Examining the boundaries of journalism in the digital age : a SEM test of digital transitions in newsrooms

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The debate about boundaries in journalism amid the rise of citizen journalism, the crisis of business models in the news industry and the use of social media in the news-gathering and dissemination process, has become a central focus in the media industry and academia. There is no doubt that the digital transition is a trend. Based on the Carlson's (2015) boundaries of journalism theory and Shoemaker and Vos' (2009) levels of analysis in the gatekeeping theory, administering a cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire, national online survey (N=1063), conducting a Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis, the study seeks to find out the relationships between socialization and perceptions of digital impact on journalism, journalists and news organizations. The findings showed news organizations' social media culture affects journalists' use of social media. Twitter interactivity mediates journalists' social media internalization and their attitude toward social media. However, this mediating effects does not apply to Facebook and other social media interactivity. The distinguishing line between reporters and editors is blurring in news organizations. Older journalists (age>40) are picking up social media as additional journalistic tools and developing a positive attitude toward them. However, there still may be a long way to go before old journalists become experts in social media.Includes bibliographical references