Mediatization in public bureaucracies: A typology

Kjersti Thorbjornsrud; Tine Ustad Figenschou; Øyvind Ihlen

doi:10.1515/commun-2014-0002

Article

Mediatization in public bureaucracies: A typology

Kjersti Thorbjornsrud , Tine Ustad Figenschou and Øyvind Ihlen

Published/Copyright: March 4, 2014

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From the journal Communications Volume 39 Issue 1

Abstract

Based on extensive fieldwork, the present article illustrates how the logic of the news media is expanding from influential communication departments to the practices, routines and priorities of traditional career bureaucrats. To theorize the mediatization of a traditional bureaucratic rationale, the article proposes a typology for how rule-based public organizations adapt to and adopt the news media’s implicit ‘logic of appropriateness.’ We emphasize the importance of (1) the news rhythm and (2) news formats, but also (3) how and why being in the media is valued by civil servants, and (4) how this leads to a reallocation of resources and responsibilities within the organization. We find that career bureaucrats both anticipate and adopt a news logic in their daily work. The normative implications of these transformations are discussed in the final section of the article.

Keywords: mediatization; public bureaucracies; news logic; bureaucratic logic; grounded-theory

Published Online: 2014-3-4

Published in Print: 2014-3-3

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2014-0002

Keywords for this article

mediatization; public bureaucracies; news logic; bureaucratic logic; grounded-theory