Emerging International Interdisciplinarity
 in Journalism Research

Review by Carolyn Edy

University of North Carolina

Global Journalism Research: Theories, Methods, Future, Martin Löffelholz and David Weaver, eds. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishing, 2008. 304 pages.

In Global Journalism Research, Martin Löffelholz and David Weaver have brought together more than two dozen journalism and media scholars to represent nearly a dozen countries. Löffelholz, a media studies professor at Ilmenau University of Technology in Germany, and Weaver, a journalism professor at Indiana University–Bloomington, had an ambitious goal for this book: “to give a comprehensive overview on journalism research and its different approaches, methods, and paradigms around the world” (p. 3).  One way in which the book succeeds in reaching its goal is the key phrasing “around the world,” rather than throughout the world or all over the world.  From among more than 200 countries in the world, the editors focus upon the following six countries: Mexico, South Africa, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany.

The book, derived from papers at a 2004 conference in Germany, is organized to provide an overview of journalism theories, methods, and findings—along with a discussion of the future of global journalism research. Each section devotes a great deal of space to the history of journalism research, so that the attention given to current and future research seems an afterthought in some chapters. Each of the 26 scholars is given only about 13-15 pages to provide his or her take on a topic, and the authors organize their chapter idiosyncratically so that some have conclusion sections, for instance, and some do not. Thus, while it is refreshing to read so many voices and perspectives in one textbook, the layout is unpredictable and feels disjointed at times.

Global Journalism Research is a valuable guide for those new to journalism research and are looking for a broad understanding of the discipline. Chapters providing background on several significant methods and theories that are used by journalism researchers, regardless of country or international focus, provide a good introduction to the field. The book’s emphasis is interdisciplinary, yet this emphasis is almost entirely on the processes and production side of journalism, as well as on the guiding philosophies and critical/cultural perspectives. Little mention is given to the effects side of journalism research.

For those who are familiar with journalism research in their own countries, but looking for a deeper perspective on the topic, or even for more of an international perspective, this book has somewhat less to offer. The majority of coverage in the section about findings and research paradigms around the world, for example, focuses on research within just one country at a time. So, while the book gives insight as to the state of journalism research in Mexico, South Africa, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany—this insight is focused on national research within each of these six individual countries.

However, this focus may not be surprising when one considers that in the past, journalism research did not have the need for a global focus, which is vital today. The very point of this book is that the future of journalism research now crosses geographic and cultural boundaries, and in the future it will be very different than the research of the 20th century. The book provides many suggested research topics that underscore the need for journalism research to be both entirely international and entirely interdisciplinary—even while considering all aspects of the journalistic process, including the education, socialization, and practice of journalism professionals.

The authors acknowledge this research agenda is highly ambitious and will be difficult to accomplish. Regardless of geographic location, one challenge has remained constant throughout the history of journalism research—journalists, journalism scholars, and journalism educators have difficulty understanding one another, much less agreeing on anything. Yet, the two dozen contributors to Global Journalism Research are optimistic because journalism practitioners, scholars, and educators have already begun to accept the challenges of interdisciplinary work and internationally focused research.