistent media professionalism and consistent political ideology. In addition, this study also presents how journalistic creativity plays out in day-to-day journalism so as to present the best of journalistic work.