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      Solving journalism with data: Silicon Valley’s influence on the Fourth Estate

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      Journalism
      SAGE Publications

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          Abstract

          The historically ambiguous relationship between journalism and Big Tech can be traced back to the late 20th century, when news organizations started to recognize the potential of the Internet as a distribution platform. While a growing body of literature is concerned with power asymmetries between Big Tech and journalism, the role of place in shaping the layered histories of journalism remains underexplored. This study uses a framework of place—conceptualized as material and geographic, a setting for action and lived experiences carrying the legacies of their past, and a site of accumulating histories of cultural meaning and power ( Usher, 2019 )—to examine how Silicon Valley and Fourth Estate ideals converge. Empirically, the study analyzes job advertisements of four US and UK print-legacy news outlets serving as a window into shifting expectations, skills, and values that news organizations seek in their employees, reflecting broader trends in journalism. Findings show that journalism draws on Silicon Valley ideals, merging datasolutionism with Fourth Estate narratives of audience access. Some news organizations are not only tech-oriented but frame themselves as tech companies with a Fourth Estate mission. While both Silicon Valley and Fourth Estate narratives promote ideals of equal power distribution, findings indicate the reinforcement of hegemonic power structures in the news industry. We conclude that the influence of Silicon Valley on journalism is one of consolidating power through location, action, and cultural meaning, as news organizations construct datasolutionism as a pivotal novel layer to achieve long-standing Fourth Estate ideals. This analysis contributes to our understanding of the historical context and evolving nature of the relationship between journalism and Big Tech, highlighting the significance of place in shaping the dynamics between these two increasingly intertwined industries.

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          Most cited references47

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          Using thematic analysis in psychology

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            When data is capital: Datafication, accumulation, and extraction

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              The Costs of Connection : How Data Is Colonizing Human Life and Appropriating It for Capitalism

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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                (View ORCID Profile)
                Journal
                Journalism
                Journalism
                SAGE Publications
                1464-8849
                1741-3001
                May 15 2023
                : 146488492311761
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Universität Hamburg, Journalism and Communication Studies, Hamburg, Germany
                Article
                10.1177/14648849231176110
                30375975-a11f-4604-93ad-e2eaec2d5985
                © 2023

                https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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