## The ethics of journalism challenged

## The blurring boundary between local

## journalism and communications

## JAANA HUJANEN

University of Helsinki

## MIKKO GRÖNLUND

University of Turku

## JUHO RUOTSALAINEN

University of Turku

## KATJA LEHTISAARI

Tampere University

## VILJAMI VAARALA

University of Helsinki

## Abstract

The  article  examines  Finnish  news  professionals'  views  on  the ethical challenges that ensue from emerging and intertwining forms of  local  professional  journalism  and  communications.  Besides describing  the  current  situation,  the  article  employs  data  from  a survey  of  editors-in-chief  to  investigate  how  news  professionals anticipate the relationship between journalism and communications evolving in the future. Respondents perceived a blurring of the boundary between local journalism and communications.  They  observed  economic  pressures  creating incentives for news media to compromise their journalistic ethics and  ethical  concerns  arising  from  professional  communications' adoption of journalistic practices. Editors-in-chief maintained that the boundaries between journalism and other forms of communication are clear in their media but indistinct in other local news  media  outlets  and  in  society  in  general.  They  predicted  an ambiguous,  even  grim,  future  of  local  news  media  in  Finland. However,  local  news  media  may  have  a  positive  future  if  they become distinct, attractive and relevant again to citizens.

## KEYWORDS

blurring boundaries, boundary work, Finland, futures of journalism, journalism ethics, local media, scenarios

## Introduction

The boundary between local journalism and communications is becoming  increasingly  blurred  (Hagelstein  &  Zerfass,  2020).  In digital  media,  since  all  communication  takes  place  through  the same medium, the boundaries between different forms of media content have become difficult to maintain (Carlson & Lewis, 2020). Moreover, the influences of communication, public relations (PR), marketing  and  advertising  on  journalism  are  growing  as  news outlets  search  for  new  business  models  (Ikonen  et  al.,  2017; Macnamara,  2016).  As  professional  journalists  are  working  with fewer resources, they have become more open to content produced outside  the  newsroom,  such  as  native  advertising  (Kantola  & Lounasmeri, 2014). Consequently, new forms of local journalism, commercial  communication,  social  media  practices,  algorithmic media logics and public relations are intertwining, combining an array  of  ideals,  practices  and  characteristics  (Jenkins  &  Graves, 2020). The ethical code of practice regarding hybrids of journalism and  other  forms  of  communication  remains  ambiguous  and unstable (e.g. Poutanen et al., 2016). Concurrently, the credibility of the  fields  of  communication  and  journalism  is  threatened,  for example,  via  non-transparent  native  advertising  (Macnamara, 2014).

In  this  article,  we  examine  how media professionals from local news  media  in  Finland  perceive  the  shifting  boundary  between professional journalism and communications, related ethical concerns and the possible futures of the relationship between the two fields. As the field of communications is varied and new forms of communication continue to emerge, we refer to communications foremost as strategic and commercial communications, such as PR, marketing and advertising. The emergence of communications in the  journalistic  field  is  of  particular  interest  in  Finland,  which  is considered a Nordic media  welfare state where  professional journalists  have  a  strong  professional  ethos  and  audiences  have high trust in the news media (Ala-Fossi et al., 2021; Newman et al., 2020;  Syvertsen  et  al.,  2014).  However,  media  professionals  in Finland have called for a more critical attitude when reporting on economic power holders and private companies (Ala-Fossi et al., 2021). This suggests that ethical and normative concerns touch even relatively healthy news ecosystems.

The  reshaping  of  journalistic  means  and  the  ensuing  ethical challenges are in their initial stages. To make better sense of actors' expectations for the journalistic field to evolve, this article presents alternative scenarios of the journalism-communications relationship. Thus, it situates among approaches that integrate an explicit investigation of projected futures in social sciences research,  including  journalism  studies  (Ananny  &  Finn,  2020; Mische, 2009; Urry, 2016). These approaches diverge from futures studies as their research interest concerns present representations of futures rather than possible futures as such (Poli, 2010). Representations  of  futures  matter  because  they  influence people's decisions, from everyday choices to investment decisions, for  example  (Brown  et  al.,  2000).  Thus,  we  do  not  purport  to anticipate  the  futures  of  local  journalism  but  to  examine  how Finnish journalists make sense of the times to come and participate in  debates  regarding  the  present  and  future  boundaries  between journalism  and  communications  -  debates  which  influence  the changes they pursue in their everyday and strategic work.

## The context of Finnish local news media

Local media play a crucial role in helping people feel attached to their communities, providing relevant news and a space for public debate  and  supplementing  the  national  news  agenda  of  large national newspapers (Hujanen, 2000; Syvertsen et al., 2014). Despite their essential functions, local news media have decreased significantly  in  Western  media  systems  (Nielsen,  2015).  The  local news media, which operate on thin margins, are confronted with changing news consumption habits and a shift from print to online news, which reduce the viability of current business models and the desirability of existing products and services (Ala-Fossi et al., 2018).

