Hybrid Engagement : Discourses and Scenarios of Entrepreneurial Journalism

This is a sel -a chi ed e sion o an o iginal a icle. This e sion may di e om he o iginal in pagina ion and ypog aphic de ails. Au ho (s): Ti le: Yea : Ve sion: Copy igh : Righ s: Righ s u l: Please ci e he o iginal e sion: CC BY 4.0 h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/ Hyb id Engagemen : Discou ses and Scena ios o En ep eneu ial Jou nalism © 2018 by he Au ho s; licensee Cogi a io (Lisbon, Po ugal). Published e sion Ruo salainen, Juho; Villi, Mikko Ruo salainen, J., & Villi, M. (2018). Hyb id Engagemen : Discou ses and Scena ios o En ep eneu ial Jou nalism. Media and Communica ion, 6(4), 79-90. h ps://doi.o g/10.17645/mac. 6i4.1465 2018 Media and Communica ion (ISSN: 2183–2439) 2018, Volume 6, Issue 4, Pages 79–90 DOI: 10.17645/mac. 6i4.1465 A icle Hyb id Engagemen : Discou ses and Scena ios o En ep eneu ial Jou nalism Juho Ruo salainen 1,* and Mikko Villi 2 1Finland Fu u es Resea ch Cen e, Uni e si y o Tu ku, 00130 Helsinki, Finland; E-Mail: juho. uo salainen@u u. i 2Depa men o Language and Communica ion S udies, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, 40014 Jy äskylä, Finland; E-Mail: mikko. illi@jyu. i * Co esponding au ho Submi ed: 7 Ma ch 2018 | Accep ed: 24 May 2018 | Published: 8 No embe 2018 Abs ac Al hough he challenge posed by social media and he pa icipa o y u n conce ns cul u e and alues a he e y hea o jou nalism, jou nalis s ha e been eluc an o adop pa icipa o y alues and p ac ices. To encou age audience pa ic- ipa ion and o o e jou nalism ha is bo h us wo hy and engaging, jou nalis s o he u u e may emb ace a hyb id p ac ice o jou nalis ic objec i i y and audience-cen ed dialogue. As inno a i e and expe imen al ac o s, en ep eneu ial jou nalism ou le s can pe o m as o e unne s o such a cul u e. By analysing discou ses in he “Abou Us” pages o 41 en- ep eneu ial jou nalism ou le s, he a icle examines he eme ging jou nalis ic e hos o en ep eneu ial jou nalism and i s pa icipa o y endencies. The esul s show a concep ion o jou nalism ha is a hyb id o he jou nalis ic ideals o dialogue and objec i i y. This kind o hyb id jou nalism and adjacen “hyb id engagemen ” can o e an answe o he dual challenge o how o make jou nalism mo e pa icipa ion- iendly while a he same ime hold on o he de ining alues and c i e ia o jou nalism. D awing om u u es esea ch, he a icle concludes by ske ching ou scena ios o how en ep eneu ial jou nalism and pa icipa o y hyb id engagemen may de elop in he u u e. Keywo ds a ec ; discou se analysis; en ep eneu ial jou nalism; u u es esea ch; u u e o jou nalism; hyb id jou nalism; pa icipa o y jou nalism; scena ios Issue This a icle is pa o he issue “News and Pa icipa ion h ough and beyond P op ie a y Pla o ms in an Age o Social Media”, edi ed by Osca Wes lund and Ma s Eks öm (Uni e si y o Go henbu g, Sweden). © 2018 by he au ho s; licensee Cogi a io (Lisbon, Po ugal). This a icle is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu- ion 4.0 In e na ional License (CC BY). 1. In oduc ion F om he beginning o he millennium media and jou nal- ism ha e inc easingly been cha ac e ised by a pa icipa- o y u n. Audiences ha e in a ious ways aken a cen- al s age, by bo h con ibu ing o he p oduc ion and dis ibu ion o jou nalism and shaping i s cul u al land- scape (Gillmo , 2004; Villi, 2012). Jou nalis s ha e o en been eluc an o emb ace he u n as he new audience- cen ed ideals “do no mesh well wi h he adi ional jou nalis ic cul u e” (G aham, 2013, p. 116). In he ne - wo ked e a o social pla o ms, “in ima e” mobile ech- nology and inc easingly a ec i e and pa icipa o y o ms o communica ion, jou nalism aces a dual challenge: how o inc ease audience engagemen ―b oadly de ined as a pe sonal connec ion he audiences ha e wi h he news—and pa icipa ion, while p ese ing he co e c i- e ia and alues ha de ine jou nalism (Becke & Deuze, 2016). A common a gumen is ha jou nalism needs o connec wi h ci izens’ li es and iden i ies be e han be- o e (Ha e al., 2018; Swa , Pe e s, & B oe sma, 2017). While pa icipa o y jou nalism is o en de ined as news con en p oduced by non-p o essionals (Wall, 2015), his a icle add esses pa icipa o y jou nalism Media and Communica ion, 2018, Volume 6, Issue 4, Pages 79–90 79 mo e b oadly, in e ms o eme ging jou nalis ic cul u e, alues and ac o s. The concep ual amewo k o he a - icle consis s o en ep eneu ial jou nalism and hyb id jou nalism. We de ine en ep eneu ial jou nalism as one ha 1) is p oduced by new media ou le s es ablished by jou nalis s hemsel es, 2) e lec s he pe sonali ies, goals and isions o he ounde s, 3) seeks o enew jou - nalism by add essing new niches, explo ing new s yles and o ma s, and building a new ela ionship wi h he au- diences, and 4) pu sues a sus ainable business based on hese a ibu es. En ep eneu ial jou nalis s pionee hyb id jou nal- ism (see Wagemans, Wi schge, & Ha be s, 2018), which me ges he dialogical and objec i e adi ions o jou nal- ism (So e , 2009) and is mani es ed in such “hyb id” gen- es as pa icipa o y jou nalism. Hyb id jou nalism o e s one solu ion o he po en ially con adic ing ideals o en- gagemen and objec i i y. I a guably sui s social media pla o ms wi h hei con e sa ional and a ec i e egis- e s be e han he adi ional, de ached ype o jou nal- ism, and po en ially makes