Journalists in local newspaper – traditional press missionaries or digital media workers?

Abstract

The article examines Polish local journalists views about their profession and outlines the relation between new media, society and journalists. The core of the paper is build up at findings from survey of local journalism conducted at newsrooms in 2008-2010 in selected poviats in Lower Silesia (Southern Poland). The main aim of the study is to investigate any development in attitudes to different professional values and changes of the local press journalists work conditions due to the ICT, global network rapid growth and market pressure. The interviews cover among others such aspects of journalists’ work as: conditions of employment; reducing journalist’s freedom; censorship inside the editorial staff; the pressure of the owner; the pressure coming out of the publishers (e.g. politicians; local government; businessmen); journalism ethic rules; trainings; journalism expectations. The article is exploring the role of the local newspaper journalist. It is being examined the impact of the contraction in the local press on the newsrooms and journalists. Moreover it is being analysed the extent to which the attitude of local journalists to local public life is changing and whether the local media fulfil the watchdog function.