Finnish local media remain relatively vibrant. Regional newspapers,  supplemented  by  a  diverse  local  press,  constitute  a cornerstone  media  in  the  Finnish  news  ecosystem.  However, Finnish news  media  companies  still significantly  depend  on advertising  revenue  from  their  print  editions,  which  makes  them sensitive to the amount and targeting of advertising (Ala-Fossi et al., 2020). Attracting new paying, particularly younger, subscribers has proven challenging (Ala-Fossi et al., 2018) - the Finns are slightly less  willing  to  pay  for  news  compared  to  many  other  Western countries (Newman et al., 2020). Though Finland still has a large number of newspapers, titles and circulation have decreased since the early 1990s. Therefore, diversity risks can be seen in people's possibilities to access local news (Ala-Fossi et al., 2018). Simultaneously, new social media groups and hyperlocal initiatives offer  online  news  or  content  services  pertaining  to  particular communities (Hujanen et al., 2021).

Like other Nordic countries, professional journalists in Finland highly respect ethical standards and codes (Hallin & Mancini, 2004;

Hujanen,  2009;  Pöyhtäri  et  al.,  2016).  The  high  modern  ideal  of autonomy has referred to a dispassionate and impersonal journalist with an outsider, matter-of-fact perspective. Autonomy has presupposed that journalism is independent of economic, political or other influences (Deuze, 2005). Following this, journalists have recognised the importance of being just and independent of outside influences,  functioning  as  gatekeepers  of  economic  and  political spheres  of influence and  citizens  (Hujanen,  2016).  However, pursuing independent journalism is not necessarily easy. In 2020, the  majority  (79%)  of  newspaper  editors  claimed  that  they  had experienced  attempts  by  politicians,  readers  or  advertisers  to influence  journalistic  content  within  the  last  couple  of  years (Kivioja, 2020).

The ethical guidelines for journalism in Finland place the public first:  journalists  must  be  accountable,  first  and  foremost,  to  their audience - readers, listeners and viewers (Council for Mass Media in Finland [CMM], 2013). The principle of public good has also been central to journalists' professional identity. However, a reinvention of journalistic ideals can be seen in the reimagining of the principle of public service - journalists increasingly understand public service as catering to the needs of their audiences and interacting with them (Pöyhtäri et al., 2016).

## Blurring boundaries and the projected futures of journalism

Conceptualisations  of  the  blurring  boundaries  of  journalism situate  the  shifting  relationship  between  local  journalism  and communications as part of broader digital media trends. The notion of blurring boundaries has become a pervasive, catch-all diagnosis of  the  processes of change and transformation in journalism and digital media (Loosen, 2015). Proponents of this notion argue that since  anyone,  in  principle,  can  participate  in  the  production, interpretation  and  distribution  of  news  online,  the  distinction between  professional  journalism  and  other  forms  of  content production  becomes  impossible  to  maintain  (Carlson  &  Lewis, 2020). The processes of de-boundedness are intensified by journalism's  dependence  on  technology  providers  as  well  as commercial  pressures  which  create  incentives  for  journalists  to abandon their strict adherence to journalistic norms (Loosen, 2015). Consequently, the boundaries have become blurred within journalism as well: many perceive that digital media have rendered traditional  journalistic  dichotomies,  such  as  editorial  desks  vs. marketing departments, obsolete (Chadwick, 2013).

The concept of blurring boundaries implies a relational view and ontology  of  journalism,  where  journalism  is  conceived  of  as relations between  mutually  influencing actors, positions  and interests, instead of defining essences, such as journalistic norms (Loosen et al., 2022). From a relational perspective, an investigation of the blurring boundaries between journalism, PR and communications sheds light on what journalism is becoming ,  not only  on  the  de-bounding  processes  as  such  (Deuze  &  Witschge, 2020). Since  the  concept  of  blurring  boundaries  denotes  ongoing processes of change, it is a temporal term that focuses on forces and trends  that  are  remaking  journalism  (Carlson  &  Lewis,  2020).  A temporal, future-oriented perspective unveils the normative undertones  of  the  notion  of  blurring  boundaries.  It  implies  a particular  future  where  journalism  is  a  decentralised,  distributed and  participatory  process  rather  than  a  distinct  institution  and profession (Deuze & Witschge, 2020; Starkman, 2011). The seemingly  neutral  description  of  journalism's  unbounding  thus appears as a deeply ethical concern.

Abbott  (2001)  argues  that  instead  of  the  boundaries  of  things, researchers should look for the things of boundaries - the 'things' that  draw  boundaries  between  actors  and  fields.  Journalism  is distinct from other forms of communication particularly owing to its ethics and related journalistic practices (Singer, 2015). Therefore, one  way  to  examine  how  the  blurring  of  boundaries  between journalism  and  communications  is  changing  both  fields  is  to investigate  how  actors  in  both  fields  articulate  and  rearticulate journalistic  ethics  and  norms.  In  this  article,  we  examine  ethical principles  and  practices  as  the  'things'  of  boundaries  by  probing journalism  professionals'  views  on  them  in  the  context  of  local journalism and communications.