jou nalism mo e a ac i e o audience pa icipa ion. Hyb id jou nalism can in oke hyb id engagemen , which appeals o bo h a ional and a ec i e sen imen s in he audience. In he same way as hyb id jou nalism mixes objec i e- a ional and dialogical-a ec i e aspec s in epo ing, he in oked hyb id engagemen mixes a io- nal and a ec i e aspec s o engagemen (Ko melink & Meije , 2015) in a balanced way. Ra ional engagemen is used he e o e e o ac ual in o ma ion and he eeling o us i in okes (Newman, Fle che , Kaloge opoulos, Le y, & Nielsen, 2017), and a ec i e engagemen e e s o a pe sonal, emo ional connec ion wi h news con en . Con en p oduced by new media playe s a e o en a - ec i e and seek o engage he use on a pe sonal le el (Papacha issi, 2015), which ques ions adi ional no ma- i e claims o wha jou nalism should be like and how i should add ess and appeal o i s audiences. Acco d- ing o Singe (2017a, p. 131), en ep eneu ial jou nalis s “ e isi wha o en a e deeply held iews abou wha jou nalism is, should be and migh become”. Such dis- sen ing app oaches place en ep eneu ial jou nalis s in a good posi ion o pionee possible u u es o jou nal- ism (Ruo salainen, in p ess). Pa icipa o y and in e ac i e audience ela ionships a e o en buil -in as a pa o en- ep eneu ial jou nalism, as en ep eneu s ha e o know hei cus ome s and hei needs e y closely (Siape a & Papadopoulou, 2016). Acco ding o Singe (2017b), en ep eneu ial jou nalis s— hei concep ions abou jou nalism as well as he ac ual jou nalism hey p oduce—ha e been s ud- ied ela i ely li le. Thus, his a icle makes a needed con ibu ion o he discussion on wha cons i u es he ideas, app oaches and alues o en ep eneu ial jou nal- ism. Fu he mo e, en ep eneu ial jou nalism is s udied in ela ion o hyb id jou nalism, cla i ying wha hyb id news jou nalism could be like in p ac ice and how i may e ol e in he u u e. The main esea ch ques ion in he a icle concen a es on examining how he e hos o en ep eneu ial jou nalism e lec s hyb id jou nalism, hyb id engagemen , and a mo e pa icipa ion-o ien ed jou nalis ic cul u e. The a icle analyses discou ses in he 41 “Abou us” pages o en ep eneu ial jou nalism ou le s om No h Ame ica and Eu ope. Building on he analysis, he a icle cons uc s ou scena io ske ches o he de elopmen o en ep eneu ial and hyb id jou nalism. The scena io ske ches a e no p edic ions, as he p obabili y o any scena io e e being ealized accu a ely is low (Go don & Glenn, 2018). Thei pu pose, ins ead, is o open up he space o al e na i e possibili ies in he de elopmen o en ep eneu ial jou nalism. While Vos and Singe (2016) ha e analysed discou ses o en ep eneu ial jou - nalism in ade and popula p ess, his a icle analyses he discou ses used by en ep eneu ial jou nalism ou - le s hemsel es. The nex sec ion add esses and elabo a es on he end owa ds hyb idi y in jou nalism, analyses some u u e-shaping ends ela ed o audience engagemen , and p esen s en ep eneu ial jou nalis s as pionee s o hyb id jou nalism. A sho e iew on en ep eneu ial jou nalism is o e ed in sec ion 3. Sec ion 4 p esen s he esul s om he analysis o he “Abou us” pages. The esul s a e elabo a ed as scena io ske ches in sec ion 5, and in he conclusions, he idea o hyb id engagemen is e lec ed upon o each scena io. 2. The Hyb idiza ion o Jou nalism The media sys ems o wes e n democ acies ha e be- come hyb ids o adi ional and social media: con en on online pla o ms is collec i ely p oduced and sha ed by jou nalis s, ci izens, blogge s, and ac i is s (Chad- wick, 2013). As jou nalism is inc easingly dis ibu ed on hese pla o ms, he ques ion o how o combine pub- lic wi h pe sonal communica ion in jou nalism becomes pi o al—news needs o become mo e engaging han be- o e. In his a icle, engagemen is de ined as a ec ual, pe sonal and social expe iences he audience has wi h a publica ion and i s con en s (Me sey, Mal house, & Calde , 2010). In such a hyb id sys em, he a ionali y o adi ional media and he a ec uali y o social media a e blended (Laaksonen, 2017)—in e ec , “dicho omies such as pub- lic/p i a e, en e ainmen /poli ics, wo k/leisu e become blended, and pe sonal and poli ical become in e wined” (Laaksonen, 2017, p. 12). A ec e e s o bo h subjec- i ely expe ienced emo ion and in e subjec i e expe i- ences (Papacha issi, 2015). As embodied social mean- ings, a ec s cons i u e a sha ed li e-wo ld ha “makes sense” and is expe ienced as meaning ul (Langlois, 2014). A sha ed li e-wo ld be ween a media ou le and i s audi- ence is a c ucial p e equisi e o audience engagemen and pa icipa ion. In he hyb id media ecology o a ec- i e news s eams, audiences need o ind news con- en as pe sonally meaning ul i hey a e o consume, Media and Communica ion, 2018, Volume 6, Issue 4, Pages 79–90 80 sha e, and commen on i (Papacha issi, 2015), and so jou nalism has o ind new, a ec i e ways o epo ing and connec ing wi h he audiences’ iden i ies i i is o s ay ele an . Hyb idi y e lec s a b oade socio-poli ical en i on- men in which ma e s o pe sonal in e es ela ed o iden i y a e emphasised in public li e—i.e., “iden i y poli- ics” (Lilla, 2017). Al hough iden i y poli ics canno be al- oge he educed o social media, he heigh ened ole o iden i y is a s uc u al ea u e o he cu en media ecol- ogy. Van Dijck and Poell (2013) desc ibe a social media logic ha in di e en ways in ensi ies and in e