Laura Ahva, of University of Tampere, Arjen van Dalen, of University of Southern Dernmark, Jan Fredrik Hovden, of University of Bergen, Guðbjörg Hildur Kolbeins, of Bifröst University, Monica Löfgren Nilsson, of University of Gothenburg,  and Morten Skovsgaard, of University of Southern Denmark, study the professional identity of journalists working in the Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The systemic conditions in these countries are quite similar and welfare state and democratic corporatism have dominated the tradition. But is there such thing as welfare state journalism?

The study is based on survey data from the Worlds of Journalism Study. The results indicate that Nordic journalists see themselves as detached watchdogs and that they experience low economic influence on their work. According to the authors, Nordic journalists’ professional views appear to be linked to the characteristics of the political context and media system in which they work.

The article “A Welfare State of Mind? Nordic journalists’ conception of their role and autonomy in international context” was published by Journalism Studies. It is available here.

Picture: Snow by Dave & Margie Hill / Kleerup, licence: CC BY-SA 2.0