The blurring boundaries and consequent transformations in the practices, ideals, technologies and business models of journalism have  made  the  futures  of  journalism  open  and  uncertain.  The uncertainty  and  fluidity  have  increased  the  demand  for  trend analyses, predictions and other types of foresight that promise to offer insight into the futures of journalism (Lowrey & Shan, 2018). Journalists themselves, implicitly and explicitly, anticipate what the futures of journalism will be like as they develop new journalistic practices and adapt to the digital media landscape (Franklin, 2014). The increased interest in the futures of journalism raises questions about  what  future  actors  will  anticipate  for  journalism,  whose interests the anticipated futures serve and how these imaginations and expectations influence current practices (see Poli, 2010). Since journalistic ethics are an essential boundary object of professional journalism, discourses on the futures of journalism fundamentally concern  its  ethics.  Moreover,  journalistic  ethics  and  normative underpinnings are a crucial dimension of journalism's anticipated futures also as imagined futures address different interests and create normative expectations of the times ahead (Brown et al., 2000).

## Ethical concerns and the blurring of boundaries

Recent research on journalism ethics shows that ethical challenges connect to the blurring boundaries between (i) journalistic and non-journalistic content within news media and (ii) journalism  and  advertising  from  the  viewpoint  of  the  casually employed and (iii) the emergence of public organisations claiming to provide news and journalism.

## i) The blurring boundaries between journalistic and non-journalistic content

The merging of journalism and communications is perhaps most explicit in native advertising and sponsored content -advertisements or sponsored articles that mimic the style and form of news. These forms of marketing and PR are ethically concerning because they disguise their inherent commercial or otherwise nonpublic intent (Beckert, 2022). Disguising non-journalistic content as journalism  contradicts  the  ethical  norm  of  news  media  being transparent about the nature of their content. The production of sponsored content and native advertising requires the input of both marketing and journalism professionals, which erodes the firewall between journalistic work and commercial content. Researchers are concerned  about  how  marketing  ventures  and  corporate  profits impact  editors'  decision-making  (Beckert,  2022;  Poutanen  et  al., 2016).  A  particularly  worrying  development  is  the  shifting  of responsibility  for  detecting  commercial  content  and  associated ethical  burdens  to  audiences.  As  the  ethical  codes,  regarding sponsored content, is not up to date, the importance of establishing shared  ethical  guidelines  for  marketing  and  journalism  has  been asserted. (Ikonen et al., 2017; Macnamara, 2014).

Across the domains of communication, advertising and journalism in the United States and Finland, only eight of 40 ethical codes explicitly address sponsored content (Ikonen et al., 2017). The ethical  guidelines  for  Finnish  journalists  do  not  include  native advertising or sponsored content, although a clarifying statement by  the  Council  for  Mass  Media  in  Finland  (CMM)  acknowledges them. This statement encourages all media to disclose advertorials, advertisements, marketing materials or commercial blogs as 'advertisements'  or  to  indicate  that  the  content  was  created  in  a

'commercial  collaboration'  with  an  advertiser  (CMM,  2015).  The guidelines also require journalists and news outlets to make a clear distinction between advertisements and editorial content.

## ii) Casually employed journalists and advertising

The economic instability in the media industry has led to greater precarity in the job market, employment insecurity and a growing number of freelancers and casually employed journalists (Gollmitzers, 2021; Mathisen, 2018). Ethical challenges arise as the affiliation between journalism and advertising deepens, both as a consequence of the changing professional roles of news producers these developments bring about and in terms of ensuring continued journalistic autonomy, credibility and translparency. These ethical challenges are particularly highlighted for freelance journalists who also do public relations work. These individuals tend to experience inter-role  conflicts  when  trying  to  merge  conflicting  professional norms and ethical codes in their work (Obermaier & Koch, 2014).

## iii) Public organisations producing quasi-journalistic content

PR practitioners, such as public organisations, municipalities and cities, have expanded who can claim to produce journalistic content for local audiences (Grafström & Rehnberg, 2019). This development is likely to blur the boundary between journalism and communications because these organisations are not independent of the local administration and public officials. Their emergence has also caused ethical concerns. For example, Swedish local journalists perceive  a  threat  to  their  profession  when  municipalities  and organisations communicate directly with their audiences (Nygren, 2020).  Furthermore,  an  analysis  of digital  news  sites  operated  by Swedish county councils has raised concerns about the trustworthiness  and  credibility  of  such  operations:  how  strategic communication can be combined with journalistic goals (Grafström & Rehnberg, 2019).

The Finnish ethical guidelines of PR, marketing and advertising underline  that  professionals  must  work  in  accordance  with  the interests of their employer or client (see e.g. Council of Ethics for Communication, 2015; Finnish Association of Marketing, Technology and Creativity, 2017). The convergence of these fields with  journalism  creates  a  substantial  ethical  conflict  where  the ambitions of the employer or client and the public service ideal of journalism  could  be  incompatible.  In  addition,  the  guidelines applying to strategic communications, PR, advertising and marketing professionals are various and less unified than those for professional journalists, and  it is not clear  which  guidelines communications professionals should follow owing to the potentially  varying  job  descriptions  and  positions  (Ikonen  et  al., 2017). In the case of public organisations, several ethical guidelines apply simultaneously, since the professionals must also consider, for  instance,  the  ethical  guidelines  and  laws  concerning  civil servants.

## Research questions, data and method

The  article  aims  at  answering  the  following  three  research questions: (RQ1) How is the boundary between local journalism and communications perceived to blur and why? (RQ2) What are the ethical challenges and contradictions that emerge from the blurring of  boundaries  between  local  journalism  and  communications? (RQ3)  How  can  the  blurring  boundaries  with  communications change local journalism and its ethical-normative stances by 2025? These questions will be answered using data from an online survey of media professionals.