ac s wi h use s’ (ne wo ked) iden i ies. A pe son’s iden i y and pe - sonal ele ance ha e become co e il e mechanisms in news consump ion (E eland & Dunwoody, 2002), and so- cial media also s ee poli ical ac ion o iden i y-d i en s a egies as hey “enable pe sonalized public engage- men ” (Benne & Sege be g, 2012, p. 739). Fu he mo e, Wes e n socie ies ha e o decades al eady been exhibi - ing pos ma e ialis alues o in ellec ual, aes he ic, sel - exp essi e, and humani a ian pu sui s (Ingleha , 1977). In a pos -ma e ialis wo ld, ci izens’ iden i ies a e inc eas- ingly cons uc ed in ne wo ked communica ion ins ead o economic p oduc ion (Lash, 1994). Some o he ends, oo, hin a new di ec ions o en- gagemen . On social media, audience us is o en de- e mined by who sha es he con en o hem, ins ead o he news o ganisa ion ha p oduced he con en (The Media Insigh P ojec , 2017), s ee ing powe away om news o ganisa ions o audience communi ies (Villi & Jung, 2015). Mo eo e , g ow h in online audience e - enue is compensa ing o he dec ease in ad e ising e - enue (WAN-IFRA, 2017). New paymen models a e o - en membe ship-like (Newman e al., 2017), implying a close ela ionship be ween news o ganisa ions and hei audiences. Finally, “old- ashioned” epo ing s ill engages audiences. In he USA, many o he legacy media, such as he Washing on Pos and he Wall S ee Jou nal, ha e ecen ly g own hei subsc ip ion base especially among young consume s (Schwa z, 2017). These ends imply ha an audience- i s de elop- men o a ec , iden i y, and emo ion is eme ging as news consump ion is shi ing o online—while, a he same ime, adi ional epo ing is s ill ega ded as alu- able. A key ques ion o he u u e o jou nalism is, hen, how jou nalism can e-es ablish a connec ion wi h i s audience while also p ese ing i s own au onomy. Ben- on (2017) belie es ha in o de o ec ea e hei ela- ionship wi h he audiences, news o ganisa ions need o o e a eeling o communi y and pe sonal connec ion wi h hem, as well as p oducing us wo hy, high-quali y jou nalism—in o he wo ds: hyb id jou nalism, a guably en icing ich hyb id engagemen . Howe e , he concep o hyb idi y can be c i icised as being oo ague and gene al. Wi schge, Ande son, Domingo and He mida (2018, p. 2) c i icise hyb idi y as a ca ch-all e m and a sho cu o “deno e e e y hing ha is complex as hyb id”. They call o nex s eps in he s udy o hyb idi y o “no only name bu also desc ibe and heo ize he complexi y o he ield” (p. 4). Impo an ly, he implica ions o hyb idi y emain unde -explo ed in he ield o jou nalism s udies (Baym, 2017, p. 11), and esea ch on hyb id jou nalism ends o ocus on so - news gen es (c . Bødke , 2017; Hamil on, 2016) such as celeb i y jou nalism (Bulck, Paulussen, & Bels, 2017). Baym (2017) con ibu es o he s udy o hyb id jou - nalism by di iding he concep in o h ee in e linked le - els: sys emic, discu si e, and ex ual. Sys emic hyb idi y e e s o he melding o echnological a o dances, eco- nomic agendas, and s uc u es o media p oduc ion and dis ibu ion. Discu si e hyb idi y e e s o he blending o jou nalis ic discou ses o “linguis ic consciousnesses”. Tex ual hyb idi y desc ibes he blending o gen es, o ms, and s yles. In ac , all new jou nalis ic gen es, such as pa icipa o y jou nalism, can be de ined as hyb id as hey mix di e en elemen s in a non-bina y way (see Wi schge e al., 2018). Th ough hese h ee le els hyb idi y can be seen as a u u e-o ien ed concep : by adding new segmen s on op o adi ional jou nalis ic alues and a ibu es, di - e en mani es a ions o hyb idi y open new pa hs o he de elopmen o jou nalism (see Wagemans e al., 2018). In o de o analyse hyb idi y in he alues o jou nalis s in a mo e ocused way, his a icle concen- a es on discu si e hyb idi y and de ines i as he blend- ing o wo cons i u i e jou nalis ic no ions—objec i i y and dialogue—which ha e adi ionally been hough o as compe ing and incompa ible (So e , 2009). Acco d- ing o So e (2009), objec i e jou nalism obse es, ga h- e s in o ma ion, and objec i ies social phenomena while main aining an ex e nal posi ion and a oiding dialogical ela ionships. Dialogical jou nalism, in u n, p esen s a polyphony o iews ins ead o an au ho i a i e mono- logue, encou ages di e en in e p e a ions ins ead o a uni ied, single message, and d aws on he subjec i e, pe - sonal s yles o indi idual epo e s. The goal o dialogical jou nalism is o inspi e public discou se and poli ical com- munal li e as opposed o simply con eying neu al in o - ma ion o ci izens (Ca ey, 1989). I may be ha in he u u e pa icipa o y app oaches s ee jou nalism in he di ec ion o he hyb idi y o ob- jec i i y and dialogue. Becke and Deuze (2016) call his kind o a new jou nalis ic ideal “a ec i e objec i i y”, pi- onee ed by he global jou nalism s a up scene: while e aining i s c i icali y and independence, jou nalism o a ec i e objec i i y ad oca es mo e engaged, in ol ed, and emo ional app oaches. The concep o a ec i e ob- jec i i y is close o he concep o hyb id engagemen ou lined in his a icle. 3. En ep eneu ial Jou nalis s as Change Agen s En ep eneu ial jou nalism is g owing globally (Ma hisen, 2017), and is one o he ends shaping he u u e o jou nalism (Wagemans e al., 2018). En- ep eneu ial jou nalis s a e hose who ha e es ablished Media and Communica ion, 2018, Volume 6, Issue 4, Pages 79–90 81 hei own business, and who no