Professionalization of Journalists: Historical

Abstract

The historical professionalization of journalists refers to the process by which a distinct professional group (journalists) lays claim to social and cultural legitimacy. Following the sociological literature on professionalization, such legitimacy claims can be based on different things and be articulated in different way. This entry focuses on four generally agreed‐upon aspects of professionalization: (a) the gradual distinction of the occupation from other, similar occupations; (b) claiming a core knowledge and/or set of skills that can be achieved through formal education; (c) developing widely shared professional norms, both formal and informal; and (d) achieving and maintaining control over the profession and how it should be conducted. The entry discusses these aspects in turn as they apply to journalism. It is found that the emergence of the mass press in the mid‐nineteenth century and the so‐called “high modernism” of journalism in the period 1960–1990 are key historical moments in the professionalization of journalism.

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