The study “Epistemic Contests in Journalism: Examining Struggles over Journalistic Ways of Knowing” by Matt Carlson from University of Minnesota proposed the concept of “epistemic contests” to analyze how various actors shape knowledge production norms and practices. 

Journalism is subject to constant debates about knowledge production. These debates are fundamental – they address the core issues in the epistemic commitments of journalism. Therefore, it is surprising that there remains a scant analytical framework for the analysis of these debates and contests.

The author had two goals in the paper. The first was to provide a framework for assessing epistemic contests concerning journalistic norms and practices taking into account the contextualized ways in which institutionalized knowledge practices are unsettled and contested. 

The second goal was related to objectivity: a way of assessing contemporary debates over journalistic objectivity. Although the journalistic norm of objectivity has been critiqued, these contemporary debates link to the discussion on journalism’s role in society. 

In the article, the author sought to bring awareness on how actors compete to define appropriate knowledge practices for journalism. The theoretical value of this is linked to how journalistic epistemology is connected to change. The concept also provides practical value in how journalistic can be rethinked.

The article  “Epistemic Contests in Journalism: Examining Struggles over Journalistic Ways of Knowing” by Matt Carlson is in Digital Journalism. (free abstract).

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