Cultural Journalism in the Digital Age provides the first international, book-length introduction to Western cultural journalism, a distinct type of professional journalism that has expanded and diversified significantly, particularly from the mid-20th century into the first decades of the 21st century. The book shows how cultural journalism, in response to cultural democratisation, globalisation, and digitalisation, engages with a wide spectrum of issues – from culture understood narrowly as arts and popular culture to broader notions encompassing norms, values, and traditions. Drawing on media theoretical, historical, and sociological perspectives, as well as insights from cultural criticism and cultural sociology, the book offers an original examination of cultural journalism as an alternative to traditional hard news reporting, exploring how the field continues to provide a cultural lens on society, serve as a sociocultural “glue”, and set agendas for cultural reflection and debate. Structured around five main chapters, the book addresses key questions, such as what characterises cultural journalism as a research field? What are its democratic roles? What counts as “culture” in cultural journalism? What constitutes its journalistic form? And who are the professionals producing it? Through these analyses, the book makes a significant scholarly contribution by bridging research and newsroom practice. It will appeal to general readers, policy makers, and researchers in the fields of journalism, media studies, digital media, and cultural sociology.