only p oduce jou nal- ism bu ha e a o al con ol o e unning he en e - p ise. Case o-Ripollés, Izquie do-Cas illo and Doménech- Fab ega (2016) desc ibe en ep eneu ial jou nalism as ha ing h ee cha ac e is ics: i 1) is p oduced by small- scale media o ganisa ions, o coope a i es, o indi id- ual ini ia i es, 2) in ol es he c ea ion o a business o one’s own—seeking new (business) oppo uni ies and jou nalis ic niches, and 3) encou ages people o see he jou nalis as an en ep eneu , “ ea ing down he wall ha adi ionally sepa a ed he c ea ion o con en om business” (p. 288). The hi d cha ac e is ic also in ol es new o ms o news p oduc ion, such as he c a p oduc- ion model o jou nalism ha e lec s he pe sonali y and skills o he en ep eneu (Pica d, 2014). Case o-Ripollés e al. (2016, p. 288) desc ibe in- no a ion and c ea i i y as he co e quali ies o en- ep eneu ial jou nalis s, “ en u ing in o new e i o y and opics, and inco po a ing new echniques”. Assum- ing con ol o e he p oduc ion, en ep eneu ial jou - nalis s can s ee hei jou nalism in di ec ions hey ind in e es ing, inno a i e, and wo h explo ing (Ca lson & Ushe , 2016). F ee o he pa h dependencies o adi- ional news ooms, new playe s in he ield can chal- lenge es ablished no ms and ou ines and c ea e new jou nalis ic cul u es and p ac ices (see Tandoc & Jenkins, 2018). En ep eneu ial jou nalis s, and especially coope - a i e en e p ises, also seek o es ablish close and collab- o a i e ela ionships wi h hei audiences, b idging he gap be ween media ou le s and ci izens (Siape a & Pa- padopoulou, 2016). Mo e loose and inclusi e desc ip ions emphasise an o ien a ion o change as de ining en ep eneu ial jou - nalism (Compaine & Hoag, 2012). Some au ho s e en coun eelance s as en ep eneu ial jou nalis s (De Cock & de Smaele, 2016; Hol on, 2016) because o hei “en ep eneu ial soul” (Ma hisen, 2017, p. 919). Along hese lines, Schul z and Jones (2017, p. 12) emphasise “disco e y and exploi a ion o oppo uni ies” as de in- ing en ep eneu ial jou nalism, accen ua ing ha en- ep eneu ial jou nalism does no conce n only nascen and small en e p ises bu businesses o all sizes. The abo e e iew is in line wi h wha Singe (2017a) poin s ou : he concep o en ep eneu ial jou nalism is blu y, mo e a label han an iden i iable p ac ice. Ac- co ding o Vos and Singe (2016, p. 150), en ep eneu ial jou nalism is “as likely…desc ibed in e ms o an ‘en- ep eneu ial spi i ’ as…a speci ic p ac ice o se o p ac- ices”. Pe haps a c i e ion ha is nei he oo exclusi e no oo inclusi e is he ollowing: en ep eneu ial jou nalism in ol es he disco e y o new oppo uni ies and he con- s uc ion o a business a ound hem. Legacy media can also ind and exploi new oppo uni ies, bu hei busi- ness is no dependen on hem. Al hough la ge, es ab- lished digi al media ou le s such as Buzz eed o Vox a e no s ic ly en ep eneu ial as hey a e no mo e ex en- sions o hei ounde s o owned solely by hem, hei business is based on one de ining idea— ocusing exclu- si ely on explana o y jou nalism in he case o Vox, o ying o make news i al in he case o Buzz eed. Finally, i mus be emphasised ha en ep eneu ial jou nalism is no abou di ching he adi ions o jou nal- ism. New media ou le s o en uphold he co e alues o jou nalism (Tandoc & Jenkins, 2018; Ushe , 2017; Wage- mans e al., 2018). Fo ins ance, he Du ch s a up De Co esponden is a hyb id o objec i e epo ing and jou - nalis s’ media ing subjec i i y (Ha be s, 2016). In a simi- la way, Buzz eed p oduces a he adi ional jou nalism bu emphasises he impo ance o social and iden i y- ela ed issues ha a e o in e es o i s audiences, as well as d awing on he knowledge o ci izen sou ces (Tan- doc, 2018). 4. We he Explo e s—Discou ses o En ep eneu ial Jou nalism 4.1. Da a and Me hod The da a o he a icle is collec ed om he “Abou Us” pages o 41 en ep eneu ial jou nalism ou le s mainly om he U.S., wi h indi idual ou le s om Canada, Cuba, Denma k, F ance, Ge many, I aly, Ne he lands, Sco land, Spain and Sweden (see Appendix). The U.S. ou le s we e chosen om a lis o majo digi al media o ganisa ions collec ed by Pew Resea ch Ins i u e (Ju kowi z, 2014). The lis was complemen ed wi h smalle en ep eneu ial ou le s bo h inside and ou side he U.S. The sampling was con inued un il a su icien ly di e se sample o ou - le s was co e ed. Da a sa u a ion was eached as all col- lec ed da a i in he iden i ied discou ses and did no e eal unco e ed aspec s in hem. Pe haps su p isingly, no coun y o egion-speci ic di e ences we e iden i ied, excep o a b ie men ion abou he igh agains censo - ship in he Cuban case. The U.S. pages we e collec ed in sp ing 2015 o he pu poses o ano he esea ch p ojec (Ruo salainen, 2016) and he es in au umn 2017. The non-English pages we e ansla ed in o English. Because he pu pose o his a icle is o add o he unde s anding o he eme ging e hos o en ep eneu ial jou nalism, a b oad de ini ion o en ep eneu ial jou - nalism (Singe , 2017b) was assumed in he collec ion o he da a. The selec ed ou le s include a b oad spec um o la ge and small en ep eneu ial media o ganisa ions: s a ups, non-p o i s, es ablished ou le s and newcom- e s. Fo he same easons, he de ini ion o jou nalism was kep ela i ely wide. While mos o he o ganisa- ions in he da a a e jou nalis ic, he e a e some, such as he science publica ion Aeon o he echnology si e TechC unch, which do no