Objektivität als professionelles Abgrenzungskriterium im Journalismus

In light of pressures brought to bear by the Internet, it is becoming increasingly necessary for journalists to be able to point out specific criteria for demarcating their work against citizen journalists. An online experiment among German journalists and non-journalists investigates the increment value of journalistic news decisions with a particular focus on objectivity as one of the most important professional standards in journalism. Results show that journalists – similar to non-journalists – go by subjective predispositions rather than professional considerations of objectivity when making news decisions. Yet, unlike non-journalists, journalists recognize their norm-discrepant behavior and thereby meet an important prerequisite for professional accountability, which is becoming increasingly decisive for journalism’s professional identity.