Editorial: Journalism, Activism, and Social Media: Exploring the Shifts in Journalistic Roles, Performance, and Interconnectedness

Abstract

The emergence of the Hybrid Media System (Chadwick, 2017) has changed the actor constellations between political journalism, active members of the audience, and sources. How journalism responds to activism, pressure from politics, and emerging forms of connective action around news events is an important theme in journalism research. This thematic issue brings together seven articles that look at these developments from different angles in a rapidly changing communication ecosystem. The focus is on journalistic authority and legitimacy, journalism and interpretive communities, and changes concerning journalistic roles and practices.