publish “news” bu , a he , opical a icles wi h a niche in e es . On he “Abou Us” pages he new digi al media ou - le s desc ibe hei jou nalism, alues and isions, he eby opening is as o possible u u es o jou nalism (Ca lson & Ushe , 2016). To e eal he sha ed meanings in he ex s, he da a was analysed using discou se analysis. Dis- cou se e e s o a socially designa ed and sha ed way o Media and Communica ion, 2018, Volume 6, Issue 4, Pages 79–90 82 hinking exp essed h ough language. Discou ses a e so- cial bounda ies a ound wha can be said abou a opic, and how. This way hey bo h limi and enable how a phe- nomenon o issue can be p esen ed. (Fai clough, 2003.) New, eme ging discou ses c ea e new social eali y and can be used o an icipa e eme ging social u u es (Inay- a ullah, 1998). The analysis was ini ia ed by coding di e en hemes ound in he da a. The ac ual discou se analysis was con- duc ed by analysing how hese hemes a e ep esen ed in he da a. Fou discou ses we e iden i ied and analysed: iden i y,niche,ne wo k, and change discou se. A a he s ong discou se o adi ional jou nalism was also iden- i ied. This discou se consis s o such ea u es and al- ues as ac uali y, public se ice and impa iali y. Because hese ea u es a e well-known, he discou se o adi- ional jou nalism will no be p esen ed in mo e de ail in his a icle. The discou se is, howe e , pi o al as i sup- po s he hypo hesis o his a icle— ha he concep ion o jou nalism among en ep eneu ial jou nalis s is a hy- b id o he adi ions o objec i i y and dialogue. 4.2. Media Ou le s as Pe sons—The Iden i y Discou se In he iden i y discou se he media signi y hemsel es as human-like indi iduals wi h hei own iden i y and pe - sonali y. This is done in i e ways. Fi s , he media as- c ibe hemsel es di e en cha ac e is ics and desc ibe hei “emo ions”. Poli ico, o ins ance, is “p oud” and i has “passion”, Ze land has w i en jou nalism as i s “o iginal passion”, and Qua z is “ne dy” and de ined by i s “obsessions”. Second, he media desc ibe hemsel es as alue-d i en and e hical—how hey belie e in wha hey a e doing. In es iga i e Repo ing P ojec I aly, o ins ance, “belie es jou nalism should be a wa chdog o democ acy” and K au epo e desc ibes i s “p inciples”. Twel e o he media w i e how “dedica ed” and “com- mi ed” hey a e o hei jou nalism, conno ing hey ca e abou hei jou nalism on a “pe sonal” le el. Thi d, he media cons uc iden i ies by iden i ying wi h hei au- dience. Mic o ins ance w i es how i s edi o s and w i - e s sha e a ibu es wi h i s eade s, and The Fe e seeks o build a communi y o like-minded people. Fou h, he media highligh hei indi idual epo e s and ounde s. This can be in e p e ed as a way o b and hei jou nal- is s (Molyneux, 2015), associa e he o ganisa ion wi h eal humans and hus o cons uc an au hen ic iden- i y. The Rumpus o ins ance men ions he “o e ly pe - sonal” newsle e o i s edi o -in-chie , and Mic was c e- a ed by “ wo long- ime iends”. Fi h, he subjec i i y and pe sonal oice o he jou nalis s a e highligh ed. This is demons a ed by De Co esponden , whose “au ho s a e no objec i e au oma ons…; a he , hey a e subjec- i e beings, oo ed in and mo i a ed by ideas and ideals”. The iden i y discou se p esen s news selec ion and jou nalism as some hing epo e s pe sonally ca e abou . This is well exempli ied by K au epo e : “Ou au ho s decide o hemsel es wha hey a e going o epo on”. Howe e , he ocus is s ill on he news, on ma e s o pub- lic in e es , and he discou se e lec s a hyb id o he ide- als o objec i i y and dialogue. El Dia io mani es s his by emphasising ha i s de ining alues a e subo dina e o adi ional jou nalis ic ideals: “Bu all ou alues a e sub- jec o a undamen al one in jou nalis ic e ms: espec o he u h”. 4.3. Going Deepe —The Niche Discou se In he niche discou se, he media emphasise how hey concen a e and specialise—an o en- ecu ing wo d in he discou se is “ ocus”. The subjec s on which he me- dia claim o concen a e on a e, howe e , qui e gene al, such as poli ics and business ends. Only a ew media indica e clea ly de ined and na ow niches, such as The Ma shall P ojec , which w i es abou he Ame ican c im- inal jus ice sys em. In o he wo ds, he media claim o ocus on a he adi ional a eas o jou nalism—“niche” e e s o hei speci ic jou nalis ic app oaches and oices a he han na ow opics. The ou le s o en asse o ha e some dis- inc ea u e ha sepa a es hei news om “ adi ional” news. Buzz eed does no p oduce only news bu “ he mos sha eable news”. Discou se Media is “ ocused on ma e s o public impo ance” and includes opics such as gende and indigenous issues among hose hemes. Many o he media mani es hei jou nalism as “deep”, as going o looking deepe han he su ace o daily e en s: “di e deep” (P oPublica), “del e deepe ” (Vox), “ o unco e , explain and highligh deep-lying s uc- u es” (De Co esponden ). Many o he analysed media hus claim hei niche as some hing mo e comp ehensi e and mo e s eeped-in han day- o-day epo ing. In he wo ds o Ze land, i s “mission is no o make news—i is o make sense”. Niche discou se he o ically highligh s how en- ep eneu ial media di e en ia e hemsel es om gene al-pu pose mass media and build hei dis inc i e iden i y. This kind o jou nalis ic ideal is no abou p o- iding “jus he ac s”, bu o assis wi h sense-making, a co e ene o dialogical jou nalism. Howe e , he niche discou se does no ques ion he objec i i y ideal o gen- e al in e es jou nalism. 