The survey was conducted in December 2020, and invitations to participate  were  sent  to  272  people.  The  target  group  was  the editors-in-chief of all member publications of News Media Finland (NMF). Editors-in-chief  of  other  non-NMF  member publications, including  newspapers,  free  newspapers  and  hyperlocal  media, known to the researchers supplemented the target group. In total, 103 responses were collected (38% response rate). Almost all (95%) respondents were editors-in-chief. A few acted simultaneously as editor-in-chief and CEO. More than half (61%) of the respondents represented paid-for local newspapers, one fifth (18%) free-sheets and city papers and one tenth daily newspapers (12%). Almost half (43%) of the represented publications covered one municipality and one fifth covered two or more municipalities (22%). One fifth (18%) were provincial newspapers.

The survey covered the content, goals and cooperation networks of the respondents' publications, journalists' guidelines and ethical principles, and the relationship and boundaries between journalism and commercial, strategic, social or other forms of communication. The survey comprised Likert-scale and multiple-choice questions (12  in  total)  and  two  open-ended  questions  addressing  (i)  the emerging  ethical  conflicts  between  professional  journalism  and communications  and  (ii)  how  the  respondents  anticipate  the relationship between the two will develop.

The  Likert-scale  and  multiple-choice  questions  were  analysed statistically.  Direct  quotations  from  the  open-ended  questions illustrate the results of the multiple-choice questions, which were thematically categorised to reveal core conceptions of local media actors in making sense of journalism's relation to communications and  its  future  pathways.  The  response  categories  of  the  second open-ended question were analysed to build scenario outlines of the futures of local journalism and communications in 2025. The outlined alternative futures are scenario sketches rather than proper scenarios because they are based on the survey results and do not include additional information from other sources (see Bell, 2003). The scenario sketches are employed as 'heuristics' that illustrate the respondents' views on the near future of local news in Finland and its  relationship  with  other  actors  in  the  field  of  local  media  and communications.

## Results

## Analysis of the Likert-scale and multiple-choice questions

To answer RQ1 and RQ2, we first present the results of the Likertscale  and  multiple-choice  questions  using  illustrative  quotations. Then  we  proceed  to  the  qualitative  analysis  of  the  open-ended questions to answer RQ3.

## To serve both residents and advertisers

The  content  and  objectives  of  the  publications  were  mapped using  eight  statements  (see  Figure  1).  The  views  of  respondents representing different types of publications did not differ significantly.  The  publications'  most  important goals are to serve the  residents  of  the  circulation  or  distribution  area  as  well  as advertisers. Nine out of 10 respondents fully agreed that the purpose of  their  publication  is  to  provide  a  corporate  advertising  channel (91%)  and  to  serve  local  people  (89%).  Thus,  the  ideal  of  public service is being reinvented in a way which enhances the blurring of the boundary between journalism and communications.

Figure 1: Respondents' views on the guidelines for journalists and ethical principles, average (n = 103).

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One explanation for the need to serve the interests of advertisers can be that Finnish newspapers are strongly attached to a business model based on subscription revenue from readers and advertising revenue from advertisers (Picard, 1989). The need to serve advertisers and local businesses likely enhances both the development  towards  market-oriented  local  media  and  news  as services  to  customers  and  businesses.  As  the  quotation  below shows,  advertisers  are  perceived  as  a  key  target  group  alongside readers, who are seen as consumers of local events:

I  would  not  say  that  there  are  major  contradictions;  however,  practices have changed over the years. For example, event times and ticket prices were previously clearly excluded from editorial material and were part of the  announcement  material,  but  now  they  are  automatically  part  of  the article. (R#71)

## Critical reporting is not the most important task

Somewhat  surprisingly,  critical  reporting  on  local  decisionmaking fell short of the goals listed as most important. There were differences by type of publication. Almost all representatives of daily papers fully agreed that critical reporting on local decision-making is important, whereas only half (53%) of the editors-in-chief of free- sheets and city newspapers fully agreed with this. However, just over one-ninth (11%) of respondents from free city newspapers at least agreed somewhat with this statement.

Critical reporting on local issues did not appear to be as relevant as  in  previous  research on journalists' self-perceptions (Hujanen, 2009).  The  fact  that  the  business  model  of  free-sheets  and  city newspapers is based solely on advertising revenue may affect the willingness  to  report  critically  on  local  business  and  politics.  In addition, city papers usually have a small editorial staff and minimal resources to pursue time-consuming information acquisition. The results may also evince the difficulty in obtaining information about issues within municipalities. According to another survey of editorsin-chief,  blocking  access  to  information  is  a  problem  in  some municipalities,  and  in  such  cases,  decision-makers  seek  to  curb negative  news  coverage,  and  all  publicity  is  an  abomination  to incumbents (Kivioja, 2020). The intensifying effort to curb negative and critical  news  coverage  is  a  prime  example  of  the  heightened need for ethical considerations among local news professionals, as communications professionals play an increasingly central role in the local information environment.

