Futures of Journalism Profession: Scenario Analyses of Innovation Journalism Based on Critical Drivers in the Today’s Media World

Journalism is a key profession in the modern information societies. In recent years, many new drivers have emerged and fundamentally changed the role of traditional "old-school" journalism. The professional requirements of journalism are in a process of complex tensions. This article analyses the futures of journalism as a profession from different perspectives, relevant for the futures of journalism profession (see e.g. Pavlik 1999). First scenario analysis focuses on the tools and methods of journalism and on the content substance of journalism. In this section of the article, the author performs a scenario analysis (Scenario analysis 1), which indicates that there are many constraints for the innovation journalism, which typically requires high substance competences of journalism, but also methodological competences in the fields of innovation and foresight research. In the second scenario analysis (Scenario analysis 2), the driving role of digital ICT technology and learning processes of journalists are analyzed in relation to the modern journalism profession. In this scenario analysis, the author uses Max Boisot́’s Information Space theory as a theoretical framework. This scenario analysis highlights a finding that the management of digital libraries is one key challenge for successful innovation journalism and dynamic innovation media. In the third scenario analysis (Scenario analysis 3), the driving role of two innovation paradigms are analysed in relation to the modern journalism profession. The alternative paradigms are (1) closed innovation process paradigm and (2) open innovation process paradigm. Again, new interesting aspects are found for the development of modern innovation journalism. This section provides new theoretical perspective on how to analyze the role of public attention in innovation ecosystems, its stakeholders, and the interaction between them. This section also provides new, fresh perspective on how journalism and innovation interact in global context where economies are becoming more and more driven by innovation. In the fourth scenario analysis (Scenario analysis 4), the author presents Knowledge Retrieval Matrix developed by Gammelgaard and Ritter (2004). The critical driving forces of this new theoretical knowledge management model are: (1) Organizational codification strategy and (2) personification strategy as knowledge management strategies of innovation journalism. In this scenario analysis, the role of (1) databases, (2) individual memory, (3) social capital and (4) virtual communities of practice are analyzed from the perspective of innovation journalism. In this section, the author points out that through the establishment of virtual communities of practice, the codification and personalization strategies can be combined, which is fundamentally advantageous for knowledge management among innovation journalism professionals. All the provided scenario analyses are critical and provide new innovative thinking tools for new, more effective strategies of the modern innovation journalism and