4.4. Rhizoma ic Media—The Ne wo k Discou se The ne wo k discou se signi ies media as nodes in ne - wo ks. The Ma shall P ojec , o ins ance, desc ibes i s web page as a “dynamic hub”, and Fla o Wi e de ines i - sel as “a ne wo k o cul u ally connec ed people”. The ne wo k discou se ma ks a depa u e om legacy media, which o en d aw clea lines o sepa a e hem om bo h he audience and o he o ganisa ions and ins i u ions. In he ne wo k discou se, he media seek o ne wo k and es ablish a pe sonal ela ionship wi h hei audience. The ne wo k discou se hence allows media o embody i s audience’s as es and alues. The New Inqui y seeks Media and Communica ion, 2018, Volume 6, Issue 4, Pages 79–90 83 o “connec di ec ly wi h ou audience” and Qua z calls eade s o sha e i s “passions”. A pe sonal and di ec ela- ionship wi h he audiences is mani es ed in how he me- dia p esen hemsel es as communi ies: he wo d “com- muni y” appea s in he da a 15 imes (see Malmelin & Villi, 2016). The p oduc ion o jou nalism is desc ibed as a ne - wo ked p ocess. The media o en men ion hei ee- lance ne wo k and how hey coope a e wi h o he o - ganisa ions. Discou se Media w i es how media should “wo k oge he ” mo e, and how i “collabo a es wi h ou colleagues o pool esou ces, build capaci y and maximize ou collec i e impac ”. P oPublica no only publishes pieces by o he ou le s bu also anno a es hem and does ollow-ups. This way he ne wo k dis- cou se elies on he collec i e in elligence enhanced by he In e ne . In he ne wo k discou se, hyb idi y is exp essed bo h as a coope a i e p oduc ion o (objec i e) jou nalism and as a dialogue be ween media and hei audiences. The discou se can also be in e p e ed o inco po a e people’s in ima e li e sphe es in o jou nalism—a co e cha ac e is- ic o dialogical jou nalism. 4.5. The Re o mis s—The Change Discou se In he change discou se, he media p esen hemsel es as change ac o s: as e o me s o media, jou nalism, and socie y. Fi s Look Media “seeks o imp o e socie y h ough jou nalism and echnology”, and Ze land pa ici- pa es “in he much-needed ein en ion o Danish quali y jou nalism”. T adi ional jou nalism is displayed in he dis- cou se as being oo passi e. Mic s a es how “news o ga- niza ions can do mo e o empowe ou gene a ion”. P oP- ublica, in u n, c i icises adi ional in es iga i e jou - nalism o i s “pas ailings” and ou s how i will pe - sis en ly hold he powe ul accoun able “un il change comes abou ”. Some media highligh na a i e jou nalism, as op- posed o ac - epo ing, as being he ool o make such change happen. Acco ding o The Ma shall P ojec “s o- y elling can be a powe ul agen o social change”. Mic, in u n, belie es ha ”s o ies…shape he wo ld, especially when hey challenge adi ional na a i es”. He e, “ adi- ional na a i es” can be in e p e ed as e e ing o legacy media, as Mic no es how he pe spec i es o young peo- ple a e o en “le ou o he media’s na a i e”. In he change discou se, adi ional jou nalism is po - ayed as oo dull and uni o m. Poli ico claims ha “ a- di ional jou nalis ic con en ions…make s o ies dull, p e- dic able and o en un eadable”. Implici ly c i icising ho- mogenous adi ional media, The Awl a gues ha ead- e s a e “poo ly se ed by being deli e ed hose same s o- ies in numbing epe i ion”. Simila iews a e p esen ed also by Gawke ,Mic,El Dia io,De Co esponden and Ma shall Repo . In he change discou se, adi ional jou nalism o he objec i e adi ion is posed o be enewed by shaping jou nalism as mo e socially ac i e and less dull and ho- mogenous. The discou se implici ly encou ages he injec- ion o jou nalism wi h he di e si y and “ac i ism” o di- alogical s yles. 5. Ske ching Scena ios o he Fu u e o En ep eneu ial Jou nalism The u u e o en ep eneu ial jou nalism—as wi h jou - nalism in gene al— emains undamen ally open. Al e - na i e u u es o en ep eneu ial jou nalism can be explo ed—and long- e m ideas, policies, s a egies, and plans o mula ed—by cons uc ing scena ios. A scena io is a i id, in o ma ion- ich desc ip ion o a ce ain opic in a ce ain ime in he u u e, wi h key ends, decisions, and e en s depic ing how he p esen si ua ion has led o a pa icula u u e (Glenn, 2009; Rals on & Wilson, 2006). I needs o be highligh ed ha scena ios a e no p edic ions: by s udying po en ial a he p esen ime, scena ios an icipa e plausible u u es ins ead o p edic - ing p obable ones. This sec ion p esen s ou scena io ske ches o en- ep eneu ial, hyb id jou nalism in he yea 2030. The scena ios p esen ed a e called “ske ches” as hey lack a ull na a i e o how a ce ain u u e could ha e been eached—ins ead, hey a e mo e snapsho -like iews in o he u u e. The yea 2030 is chosen because a li - le o e en yea s is a su icien ime o en ep eneu ial jou nalism o e ol e and es ablish i sel in he ield o jou nalism. Each scena io ske ch ends wi h an in e p e- a ion, in which mani es a ions o hyb idi y and possible ou comes o he scena io a e assessed. The scena ios we e cons uc ed by i s selec ing co e elemen s om each o he ou discou ses and placing hem in o a able. Then hema ically simila elemen s we e coded o o m ini ial scena io ca ego ies. Finally, o make he ca ego ies concise hey we e condensed so ha each scena io had only one o wo elemen s om each discou se (see Table 1). The able was hen elabo- a ed and