“The More Local, The More Success” : Identifying Global Journalism in a Local Newspaper

Sammanfattning

This study examines the influence of global journalism on the reporting practices of a local newspaper in Sweden. It centers on the perceptions and practices of journalists in a small Swedish town, with particular emphasis on their editorial decisions and the extent to which global issues are integrated into their content. Global journalism increasingly blurs the boundaries between domestic and international news. Yet, the incorporation of global journalism into local media remains an insufficiently examined area. This research addresses this gap using a qualitative multi-method approach, which includes semi-structured interviews with local journalists and content analysis of articles published over a one-month period. The interviews probe journalists’ attitudes towards global journalism, while the content analysis employs the six building blocks of global journalism to assess the presence of global perspectives in the newspaper’s coverage. The findings reveal a substantial disconnect between the theoretical ideals of global journalism and its practical application in a local context. The content analysis indicates that global journalism is scarcely represented in the local newspaper, with global issues appearing sporadically and within a narrow scope. Interviews with journalists suggest that their reporting prioritizes local concerns, often at the expense of broader global contexts. The study concludes that global journalism, as defined in academic discourse, is not significantly present in the local Swedish newspaper analyzed. The content remains predominantly focused on local matters, with minimal integration of global perspectives. In light of these findings, the study advocates for refining the theory of global journalism, contending that it fails to manifest effectively in small local media outlets that prioritize local issues, cater to a local audience, and intentionally sideline global or national agendas. The study proposes the term “superlocal journalism” to describe this distinct form of journalism, setting it apart from the established concept of “hyperlocal journalism.”