This thesis introduces and analyses the emerging Website genre of Resource Centre Sites. RCSs are sites which combine news, rumours and background information as well as community discussion and commentary on their chosen topic, and frequently serve as a first point of entry for readers interested in learning more about the field. They also offer spaces for virtual communities of specialists or enthusiasts to emerge, who in the process and as a product of their interaction on these sites collate detailed resource collections and hyperlink directories for their fields of interest. Therefore, Resource Centre Sites significantly involve their users as content contributors and producers, turning them into what is here termed ‘produsers’ of the site. Aiming to evaluate all the content relevant to their field that is becoming available online, and to coopt or at least link to this information from the news and resources collection that is a central part of the RCS, Resource Centre Site produsers engage in an adaptation of both traditional journalistic gatekeeping methodologies and librarianly resource collection approaches to the Web environment: in the absence of gates to keep online, they have become ‘gatewatchers’, observing the publication of news and information in other sources and publicising its existence through their own sites. Their operation is studied here through a number of case studies of major existing Resource Centre Sites from various fields of interest. These sites are analysed both based on their available Web content, and using background information obtained in a series of email interviews with RCS creators. In combination, this offers insights into the operating philosophies of sites and site editors, and provides an opportunity to assess to what extent these ideas have been translated into everyday practice. Chapter 1 provides an overview of past and current theoretical views of the Web in an effort to evaluate their suitability for the current study. Older approaches positing an abstract ‘ideal’ form of hypertext are rejected in favour of a direct engagement with the World Wide Web as the now dominant mode of hypertextuality. Chapter 2 outlines the principles of gatewatching in contrast to traditional methods of evaluating news and information as they exist in journalistic media and archival institutions, and investigates the effects such gatewatching practices may have on editors and users. Chapter 3 describes the overall characteristics of Resource Centre Sites as a genre of Web publications. It notes the special role site users play in the operation of such sites (in their new role as ‘produsers’), and distinguishes the RCS genre from similar Website models such as portals and cybermediaries. Chapter 4 observes the everyday operation of such Websites in practice, using case studies of major existing Resource Centre Sites including Slashdot, MediaChannel and CountingDown, and interviews with their creators. (These interviews are included in full in the Appendix.) This analysis works with both a synchronic view to the variety of topics existing Resource Centre Sites are able to address, and a diachronic view to the evolution of proto-RCSs (such as enthusiast community or online advocacy sites) into fully-featured Resource Centre Sites. Finally, based on this analysis, Chapter 5 is then able to point out some of the implications and effects that increasing use of this media form may have on its users and the network of news and information publications on- and offline, and to indicate the potential for further developments of the site genre.

This thesis introduces and analyses the emerging Website genre of Resource Centre Sites. RCSs are sites which combine news, rumours and background information as well as community discussion and commentary on their chosen topic, and frequently serve as a first point of entry for readers interested in learning more about the field. They also offer spaces for virtual communities of specialists or enthusiasts to emerge, who in the process and as a product of their interaction on these sites collate detailed resource collections and hyperlink directories for their fields of interest. Therefore, Resource Centre Sites significantly involve their users as content contributors and producers, turning them into what is here termed ‘produsers’ of the site. Aiming to evaluate all the content relevant to their field that is becoming available online, and to coopt or at least link to this information from the news and resources collection that is a central part of the RCS, Resource Centre Site produsers engage in an adaptation of both traditional journalistic gatekeeping methodologies and librarianly resource collection approaches to the Web environment: in the absence of gates to keep online, they have become ‘gatewatchers’, observing the publication of news and information in other sources and publicising its existence through their own sites. Their operation is studied here through a number of case studies of major existing Resource Centre Sites from various fields of interest. These sites are analysed both based on their available Web content, and using background information obtained in a series of email interviews with RCS creators. In combination, this offers insights into the operating philosophies of sites and site editors, and provides an opportunity to assess to what extent these ideas