## 'We don't know if the guidelines for journalists should be updated'

Questions around ethics in journalism are topical but problematic  for  Finnish  local  media  professionals.  Almost  half (44%) of the respondents were unsure of whether the guidelines for journalists,  a  central  element  of  journalism's  boundaries,  need updating. This may indicate the experience of a growing mismatch between the guidelines and practical work but unawareness of how the guidelines should be changed. Nonetheless, most respondents perceived it as easy for journalists to follow instructions. Less than one fifth (16%) found it at least somewhat challenging. Respondents perceived following these guidelines to be slightly more challenging at community and district newspapers than at other publications.

## Same field and similar content but different rules

The majority (87%) of respondents felt that journalism and other communications work in the same field but with different rules. This presents  a  clear  sign  of  the  blurring  of  boundaries  between journalism  and  communications  as  well  as  an  ethical  challenge. Respondents described that the content produced by nonjournalistic actors and communities can be similar to journalistic products without being journalism. Respondents also indicated that the  motives  of  the  background  community  are  not clearly  stated when  these  communities  produce  news-like  content.  A  major ethical  consequence  of  the  ongoing  process  is  the  perceived confusion in society about what is and is not journalism. According to  respondents,  the  boundary  between  journalism  and  other communications is far from clear for audiences, officials, policymakers or business representatives. Of note, 'the demarcation between journalism and other material is seen as unclear in general in society and media but not in their own media'. According to the majority of respondents (95%), the demarcation between journalistic  and  other  material  is  unclear  in  local  news  media  in general:

Many media outlets have started to blur the distinction between journalism and marketing. This puts pressure on us too. (R#32)

'There are ethical problems but not in our media'

Besides  seeing  a  problematic  blurring  of  the  boundaries  of journalism outside their  own  media,  respondents  recognised ethical challenges. They positioned them outside their own media and expressed confidence about their own professionalism, expertise and adherence to ethical principles. The majority (91%) saw no ethical conflicts between the editorial and other material in their  own  publication.  Some  did  not  even  see  'any  kind  of relationship'  between  journalistic  and  non-journalistic  content. They referred to different but undefined 'goals' and 'points of view' which steer the making of journalism and communication:

Journalism is made from its own point of view, communication from its own. (R#59)

Journalism has its own goals and communication has its own goals. There will be no contradictions when this is acknowledged and the editorial staff follow their journalistic goals. (R#7)

New forms of municipal communication are enhancing the blurring of boundaries

Regarding the blurring of boundaries, new forms of local media and communications that employ journalistic genres and styles are perceived to play a central role (see Figure 2). Our data indicate that genres  and  styles  of  professional  journalism  work  as  essential 'things'  of  journalistic  boundaries.  According  to  four  out  of  five (81%)  respondents,  new  forms  of  local  communication,  often similar to journalism, challenge traditional journalism and cause an ethical  dilemma. Only one in seven (15%) respondents disagreed with  this.  As  the  quotations  below  illustrate,  municipalities  that communicate via their own website or social media sites are seen to enhance  the  blurring  of  the  boundary  between  journalism  and strategic communications:

Social media, where municipalities are also making an effort, is blurring the line between journalism and marketing communications. (R#30)

Municipalities  have  taken  a  more  prominent  role  in  communication  and produce similar content with the media. (R#103)

More than half (59%) of the respondents also stated that content produced by communications and marketing agencies as well as citizen journalists and activists weakens the position of professional journalism.  Therefore,  they  perceived  the  transformation  within local media both as a question of the boundaries of journalism and of the future position of local media in society.

Figure 2: Respondents' views on the boundary between journalism and communications, average (n = 103).

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Pressure from outside the newsroom is felt within the newsroom as an ethical concern

Our results further suggest that the ideal of autonomy is being challenged in a profound way by forces outside the newsroom and media. Two thirds (63%) of respondents viewed external pressure or temptation  as  influencing  the  content  of  the  publication  they represent. Significantly fewer (26%) respondents stated that there is no such effect. The open answers indicate that externally, politicians,  companies,  organisations  and  opinion  leaders  try  to influence content on a daily basis.

J. HUJANEN ET AL.

//

## Business motives from inside are also felt as an ethical concern

Almost half (42%) of the respondents perceived that the business objectives  of  their  background  company threaten the journalistic independence of their publication. Within local media, there seems to be more pressure than in newspapers in general. In 2020, an NMF survey mapped attempts to exert an influence perceived as pressure or bribery. In the present study, one fifth (17%) of the editors-inchief  of  newspapers  and  city  newspapers  had  experienced  their company's  management  seeking  to  influence  the  newspaper's content (Kivioja, 2020).

Problems  with  the  business  model  enhance  the  blurring  of boundaries

The results further indicate that changes in the business environment challenge the news media's traditional two-revenue stream business model. The long-lasting decline of print media in the market seems to continue increasing the financial pressure on local news media as well. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic caused an additional significant decrease in advertising revenue, posing severe challenges  for  local  news  media.  The  drop  in  advertising  was especially challenging for free-sheets and city newspapers that are completely  dependent  on  advertising  revenue.  The  quotations below illustrate that the problems related to both Covid-19 and the traditional business model were thought to enhance the blurring of boundaries  between  journalism,  commercialism  and  marketing. The ethical problem which arises is that content, such as marketing material, is presented as journalism although it does not follow the ethical guidelines of news making:

The  borderline  between  journalism  and  commercialism  is  blurring  even more. The Covid-19 pandemic has increased pressure from the publisher. (R#46)

