International comparative research on journalism: theoretical and methodological challenges

Abstract

The article discusses theoretical and methodological difficulties related to the intention of comparing perceptions about role performance on journalistic professional practices in countries with different journalistic cultures. The study examines the investigative tools of Journalistic Role Performance Around the Globe project, which aims to gauge the distance between representations about professional roles and the daily practices of journalists in 23 countries. The article presents the conceptual basis of the research project and critically analyzes the limits of two research instruments adopted - a content analysis of news items and a survey with journalists, the authors of evaluated news items. The article points out a delicate trade-off between the variations in journalistic cultures and the categories adopted in the research instruments (with their respective variables) and states that recognizing it is essential for circumscribing and relativizing the scope of such investigations.