have been translated into everyday practice. Chapter 1 provides an overview of past and current theoretical views of the Web in an effort to evaluate their suitability for the current study. Older approaches positing an abstract ‘ideal’ form of hypertext are rejected in favour of a direct engagement with the World Wide Web as the now dominant mode of hypertextuality. Chapter 2 outlines the principles of gatewatching in contrast to traditional methods of evaluating news and information as they exist in journalistic media and archival institutions, and investigates the effects such gatewatching practices may have on editors and users. Chapter 3 describes the overall characteristics of Resource Centre Sites as a genre of Web publications. It notes the special role site users play in the operation of such sites (in their new role as ‘produsers’), and distinguishes the RCS genre from similar Website models such as portals and cybermediaries. Chapter 4 observes the everyday operation of such Websites in practice, using case studies of major existing Resource Centre Sites including Slashdot, MediaChannel and CountingDown, and interviews with their creators. (These interviews are included in full in the Appendix.) This analysis works with both a synchronic view to the variety of topics existing Resource Centre Sites are able to address, and a diachronic view to the evolution of proto-RCSs (such as enthusiast community or online advocacy sites) into fully-featured Resource Centre Sites. Finally, based on this analysis, Chapter 5 is then able to point out some of the implications and effects that increasing use of this media form may have on its users and the network of news and information publications on- and offline, and to indicate the potential for further developments of the site genre.

This thesis introduces and analyses the emerging Website genre of Resource Centre Sites. RCSs are sites which combine news, rumours and background information as well as community discussion and commentary on their chosen topic, and frequently serve as a first point of entry for readers interested in learning more about the field. They also offer spaces for virtual communities of specialists or enthusiasts to emerge, who in the process and as a product of their interaction on these sites collate detailed resource collections and hyperlink directories for their fields of interest. Therefore, Resource Centre Sites significantly involve their users as content contributors and producers, turning them into what is here termed ‘produsers’ of the site. Aiming to evaluate all the content relevant to their field that is becoming available online, and to coopt or at least link to this information from the news and resources collection that is a central part of the RCS, Resource Centre Site produsers engage in an adaptation of both traditional journalistic gatekeeping methodologies and librarianly resource collection approaches to the Web environment: in the absence of gates to keep online, they have become ‘gatewatchers’, observing the publication of news and information in other sources and publicising its existence through their own sites. Their operation is studied here through a number of case studies of major existing Resource Centre Sites from various fields of interest. These sites are analysed both based on their available Web content, and using background information obtained in a series of email interviews with RCS creators. In combination, this offers insights into the operating philosophies of sites and site editors, and provides an opportunity to assess to what extent these ideas have been translated into everyday practice. Chapter 1 provides an overview of past and current theoretical views of the Web in an effort to evaluate their suitability for the current study. Older approaches positing an abstract ‘ideal’ form of hypertext are rejected in favour of a direct engagement with the World Wide Web as the now dominant mode of hypertextuality. Chapter 2 outlines the principles of gatewatching in contrast to traditional methods of evaluating news and information as they exist in journalistic media and archival institutions, and investigates the effects such gatewatching practices may have on editors and users. Chapter 3 describes the overall characteristics of Resource Centre Sites as a genre of Web publications. It notes the special role site users play in the operation of such sites (in their new role as ‘produsers’), and distinguishes the RCS genre from similar Website models such as portals and cybermediaries. Chapter 4 observes the everyday operation of such Websites in practice, using case studies of major existing Resource Centre Sites including Slashdot, MediaChannel and CountingDown, and interviews with their creators. (These interviews are included in full in the Appendix.) This analysis works with both a synchronic view to the variety of topics existing Resource Centre Sites are able to address, and a diachronic view to the evolution of proto-RCSs (such as enthusiast community or online advocacy sites) into fully-featured Resource Centre Sites. Finally, based on this analysis, Chapter 5 is then able to point out some of the implications and effects that increasing use of this media form may have on its users and the network of news and information publications on- and offline, and to indicate the potential for further developments of the site genre.

