The study “What a “Platform Press” View Has to Offer” by Mike Ananny from University of Southern California presented a novel way of looking at journalism: centering the focus on “the press” and the concept of the “platform press” view.

The term press, according to the author who makes it clear he is not speaking linguistically here, is distinct from the word “news” and “journalism”, in that journalism can loosely be defined as a verb, while news can loosely be defined as a noun. Press then is the structure which selects certain verbs and nouns.

The distinction between news, journalism and press can be traced back to numerous studies. Park already in 1940 had the distinction, as did numerous scholars in the 70s and 80s. Further on, scholars have qualified press with adjectives to trace its power and limitations, with Reese (2021) being a particularly good example of such discussion.

The study is focused on defining “platformization” in relation to press, and presenting what the platform press view has to offer. There are three things that the platform press view has to offer: 1) News Work is Platform Labor, 2) Normative Honesty, and 3) The Long View.

The first point refers to the fact that the platform view sees news work as inseparable from the work of platforms: making and maintaining social media systems. Increasingly, the term “reader” has become the term “user”, when engagement has become more akin to social media. The platform looks both inside and outside the newsroom to find the conditions for news labor.

The second point is that the platform view sees press’ normative power as a combination of journalistic ideals and platform logics. There are many questions here, ultimately about whether news organizations actually know enough about how platforms work and what they value.

The third point allows for scholars, practitioners, and activists to have a more more mature, equitable, less reactionary, and more hopeful relationship with the platforms and their power. Questions about the impact of AI fall under this category too, allowing for a buffer against technological shocks.

The author ends his article with ponderings on various views in future research, concluding that it may be a time to center the platform press as an object of study, concern, and potential.

The article “What a “Platform Press” View Has to Offer” by Mike Ananny is in Digital Journalism. (free abstract).

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