[ecrea] CFP AJMS Special Issue Cross-border Journalism

  *Journal of Applied Journalism and Media Studies*


    Call for papers for a special issue on cross-border journalism

Editors: Brigitte Alfter and Ștefan Cândea


  *Cross-border collaborative journalism*

The past few years have seen growing interest in /cross-border 
collaborative journalism./ The recent Panama Papers and Football Leaks 
investigations as well as the formation of new international networks of 
journalists are good examples. However, there is yet no agreement on an 
acceptable definition(s) to describe this journalistic genre and the 
processes it involves, as well the promises and perils it entails.

This special issue by /the Journal of Applied Journalism and Media 
Studies/ is to shed light on this hitherto under-investigated emerging 
practice, define it, theorize it and hopefully operationalize it. 
Presently, and for the purposes of this call, we broadly explain 
cross-border collaborative journalism as a process where “the producers, 
users and subjects need not, and often do not, share a common national 
orientation” Reese 2007: 40).We expand Reese’s definition to include the 
sharing of even less common grounds like language, culture, discipline, 
socio-political background and even the vocabulary of production and 
consumption.

Interdisciplinary contributions are welcome with “interdisciplinary” 
having a broad definition that embraces scholars as well as 
practitioners in related fields from diverse frameworks of thought. We 
want to examine how new developments are shaping the journalistic 
practice in different contexts and in the end how that will influence 
the future control over the shaping of global knowledge.

The editors of this special issue are practicing journalists with some 
academic research output investigating and analyzing non-profit 
organisations as well as for-profit journalism (Alfter 2016/1; Candea 
2016). They see themselves as /participant observers/ with a foot in 
both worlds, the world of practice and the world of academia.


    *What is happening in journalism?*

Our globalized world is characterized as a world of globalized business, 
financial flows, politics, and crime integrating swiftly across borders. 
But some observe that global knowledge and understanding is not keeping 
up with the pace of globalization, so journalists have a big role to 
play to bridge the gap (Rosenau 2008: 113). Trying to address issues 
emanating from the lack of global knowledge and understanding, 
journalists started building initiatives and organizations dealing with 
crossing borders and boundaries. Most prominent organizations positioned 
such actions outside traditional media because of news industry’s 
limitations. Many cross-border initiatives gained traction in 
investigative journalism and recently in data journalism as part of the 
cross-border effort with one foot in the non-profit realm and the other 
in journalism schools.


    *What are journalists doing and in which context?*

The context of journalism is changing with growing 
internationalization/globalisation, networking, and digitalisation. 
Having to cover internationalised power structures in all fields of 
life, journalists started organizing themselves internationally. They 
have established new structures and developed new working methods and 
legal considerations.  Latest mega-cooperations straddling borders show 
the central role of technology (OffshoreLeaks, Panama Papers, Football 
Leaks), with cross-border journalists, relying heavily on ICT solutions, 
especially in processing large data sets and exchanging information. 
Such developments expose two new types of issues of concern:

-the investigative work-flow and the relationship between journalists 
and sources are more than ever subject to surveillance by government and 
private communication agencies. Mega cross-border cooperations open many 
possible points of failure (as opposed to the lone investigator model)

-cross-border investigations are becoming a tool, first in the hands of 
private news industry groups and second in the hands of a new global 
investigative elite. Private groups make cross-border networks 
vulnerable to centralization, monopoly and control. The elite in the 
non-profit realm replicate the shortcomings of the traditional media.


    *The aim *

The aim of this special issue is to facilitate reflection on cross 
border cooperation/collaboration in journalism. “Borders” for this type 
of journalism are defined as barriers to be crossed. An overall wish is 
to gain an understanding of the role of journalism in developments of 
knowledge control in our societies including an understanding of 
commercial and funding flows and their effect on editorial agendas and 
ultimately freedom of expression.

The editors expect contributors to tackle aspects of cross-border 
journalism, with special attention paid to:

 1. Definitions of borders. Cross border collaboration implies
    geographical and language borders, which logically leads to
    boundaries in journalism style, type of media, discipline, etc.
 2. A wider definition of borders as /barriers to be crossed/ in terms
    of language, culture, discipline, socio-political background and
    even the vocabulary of production and consumption.
 3. Intranational cultural and societal boundaries, professional and
    inter-disciplinary boundaries, economic boundaries or boundaries of
    tech-literacy.
 4. Understanding and practice of cross border journalism, particularly
    of the variety of mindsets in journalism such as a “global outlook”
    as a necessary mindset.
 5. The question of an emerging homogenisation of journalism, which
    could lead to severe communication problems between journalists and
    their respective audiences due to the variety of audience contexts
    and traditions.
 6. The impact of cross-border journalism projects, such as the effect
    on the national versus the global outlook or the effect on
    Europeanisation, etc.
 7. Power structures, power brokers, creation of elites around
    cross-border cooperation, emerging of large professional gatherings,
    celebrity culture and “stage celebrities” in investigative journalism.
*Abstracts due*: May 31, 2017

Abstracts should be 250 words

*Acknowledgment of acceptance*: July 1, 2017

*Full papers due*: February 1, 2018

Academic articles should be 6000-8000 words; short articles - journalism 
pieces - should be up to 3000 words (or 3500).

*Correspondence*: Please address all correspondence to Brigitte Alfter 
at (brigitte /at/ alfter.dk) <mailto:(brigitte /at/ alfter.dk)> or Stefan Candea at 
(stefan_candea /at/ post.harvard.edu) <mailto:(stefan_candea /at/ post.harvard.edu)>


    *References & literature *

Alfter, Brigitte, Cross-border collaborative journalism: Why journalists 
and scholars should talk about an emerging method, 2016/2, /Journal of 
Applied Journalism & Media Studies/ /5/(2), pp. 301–315

Candea, Stefan, et. al., European Investigate Collaborations, /Making a 
Network/. Retrieved from 
https://web.archive.org/web/20170117120937/https://eic.network/blog/making-a-network 
<https://web.archive.org/web/20170117120937/https:/eic.network/blog/making-a-network>

Candea, Stefan, et. al., European Investigate Collaborations, /Football 
Leaks/. Retrieved from 
https://web.archive.org/web/20161207034456/https://eic.network/projects/football-leaks 
<https://web.archive.org/web/20161207034456/https:/eic.network/projects/football-leaks>

Reese, Stephen D., Journalism Research and the Hierarchy of Influences 
Model - a Global Perspective, 2007, /Brazilian Journalism Research/ 
/3/(2), 2007

Rosenau, James N., /People Count - Networked Individuals in Global 
Politics/, Paradigm Publishers, 2008, Boulder – London, p113


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