This study sought to investigate the practices of citizen journalists in the Iindaba Ziyafika project. The objectives of the research were to explore the evolving practices of citizen journalism in Grahamstown and to extrapolate how citizen journalists are securing a discursive space in relationship to conventional journalism. The study investigated whether the citizen journalists based at Grocotts Mail and Radio Grahamstown are developing practices and patterns that can be distinguished from the practices of conventional journalism. It also evaluated whether the content that is produced by citizen journalists differs from the content that is produced by professional journalists, so that it can be understood as "alternative" and as promoting engaged citizenship. A sub goal was also to explore whether citizen journalism does enable the practice of citizenship through expanding the public sphere. The findings of the research are that in the Iindaba Ziyafika project, citizen journalists see news as a process and not as a series of news events. This is clear departure from event-based news conceptualisation associated with mainstream journalism. They view news as unfolding social processes, allowing citizen journalists to question the factors which would have precipitated the event and investigate the causal factors of particular phenomena. The research also reveals that citizen journalists in the project are engaging in pro-am journalism. Part of the practice of citizen journalists involves a very significant amount of collaboration between professional journalists and citizen journalists. The collaboration is in the production of content and in the presentation of radio broadcasts. Part of the findings of the study are that journalists in the Iindaba Ziyafika project work in different mediums and this calls for them to acquire the competencies of the different mediums. The same citizen journalists produce content for print, radio and for online media. The diction used in the stories published by citizen journalists is couched in struggle and revolutionary language which seems to pit the community against the authorities. The citizen journalists also make use of every daily language in their radio broadcasts and borrow from their cultural expression. This they do through populist methods. The citizen journalists have also integrated communication brokering as part and parcel of their practice. This is because the citizen journalists have also made it their mandate to enable the flow of information between the residents and the local authority. In terms of sourcing there is a deliberate stance to include those who are not ordinarily given a voice in the mainstream media. Women and the poor appear frequently in stories as sources and this is a different scenario from that prevalent in mainstream journalism which frequently covers the rich and the powerful. The citizen journalists in the Iindaba Ziyafika project have also borrowed practices from professional journalism and this has been integrated into their daily practice. This includes following strategic rituals of journalism objectivity and balance.

New media technology continues to provide journalists with sophisticated tools that are changing news processing and gathering. Economics journalists in particular have grasped the possibilities offered by new media technologies. Thus, this paper offers a theoretical and practical look at how new media technologies have impacted the production and processing of economics news in South Africa, with a particular focus on Fin24.com which is South Africa's biggest online economics news publication. Using qualitative research methods and the case-study approach, this thesis documents the impact of new media technologies on the production of economics news. It draws on Witschge and Nygren's (2009) framework which describes how new media technologies change the nature in which news is produced and processed. New media technologies in this study will refer to the Internet, particularly search engines like Google, social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, Blogs as well as mobile telephony. Economics journalism will here refer to all coverage of economics and business-related news. This is because the case study (Fin24.com) covers both business and economics journalism by strict definition. Findings reveal that these new media technologies have not only changed economics newsgathering and processing but also journalistic routines. The findings generally show that new media technologies make it easier for economics journalists to produce the news quickly and efficiently. Indeed, the most distinguishing characteristic of new media is its overall speed, which is both challenging and attractive. The findings also reveal that new media technologies within a newsroom can be problematic in a number of ways, mainly raising issues of accuracy and credibility thus challenging the profession of economics journalism more than ever.