expanded as sho scena io na a i es. 5.1. Scena io Ske ch 1: Eli is -Indi idualis s En ep eneu ial jou nalis s o e hei jou nalism o edu- ca ed “eli e” audiences. Thei alue p oposi ion is based on e y na ow—and hus highly mone izable—niches: hey p o ide high-quali y, specialised and backs age in- o ma ion he audiences canno ind elsewhe e. Quali y jou nalism has become a way o make social dis inc ions, and an ou le ’s dis inc i e iden i y en ices (eli e) audi- ence engagemen . The audiences expec indi iduali y, cha ac e and in- eg i y om hei p e e ed media. Hence he media’s iden i ies e lec hei ounde s’ pe sonali y, oices and passions. As “indi idualis s” en ep eneu ial jou nalis s o en a oid ha ing oo close a ela ionship wi h hei au- diences. As such hey can emain ue o hemsel es, a p inciple app ecia ed by hei audiences. Howe e , he Media and Communica ion, 2018, Volume 6, Issue 4, Pages 79–90 84 Table 1. Scena io ske ches o en ep eneu ial hyb id jou nalism in 2030. Elemen s om he discou ses Scena ios Iden i y Discou se Niche Discou se Ne wo k Discou se Change Discou se 1. Eli is - Iden i y based on he Na ow niches (such Ne wo ked wi h o he , A pionee spi i Indi idualis s ounde s’ pe sonali y, as he judicia y sys em), simila media ou le s. emphasizing he oices, passions and o en on opics ou side cu ing-edge, he opinions. he daily news g ind. al e na i e, and he expe imen al. 2. Communalis s Iden i y based on Rela i ely b oad opic Ne wo ked wi h he The audience he audience and a eas (such as audience. Audience membe s as change i s passions. echnology), bu membe s as agen s in socie y. audience membe s epo e s. p o ide highly specialised knowledge. 3. Public Se ice Iden i y based on a Gene al news “wi h a U ilising he collec i e Seeking o enew dedica ion o he wis ” (such as explaine s in elligence o he socie y. “common good”. and in e p e a ions). public. 4. Iden i y Media Iden i y based on he Eclec ic niches e lec ing Ne wo ked, dis ibu ed Ca e ing o new, epo e s’ pe sonali y he in e es a eas o “news ooms” and eme ging needs and “obsessions”. epo e s. Pa isan eelance ne wo ks. and o e ing highly jou nalism wi h s ong no el con en . opinions. media o en coope a e wi h o he high-minded media ou le s, as well as high-p o ile o inside audience mem- be s. Toge he his angua d bunch elen lessly seeks he cu ing-edge and is p one o expe imen a ion. In e p e a ion: P o o ypes o his kind o a u u e a e such ou le s as he Poli ico o he Qua z. Dialogue in jou - nalism is exp essed by he subjec i e oices o he en- ep eneu s a he han a polyphony o iews. I a ocus on eli e niches became mo e common, i would, on he one hand, indica e a jou nalism ha is mo e in- he-know, e- sou ce ul, and deep. On he o he hand, hough, i would imply a e ea om he public sphe e and la ge-scale au- dience pa icipa ion. A c ucial ques ion is whe he legacy media would go his di ec ion oo, o whe he hey would seek o ul il he unc ion o public se ice. In his scena io, en ep eneu ial jou nalism would p obably ely s ongly on audience paymen s, be hey by subsc ip ion, membe ship ees o single paymen s. This would u he isk widening he gap be ween he in o ma ion-ha es and ha e-no s, he well-o and he dep i ed. 5.2. Scena io Ske ch 2: Communalis s En ep eneu ial jou nalism ou le s a e buil a ound au- dience communi ies (see Malmelin & Villi, 2016). Audi- ence membe s a e closely in ol ed and o en become epo e s oo. In a highly agmen ed cul u e and pub- lic sphe e, ci izens seek exis en ial secu i y and a sense o pu pose om di e en communi ies—audience com- muni ies among hem. Jou nalis s specialise o o e con en ha hei audi- ence inds in e es ing. The media’s niche a eas and pe - sonali y e lec he in e es s and iden i ies o hei audi- ence. Many o he audience communi ies a e o ien ed owa ds public ma e s. Howe e , en ep eneu ial ou - le s can nu u e communi ies also o hose audience segmen s unacquain ed wi h cu en e en s. This os- e s engagemen in ma e s o public in e es , and audi- ence membe s o en become in luen ial change agen s in socie y. In e p e a ion: The scena io posi s ha audience communi ies and a ilia ed hyb id jou nalism could ac as b idges be ween p i a e and public mo i es and in e - es s, in e ec c ea ing a new, hyb id social and socie al en i y. The “dialogue” in his scena io is a balanced mix o subjec i e s yles and di e en poin s o iew. The scena io is inclusi e and pa icipa ion-posi i e and does no sugges he p ospec o ising in o ma ion- inequali y. Howe e , he isk is ha jou nalism may lose i s au onomy: jou nalis s may ha e o submi o he au- diences in o de o s ay ele an . All in all, his scena io p omises a majo oppo uni y o en ep eneu ial me- dia ou le s, assuming hey a e much mo e p o icien in nu u ing audience communi ies han igid legacy media (see Villi & Jung, 2015). 