The decline in advertising has weakened the funding base of journalism. The risk is that more pre-produced information and marketing material will be published in the name of journalism. (R#61)

## A contradiction between the ethical principles of journalists and communications professionals

More than half (58%) of the respondents conveyed that the ethical principles  of  journalists  and  communications  professionals  are contradictory.  Thus,  our  study  indicates  that  ethical  principles function as central 'things' of boundaries of journalism and other forms of communications. One third (31%) of respondents did not want to comment on this issue. Perhaps these respondents did not have  a  clear  idea  of  the  differences  and  possible  contradictions between  the  ethical  principles  of  the  groups.  Non-response  may also indicate a transition between journalism and communication; that  is,  ethical  principles  and  practices  are  taking  shape  and respondents were unable or unwilling to take a stance. Less than half (42%) of respondents could not say whether there is a conflict between journalists and communications professionals, while more than  one  third  (39%)  perceived  a  conflict  between  the  ethical principles of these occupational groups.

## Analysis of the open-ended questions: a conflicted future for journalism and communication?

The first  open-ended question enquired about ethical conflicts the respondents saw emerging between journalism and communications  (RQ2).  According  to  the  responses,  the  most ethically  worrying  trend  is  'the  use  of  journalistic  practices  and styles in PR and other forms of commercial or strategic communications' (21 responses). Such content resembles journalism  but  does  not  follow  basic  journalistic  norms,  such  as critical reflection and reliance on facts. This type of media content was viewed as ethically questionable for concealing the commercial and  strategic  interests  it  advances  while  appearing  to  serve  the public good. Such content can also create pressure for journalists to cover issues in a positive light and emphasise emotions rather than facts in their news delivery. One respondent even likened communications to 'fake news' that uses information delivery as a smokescreen to pursue a hidden agenda:

Communications is a 'fake news medium'. They appear impartial but pursue the  background  organisation's  own  cause,  e.g.  companies,  communities and municipalities. (R#83)

Respondents also highlighted the increased quality and professionalisation  of  communications  as  a  source  of  ethical conflicts. The more professional and trustworthy commercial and strategic content appears, the easier it becomes to promote private interests.  The  professionalisation  of  communications  has  created incentives for local newsrooms to publish PR content as news, often without any or only slight editing by journalists (see also Barnoy, 2021):

Communications  have  clearly  become  more  professional,  and  press releases increasingly remind one of finished newspaper articles. Our own publication does not publish press releases without editing, but many other media do. (R#77)

The reductions in editorial staff create an incentive to use so-called readymade PR materials  that  come  from  both  the  private  and  public  sectors. (R#91)

The second response category shows an ethically worrying trend of  citizens',  firms'  and  public  officials'  difficulties  in  deciphering between journalism and communications (14 responses). According  to  respondents,  this  is  particularly  due  to  increases  in professionally  produced  PR  content,  such  as  blogs.  Part  of  the professionalisation  is  the  production  of  news-like  content  by various actors who do not adhere to journalistic norms:

It  is  infuriating  when  I  ask  for  an  interview  with  local  officials,  [...] concerning  a  property  sale,  for  instance,  and  they  respond  that  their marketing  department  will  send  a  ready-made  article  on  the  topic.  It  is frustrating  to  explain  time  and  again  why  we  won't  publish  the  offered article as such. People have become astonishingly ignorant in this respect [telling the difference between journalism and other content]. (R#30)

Respondents  divulged  that  they  foresee  a  risk  of  journalism becoming  content  just  like  any  other  in  the  eyes  of  the  public. Consequently, journalistic criticality may appear as an annoyance rather than an important  ethical principle. This can further undermine journalism's legitimacy and authority:

Municipalities have their own communication strategies and they seek to get that through in the media. Local officials and politicians have an attitude that  the  local  or  regional  newspapers  should  support  the  municipality's communication strategy. (R#36)

The above three categories describe trends that will continue and potentially strengthen in the future. They shed light on the 'futures knowledge' upon which local news media actors make sense of their potential futures and which influences their decision-making and strategic planning (Pouru et al., 2019). The emerging dynamics seem rather grim: while the economic sustainability of local news media deteriorates,  communications  become  professionalised  and  of increasingly high quality. Consequently, three patterns emerge: (i) news media are inclined to publish PR materials without or with only  slight  editing,  (ii)  content  producers  are  able  to  produce material that resembles professional journalism and (iii) the public finds it increasingly difficult to differentiate the two. These patterns create an ethical dilemma, as communications thrive by exploiting professional  journalism  while  the  democratic  function  of  news media deteriorates  as  a  consequence.  These  dynamics,  and  their alternatives,  are  elaborated  and  explored  further  in  the  following scenario sketches.

## Future of local news media and journalism: three scenario sketches

To answer RQ3 on possible futures, the responses to the second open-ended question were grouped thematically, resulting in three categories  and  corresponding  scenario  sketches  written  by  the authors. The scenario sketches outline possible directions in which the relationship between professional journalism and communications  could  evolve  by  2025  and  illuminate  how  news media actors make sense of the possible futures and act accordingly in the present.

