Media bourgeoisie and media proletariat in post‐communist Romania

Abstract

The fall of communism and the appearance of a free press have led to the birth of a new professional body of journalists in Romania. This situation offers a unique laboratory in which researchers can study a living, growing organism, the way a profession creates its legitimizing ideology, internal systems to control the professional body, and new power relations. On the basis of data derived from a shortened version of the Weaver–Wilhoit questionnaire, completed by 400 Romanian journalists, this paper aims to identify the social and professional composition of this new body of journalists. In the second part, analyzing the discourse of media representatives and the transformations of the newsroom, the study presents the processes of settling that have appeared since a small group of journalists‐turned‐owners has taken control of the professional field. From this perspective, the study stresses the idea that transition in the mass media should not be regarded from a normative view, but should be understood rather as a battle for power, the ultimate goal being the closure of the professional field and the legitimation of a new media bourgeoisie.

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