5.3. Scena io Ske ch 3: Public Se ice En ep eneu ial jou nalis s o e hei p oduc s o he gene al public. They epo on he ma e s o public in- e es , bu in new ways— o example, h ough news ex- Media and Communica ion, 2018, Volume 6, Issue 4, Pages 79–90 85 plaine s. Many en ep eneu ial news ou le s also spe- cialise in co e ing jou nalis ic blind spo s. En ep eneu ial jou nalis s cons uc hei iden i ies h ough a dedica ion o he common good. S ill, hey a e no as passi e in ega ds o p omo ing change as legacy media bu seek o enew socie y and igh w ongs. The pola isa ion and decen alisa ion o socie ies has been e e sed h ough s a e in e en ions, ac i e social policy, and ci ic-minded jou nalism. Ci izens a e o a la ge ex- en commi ed o ac ing in he bene i o he b oade socie y. En ep eneu ial jou nalis s a e ne wo ked wi h ci izens, and can hus e icien ly u ilise he collec i e in- elligence o he public. In e p e a ion: This scena io could be d i en by a b oad awakening o he h ea o widening social gaps and deepening inequali ies in he socie y. A gene al sen- imen owa ds public-mindedness would encou age en- ep eneu ial jou nalis s o emb ace adi ional i ues o jou nalism wi h an ac i is s eak, compe ing in he same ield wi h legacy media bu seeking o ou pe o m hem in e ms o social impac . In his scena io, en ep eneu ial jou nalis s pionee a new kind o “ins i u ionalised” public o ci izen jou - nalism, one ha has he p owess o espond o he pe - cei ed sho comings o mains eam media. Jou nalism leans owa d an objec i e s yle o deli e y wi h an em- phasis on unde se ed oices. 5.4. Scena io Ske ch 4: Iden i y Media En ep eneu ial jou nalism ou le s ocus on helping audi- ences cons uc hei iden i ies. Iden i y poli ics ha e es- cala ed. The wo ld is changing as e han expec ed, and people che ish and p o ec hei iden i ies almos neu- o ically. Media ou le s base hei iden i ies on hei e- po e s’ “obsessions”. The niche a eas en ep eneu ial media ocus on a e eclec ic, e lec ing he pe sonal in e es s o bo h he e- po e s and he audiences. Jou nalism is o en hype - pa isan wi h s ong, albei well-a gued, opinions and iews. S ill, people a e cu ious abou he wo ld and con- s an ly seek new ma e ial o cons uc hei iden i y. News ooms a e highly ne wo ked, o en ee o phys- ical spaces. F eelance ne wo ks and audience pa ici- pa o s p o ide epo ing and ideas o mee ex emely di e se demands. En ep eneu ial jou nalism ca e s o new, eme ging needs, as es and opics, o e ing highly no el con en . In e p e a ion: In his scena io, hyb id jou nalism is pe haps mos domina ed by dialogue and especially i s use o li e a y echniques. Wi h na ow audience seg- men s and hei own jou nalis ic oices, his scena io e- lec s wha Nechush ai (2018) desc ibes as an eme ging news sys em ca ego y o “pola ized libe al”. Wi h he ocus on idiosync asy and iden i y, he sce- na io uns he isk o se e ing cul u al and ideological pola iza ion. On he o he hand, in his scena io media a e he mos plu alis ic and di e se, and audiences highly engaged o pa icipa e in he p oduc ion o jou nalism. Hence, pe haps pa adoxically, he e is also a po en ially heigh ened in e es in public a ai s. 6. Conclusions In a possible u u e, jou nalis ic media ou le s will con- inue o lose hei ele ance, in e es and engagemen among audiences, o he ad an age o o he con en p o- duce s who engage mo e pa icipa o y o ms o commu- nica ion on social pla o ms. The solu ion ou lined in his a icle o a oid such a u u e is a hyb id o he ideals o objec i i y and dialogue in jou nalism—a guably well- i ing o he pa icipa o y social media. This ype o jou - nalism has he po en ial o in oke “hyb id engagemen ”, which d aws on bo h a ec and eason and po en ially encou ages beha iou al engagemen as well—i.e., audi- ence pa icipa ion. The assump ion ha an ideal o hyb id jou nal- ism and hyb id engagemen is spea headed by en- ep eneu ial jou nalis s was es ed in he analysis o he “Abou us” pages o 41 en ep eneu ial jou nalism ou - le s. The a icle ound ha he discou ses—emphasising dis inc i e iden i y, niche app oaches, ne wo ks, change- o ien ed cul u e, and adi ional jou nalis ic alues— indeed display hyb id no ions o jou nalism and engage- men . In he wo ds o Ze land, jou nalism should “en- gage he hea as well as he mind”. Elabo a ing he discou ses, his a icle p esen ed ou scena io ske ches o en ep eneu ial hyb id jou nalism. In he “Eli is -indi idualis s” scena io, hyb id engage- men is based on he mix o p emium and us wo - hy quali y as well as he dis inc i e, highb ow sensibil- i ies o he media ou le s. Audience pa icipa ion is ela- i ely low as media ou le s and audiences alike app eci- a e he uncomp omised au onomy o jou nalism. In he “Communalis s” scena io, he media and hei audiences li e in an almos symbio ic ela ionship, on which pa - icipa ion and engagemen a e buil on. Audiences as- sume jou nalis ic ideals and no ms, which se hem apa om, e.g., independen blogge s. The “Public se ice” scena io, comes closes o adi ional jou nalism, as en- ep eneu ial jou nalis s o e hei jou nalism i s and o emos o he gene al public. Howe e , hey engage audiences by an ac i e s ance owa ds social change and by emb acing a wide ange o ci izen con ibu ions, se - ing hem apa om legacy media. In he “Iden i y Me- dia” scena io, audiences a e engaged by he ou le s’ id- iosync a ic iden i ies and con en s, which help hem con- s uc hei iden i ies, as well as by he accu a e bu opin- iona ed epo ing. Audience con ibu ions a e needed o mee he immensely di e se and swi ly changing as es and demands. En ep eneu ial jou nalis s o e a es bed o expe - imen wi h new app oaches in jou nalism. The scena - ios p esen ed he e show di e en app oaches how en- ep eneu ial jou nalis s can enew jou nalism and how hyb id jou nalism can mani es and e ol e in p ac ice. In Media and Communica ion, 2018, Volume 6, Issue 4, Pages 79–90 86