## Scenario sketch 1: Journalism on the sidelines

By  2025,  well-resourced  PR  and  communications  firms  have become central in local media ecosystems. Yet the local news media have  been  unable  to  find  a  sustainable  business  model.  With diminished resources, local journalism continues to lose its relevance.  The  news  media  are  still  tethered  to  print,  whereas communications businesses operate mostly online. This gives nonjournalistic content producers an upper hand, as online media are often  more  attractive  to  advertisers  and  audiences.  The  ageing population  adds  to  news  media's  financial  conundrums,  as  new generations rarely pay for local news. Many of the surviving local news organisations supplement the deteriorated news production with native advertising. Consequently, the news media organisations end up supporting their non-journalistic competitors.

It is common for municipalities, associations, schools, healthcare providers and other local institutions to buy services from PR and communications  firms  or  have  their  own  highly  professional communications  departments.  The  content  they  produce  often mimics journalism but lacks its criticality of those in power. Public actors  increasingly  communicate  directly  to  their  audiences  on social media. Consequently, communications have become communal  and  intimate.  Detached  and  critical  journalism  often seems out of place in this kind of media landscape.

The  scenario  also  highlights  the  importance  of  news'  financial sustainability for journalistic ethics. The more dire a news outlet's financial  situation,  the  more  tempted  it  will  be  to  compromise journalistic  ethics  by,  for  instance,  publishing  native  advertising without sufficient measures to keep the editorial and business desks separate. However,  the scenario also underlines the role of audience-centric approaches for the news media. Competition for audiences'  interest  and  attention  will  likely  continue  to  increase, thus making the need for ethical considerations ever more urgent.

## Scenario sketch 2: Different fields, different rules

In  2025,  both  local  journalism  and  local  communications  are thriving,  since  they  both  have  found  their  own  niche  in  the  local media ecology. Communications produce cheerful and entertaining content, while local news media have doubled down on their core functions, such  as investigative  reporting.  The  news  media's sharpened focus  has  contributed  to  a  significant  growth  in  news subscriptions, which has enabled editorial independence.

Local citizens have realised that professional news media often give  them  a  fuller,  wider  and  more  measured  picture  than  other local  information  providers  do.  It  is  widely  acknowledged  that someone has to tell the local public about unpleasant issues, such as child custody issues or the closing down of nursing homes. The news media also excel at following long-term trends and providing background information on local issues. Besides the back-to-basics approach of local news media, their newfound success owes to their new, audience-centric practices. The local news media are constantly developing new ways to appear interesting to audiences. Central to these practices is an emphasis on local and hyperlocal issues and cooperation with local communities.

The  futures  of  journalism  are  often  described  as  journalism's expansion  beyond  'mere'  reporting  and  news  analysis  (Nielsen, 2017).  From  an  ethical  viewpoint,  the  scenario  maintains  an opposite strategy of narrowing down to journalism's core functions. Focusing on 'hard news', according to the respondents, would make it easier to guard the ethical boundaries of journalism. The scenario also suggests focusing on hyperlocality and local communities as an ethically sustainable strategy to cater to audience needs.

## Scenario sketch 3: Everything is just content

By 2025, the content economy has soared due to strong demand from businesses and consumers alike. These new revenue streams have proved irresistible to news media. Local journalism has found financial  sustainability  by  embracing  the  styles  and  practices  of commercial communications. The boundary between professional journalism and communications has all but disappeared, and local news media are disincentivised to adhere to journalistic norms and practices. Nonetheless, journalism still has authority and trustworthiness.  Local  news  media  offer  a  premium  channel  for organisations and other actors seeking to stand out in the masses of content.  Collaborations  with  news  media  often  result  in  highquality content that addresses serious issues that are significant to the local public.

This scenario raises the ethically worrisome  but  very  real possibility  that  financial  pressures,  competition  for  attention  on social  media  platforms  and  audience  demand  will  erase  the boundary  between  journalism  and  communications  altogether. However, the scenario maintains that in this context, an ethically sound approach for news media is to focus on top-tier content that addresses issues of public importance.

## Discussion

This  article  has  examined  the  blurring  of  boundaries  between local  journalism  and  communications.  We  have  conceptualised ethics  as  a  central  element  of  boundary  work  (Singer,  2015)  and approached the unbounding of journalism as an ethical concern. The article sought to answer the research questions on how and why the  boundary  between  local  journalism  and  communications  is perceived to be blurring, what ethical challenges emerge from this and how the blurring of boundaries can change local journalism and its  ethical-normative  stances  by  2025.  The  questions  have  been answered by using survey data gathered from Finnish news media professionals.

The  study reveals that within professional journalism, the boundaries between journalism and communications are allegedly eroded by a growing neglect of critical reporting. This is connected to  problems  with  business  models  and  a  strengthened  desire  to serve advertisers. Extrinsic forces, in turn, produce new actors who produce content similar to journalism but do not adhere to its rules and pressures from other actors, such as advertisers or politicians, about  what  should  be  reported  and  how.  Compared  to  previous research  on  journalists'  self-perceptions,  the  role  of  advertisers seems to have become increasingly important (Hujanen, 2009, 2016; Pöyhtäri et al., 2016).

