Towards a more reflexive journalism

In this era of globalisation it is emphasised that we live in one world, but what does that entail? Strong economic divides, border controls and migration regulations exist and are continuously being reshaped. Divides between a western we and a non-western they are also constructed in the news media. In Norway this aspect of the history of journalism is largely unwritten.

‘Up here’ and ‘down there’ is an attempt to explore a part of this press history aiming at new ways of reading texts representing the ‘non-European Other’. Based on critical studies of Edward Said, Norman Fairclough and a number of other scholars Elisabeth Eide analyses the representation of India and Indians in the prestigious Norwegian weekend supplement to a major newspaper. A separate chapter presents an analysis of contemporary feature stories on immigrants and refugees in Norway. In this chapter, the reporters and some of their sources are also interviewed.

The aims of this work have not been to freeze a ‘we-they’-dichotomy, but to look for variety, different constructions of otherness, and to find categories and questions that may be used in dialogue with the texts. In spite of unearthing a hierarchical tradition in the historical material, the writer, being a journalism educator, is thus exploring the possibilities for a more nuanced representation of the ‘non-European Other’. This may be found in examples of reflexive journalism, in which the reporter lets herself be seen by the Other, as a representative of ‘the West’, of the ‘majority society’, or as a professional.

At times the we-they-divide tends to disappear and open up a ‘third space’ belonging to a larger we in which people recognise integration and cultural understanding as a reciprocal endeavour.

The study applies discourse analysis and places the text both in a societal, professional and generic context. By concentrating on feature stories, the study emphasises the wider possibilities of a genre distinguished from conventional news genres. One conclusion is that reporters who want to develop journalistic representation across presumed ethnic divides may find a feasible strategy in a combination of specific non-news genres and professional reflexivity.