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Reviewed by Vera Katzenberger
Journalism is in a period of upheaval. A fiercely competitive advertising market, an audience that is often tired of news, rapid technological change, and the constantly high pressure to innovate that comes from artificial intelligence, big data, etc. are just a few keywords in the current transformation. How is journalism changing in the digital age? Which are long-lasting trends, and which just short-lived hype? In many media organizations, the constant uncertainty is releasing creative energy: They are experimenting in their reporting with interactive forms and multimedia formats, testing innovative strategies for refinancing their services, and integrating algorithms into their editorial processes.
This situation is the starting point for Lorenz Lorenz-Meyer’s textbook Digitaler Journalismus, published by transcript. The introductory work extends to 354 pages and is divided into three parts. The first part traces the development of journalism under the influence of digitalization. The second concentrates on various journalistic activities, looking both at fundamental activities like topic selection, research, and knowledge and project management, and at innovative fields such as multimedia, social media, data journalism, and the automation of reporting. The third section of the book focuses on editorial marketing and examines aspects such as content management and (re)financing journalistic services. Throughout its 17 chapters, the textbook provides specific examples from the media sector and provides the content in an educational way. This demonstrates the profile of the author, who worked as an online deskman for Der Spiegel, Zeit and Deutsche Welle and taught as a professor of online journalism at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences from 2004 to 2022.
How does the textbook define digital journalism? Like most authors, Lorenz-Meyer assumes that the »effects of digitalization« (13) have transformed journalism. While online journalism has long been talked about both in practice and in research, and the internet was seen as one outlet among many, digital journalism has now asserted itself as a watchword that brings with it a more holistic view. Lorenz-Meyer, too, understands digital journalism as a multifaceted practice under the constraints of digitalization, covering the entire value chain from production to distribution and reception. He presumes the existence of a colorful »media cosmos« (34) that is spreading across all digital platforms and moving forward in all its diversity. In doing so, digital journalism needs to subsist in a dynamic area of tension between creativity, consumption, commerce, and new technologies. This includes, for example, the spread of false information and deep fakes, and the dependency on large platforms like Facebook, Google, YouTube, etc.
In the first section of the book, Lorenz-Meyer looks back at the origins of digital journalism, arguing that the first decade of its development had its origins in the precision journalism of the 1950s (cf. 18). Further development, he continues, began with the opening of the internet and the establishment of search engines, social networks, and mobile devices. In the third decade, the focus is on how digitalization has affected journalism from the mid-2010s. Yet Lorenz-Meyer dedicates just half a page to a brief description of this crucial period, and fails to mention the influence of artificial intelligence and algorithms. He does at least go on to dedicate an entire chapter to automation in journalism later in the book.
The second section of the book, looking at the craft of journalism, has enormous practical relevance and provides a corresponding density of application examples. This textbook does not teach the reader how to compose a news item, a comment piece, a reportage, or an opinion piece – Lorenz-Meyer states as much right at the beginning (cf. 13). Fortunately, there are enough other introductory works that cover the classic forms of style and presentation, including in the digital space (e.g., Liesem 2014, Hooffacker 2020, Matzen 2024). Instead, Lorenz-Meyer presents new processes like open source intelligence (OSINT) (cf. 62) and formats and channels like social media stories (cf. 123), news games (cf. 125), and podcasts (cf. 179). For example, there is more detailed discussion of various formats on YouTube, Instagram, and Tiktok by the content network Funk from ARD and ZDF (cf. 141), and data journalism stories from Zeit and the Berliner Morgenpost (cf. 208). Interaction with one’s own audiences and new interactive formats like Spiegel Debatte from Spiegel Online are also mentioned (cf. 306). The aforementioned chapter on the role of automation in journalism is also located in the second section. Lorenz-Meyer sees automation in journalism as »the editorial application of technologies from the field of artificial intelligence« (223). The chapter mainly provides definitions, such as of symbolic and sub-symbolic, discriminative and generative AI (cf. 225ff.).
Finally, at the heart of the third section is the strategic integration of marketing methods in editorial content in order to increase both range and reader loyalty. Lorenz-Meyer addresses fields like community management (cf. 297), editorial analytics (cf. 320), and digital paid content (cf. 339). In his view, the greatest challenge here lies in finding a balance between informative content and promotional elements without endangering journalistic integrity. The author once again uses clear, practical examples to tangibly demonstrate how media organizations can achieve this balance, including the Krautreporter magazine that used crowdfunding in its start-up phase (cf. 343) and RiffReporter with its mix of sales revenue and donations from private individuals and institutions (cf. 344).
All in all, the educational style of the textbook is a major plus point. Lorenz-Meyer begins every chapter with a brief overview of the learning unit and the various learning objectives. Explanations of terms and key messages repeatedly provide a concise summary of the information presented. For each chapter there are tests on the publisher’s website, accessed via a link in the e-book or a QR code. These quizzes are a little cumbersome to access at times (the reader must set up and activate an account). Lorenz-Meyer also provides practice exercises, offering ideas and inspiration for lecturers and students. Each group of topics ends with a list of selected recommended literature, allowing the reader to explore the various topics from a theoretical and research-oriented perspective. Should readers want to deepen their expertise further, the hand-picked recommendations are a good starting point for further research. After all, apart from this recommended literature, Lorenz-Meyer’s textbook does not provide any sources at all.
The formats and tools of digital journalism are constantly developing at a rapid pace. A textbook is therefore only ever a snapshot in time and can only reflect the current situation. Lorenz-Meyer provides a versatile practical textbook. It examines the key terms and approaches associated with the digital transformation of journalism, including interactivity, multimediality, and the increasing personalization of content. The educational style and practical application examples make the textbook a good resource for training journalists in an ever more unpredictable and fast-moving media sector.
About the reviewer
Vera Katzenberger is a junior professor at the Institute of Communication and Media Studies at Leipzig University. Her current teaching and research focuses on digital journalism and podcasts.
Translation: Sophie Costella
References
Liesem, Kerstin (2014): Professionelles Schreiben für den Journalismus. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien.
Hooffacker, Gabriele (2020): Online-Journalismus. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien.
Matzen, Nea (2024): Online-Journalismus für die Praxis. Cologne: Herbert von Halem.
This review first appeared in rezensionen:kommunikation:medien, 23 January 2025, accessible at: https://www.rkm-journal.de/archives/25292
About this book
Lorenz Lorenz-Meyer (2024): Digitaler Journalismus [Digital journalism]. Bielefeld: transcript, 354 pages, EUR 29