Ajakirjaniku allikakasutus. Kolme juhtumi analüüs ajalehe Postimees näitel

The aim of the present research is to investigate journalistic information processing methods, explicitly the use of sources. The study contains three cases (three ordinary working days of three journalist at the daily Postimees). The research is based on triangulated methodology: ٠ Critical reading of journalists´ news texts including the comparison of edited and journalists´ original (non-edited) news texts. ٠ The observation of journalists´ working day. ٠ Interviews with the observed journalists. The aim of this study was to find out what kind of sources and how journalists use, what type of sources and how influence the final content of news, and what are the main factors that force journalists to one or another choice in use of sources. Another aim of the study is to find out what kind of information this kind of combined method gives about journalists´ information processing methods. Speaking of journalistic use of sources it is important to know who sets the news agenda – either journalist, who has direct vision of the problem that is being observed, or the source, who is either influential, easy to reach, has gift of blarney or is giving information routinely etc. The study showed that when we want to get correct answers about journalistic use of information, merely analyzing the news texts is not enough. It can give some basic answers about journalists´ working methods, but the text doesn’t show where journalist found the news, how many sources were actually used, how much collected information and why didn’t get to the news etc. The main result of the study is that journalists use different information processing methods. It is also not correct to compare edited and non-edited news texts without asking the journalists´ comments. Without doing that wrong conclusions could be made. The materials of the observation of journalists´ working day are not merely transcripts of journalists´ actions during one day. They also contain the transcripts of journalists´ interviews made with different sources. It enables to analyze journalists´ communication with sources and shows what are the subjects that sources tell about (either on journalists´ or on their own initiative). The study showed that the three journalists working methods are rather different. Although, younger and less experienced journalists use less close listening and are less efficient in focusing (they missed several new subjects that sources told them about). The third journalist, who has years of experiences and who is working for now as part-time journalist (having more time for collecting sources), was more thorough and, having more time for preparing the article, used much more sources than the other two. One conclusion that could be made, is that the news agenda depended in these cases more on the quality and novelty of the news than on eminence of the sources.http://tartu.ester.ee/record=b2115279~S1*es