According  to  the  study,  the  blurring  of  boundaries  between journalism  and  communications  has  at  least  three  fundamental implications. First, the public cannot differentiate between journalism and other forms of media content as well as their ethical underpinnings.  Second,  the  blurring  of  boundaries  may  indicate that  providing  readers  with  market-  and  community-oriented services is growing in importance compared to the more traditional civic duty of news media. Third, the existing ethical guidelines for journalism or communications cannot fully address or solve ethical dilemmas that emerge in this context. Most respondents felt that journalism and other communications work in the same field but with different rules, and more than half perceived a contradiction between the ethical principles of journalists and communications professionals.  From  this  perspective,  establishing  shared  ethical guidelines for marketing and journalism would be important (see Ikonen et  al.,  2017;  Macnamara,  2014).  When  the  ethical  code  of practice is understood as one of the most fundamental 'things' and a cornerstone of the boundaries of journalism (see Abbott, 2001), it is noteworthy that almost half the respondents were unsure about whether  the  guidelines  for  professional  journalists  should  be updated.  This  implies  that  it  is  unclear  for  many  within  the journalism profession how the code of ethics should be approached - and what the boundaries of journalism are.

Our  study  supports  many  of  the  observations  regarding  the concerns around journalism ethics (see Beckert, 2022; Poutanen et al., 2016). Respondents  saw  a  dual  'crisis' that threatens to undermine the ethical integrity of local journalism. First, the dire economic prospects of many local media outlets create pressures to adopt practices that are ethically ambiguous, such as publishing PR materials without editing them. Second, increasingly professionalised and well-resourced communications were seen to produce  high-quality  content  that competes  with  journalistic content and problematically borrows from journalistic styles without the critical mindset of professional journalists. Consequently, the boundary between journalism and other communications has become far from clear for audiences, officials, policymakers or business representatives. Companies and municipalities  communicate  to  the  public  and  disseminate  their messages through different media according to their communication  strategies. Likewise, for instance, in  Sweden (Grafström & Rehnberg, 2019), confusion is seen as becoming more severe as local communications, particularly those of municipalities, become more professional and increasingly borrow from journalism.

The  survey  respondents  anticipated  the  relationship  between local journalism and communications evolving along three alternative scenario outlines. In the first scenario outline, 'Journalism on the sidelines', local journalism continues to wither due to the eroding business models and intense competition from other  local  media  producers.  In  the  second  scenario  outline, 'Different fields, different rules', local journalism and communications diverge and find their own niches in the local news ecology. In the third scenario outline, 'Everything is just content', local  journalism  finds  financial  sustainability  by  embracing  the practices of commercial communications. These scenarios do not necessarily predict the future but, rather, shed light on expectations (Brown et al., 2000) that local news media have of their futures. Such expectations  influence  strategic  decision-making  and  resource allocation, and thus influence how the future eventually unfolds.

The scenarios remind us that the economic and cultural collapse of professional local news media, and their consequent replacement by  other  quasi-journalistic  local  media  producers,  is  serious  and plausible. The scenarios highlight three trends contributing to the erosion of journalistic ethics and boundaries: news outlets' financial challenges,  competition  for  attention  on  social  and  other  digital media and audiences' indifference to professional journalism. The scenarios  suggest  two  strategies to avert an  ethical crisis in journalism. The first is to double down on the core functions of news journalism to make it more distinct from other local news content. The  renewed  focus  on  'hard  news'  can  be  paired  with  making journalism  attractive  for  audiences  by  focusing  on  (hyper)local issues  and  cooperating  with  local  communities.  Moving  in  the opposite  direction,  the  second  strategy  is  that  the  news  media abandon journalistic norms and opportunistically produce content that attracts audiences while employing their prestige and authority to charge premium prices. In this future, journalism can rebuild its ethics by focusing on 'serious' issues that serve the public despite being paid for by third parties.

The results indicate that providing local news users with marketoriented services is gaining importance among local news media. New forms of local news content seem to strive for a more positive and  cheerful  approach  to  cities  and  communities.  How  this  reengagement  with  local  audiences  is  carried  out  is  among  the fundamental questions and uncertainties of the local news media. One possibility is that the critical civic duty of news media is left to 'others', but it remains unclear who these critical media actors are.

The  study  shows  overall  trends  in  news  practitioners'  views regarding ethical challenges and future perspectives, but it has its limitations.  More  nuanced  insight  into  the  blurring  boundaries between professional  journalism  and  communications  calls  for  a qualitative research design. Thematic interviews with media professionals  would  deepen  our  understanding  of  practitioners' views and sense-making on the issue. Qualitative text analysis could shed more light on how the ethical contradictions are visible in the J. HUJANEN ET AL.

//

media content. It is also evident that operating in the same field with different  rules  has  caused  ethical  dilemmas  that  would  require critical  discussion  about  ethical  guidelines  for  journalism  and communications.

## ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The article has been funded by the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation. We would like to thank research assistant Ira Holmqvist for her valuable contribution to this article.

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## JAANA HUJANEN

Professor

Swedish School of Social Science Univeristy of Helsinki jaana.hujanen@helsinki.fi

## MIKKO GRÖNLUND

Research Manager Brahea Centre University of Turku mikko.s.gronlund@utu.fi

## JUHO RUOTSALAINEN

PhD fellow Finland Futures Research Centre University of Turku juho.ruotsalainen@utu.fi

## KATJA LEHTISAARI

Senior Lecturer Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences Tampere University katja.lehtisaari@tuni.fi

## VILJAMI VAARALA

PhD fellow Swedish School of Social Science University of Helsinki viljami.vaarala@helsinki.fi