Far from identifying a schism between academic and professional practice in media studies, I argue that recent developments in both fields have fostered a far closer relationship between the two arenas, and that it is precisely this proximity which is engendering anxiety among some commentators. The cultural practice of journalism focuses on issues, institutions and events 'from the outside', so it would seem hypocritical to suggest that journalists alone should have the right to critique journalism. This article looks at the usefulness of cultural studies in enabling a critique and analysis of journalism from a broad range of theoretical and methodological approaches. Drawing from the work of Gramsci and Canadian journalism educator and cultural studies advocate G. Stuart Adam, it suggests that journalism is a set of cultural practices which frame experience and form public consciousness of the here and now. The corporatising of journalists has been an issue in the United States for most of the current decade.
Journalists find themselves increasingly drawn into the commercial strategies of their employers.
Indeed, the role of the editor is increasingly also one of publisher. News value is as much a question of how to pursue and capture audience demographics and psychographics as it is about servicing the general democratic needs of citizens. Similar trends and concerns are evident in Australia. The question is whether this constitutes some kind of crisis for democracy or an evolving communication industry. What is certain is that the work of journalists increasingly needs to be analysed in terms of the 'communications industry' as a whole.