CAPES / Esta dissertação aborda como profissionais do jornalismo, através das práticas do cotidiano, se apropriam de artefatos e tecnologias computacionais para trabalhar com Jornalismo Guiado por Dados e, especificamente, com visualizações de dados. Para isso, considera-se que é no cotidiano que as tecnologias são apropriadas por quem as usa, e que este uso leva as tecnologias a uma estabilização, na qual elas deixam de ser percebidas como um elemento estranho. Os modos de uso dos artefatos também são considerados enquanto elementos construtores de identidades. O objeto principal da pesquisa são seis profissionais que fazem uso de artefatos e técnicas do Jornalismo Guiado por Dados no seu dia a dia. Através de entrevistas e observações, foram levantadas algumas maneiras através das quais as práticas e apropriações de tecnologias constroem as identidades de quem faz uso delas e levam os artefatos à estabilização. A análise das práticas do cotidiano colaboraria para uma visão menos instrumentalista no desenho de artefatos e também no ensino de técnicas, legitimando assim os modos de uso de cada pessoa. Para entender essas práticas do cotidiano, são apresentados os conceitos de “táticas” e “estratégias” com o objetivo de situar as relações de poder do cotidiano e como as pessoas podem subvertê-las, e conceitos dos estudos em Ciência, Tecnologia e Sociedade como SCOT – construção social da tecnologia – e códigos técnicos, para analisar os processos que levam à estabilização de uma tecnologia. Relacionando esses conceitos com o jornalismo, é analisada a conotação de neutralidade dos grandes conjuntos de dados e comparando-a com a ideia de neutralidade da tecnologia. O Jornalismo Guiado por Dados é então relacionado a algumas taxonomias de gêneros e formatos jornalísticos, e é apresentado um breve histórico do uso do computador no jornalismo, para situá-lo dentro do jornalismo de modo geral e nas identidades jornalísticas que são construídas através das tecnologias consumidas no cotidiano. Por sua vez, é apresentado como os produtos jornalísticos derivados de grandes bases de dados propõem outro tipo de relação entre o jornalismo e o público, especificamente através da visualização de dados. São consideradas as possibilidades da visualização como forma de explorar e/ou comunicar grandes conjuntos de dados, assim como formas de leituras que elas propiciam. São descritos alguns processos para produzir visualizações de dados e mostrados exemplos de visualizações usadas no jornalismo, além de descrições de ferramentas de software usadas no Jornalismo Guiado por Dados. Como conclusão principal, defende-se que a legitimação das táticas, assim como uma visão menos instrumentalista e determinista do computar e de outras tecnologias, colaboraria para que mais pessoas se aproveitem dos recursos do Jornalismo Guiado por Dados e das visualizações. / This dissertation looks at how journalism professionals, through everyday practices, appropriate artifacts and computational technologies to work with Data-Driven Journalism and, specifically, with data visualization. For this, we considered that it is in everyday life that technologies are appropriated for those who make use of them, and that this use leads technologies to a closure or stabilization, in which they are no longer perceived as a foreign element. We also consider the way people make use of artifacts as elements that construct identities. The main study subjects are six professionals that make use of artifacts and techniques related to Data-Driven Journalism in their everyday life. Through interviews and observations, we collected some ways through which people appropriate technology, and thus takes them to stabilization and build identities. The analysis of everyday practices would collaborate to a less instrumentalist approach in artifact design and technique teaching, thus legitimating the ways each person makes use of technologies. For a better understanding of those everyday practices, the concepts of "tactics" and "strategies" are introduced, in order to situate the everyday power relations and how people can subvert them, as well as concepts from the Science, Technology and Society studies – STS –, such as SCOT – social construction of technology – and technical codes, in order to analyze the processes that lead to the closure of technology. Relating these concepts to journalism, the neutral connotation of large data sets is analyzed and compared to the idea of technology neutrality. Data-Driven Journalism is then related to some taxonomies of journalistic genres and formats, and a brief history of computer use in journalism is presented to situate it within journalism and how journalism’s identities are constructed through technology consumed in daily life. In turn, is presented how journalistic products derived from large databases propose another type of relationship between journalism and the public, specifically through data visualization. We describe some possibilities of visualization as a way to explore and/or communicate large data sets, as well as some different ways of reading they provide. We also describe some processes and tools for producing data visualization in journalism, as well as some software tools used in Data-Driven Journalism. The major conclusion of this study is that legitimating tactics, as well as a less instrumentalist and determinist approach to computing and other technologies, would help more people in making use of the artifacts and techniques of Data-Driven Journalism and data visualization.