Mobile journalism, whereby a single reporter must write, shoot, and edit their own news stories, is a rapidly growing trend among local television news organizations in the United States and around the world. Using qualitative case study methodology, specifically in-depth interviews and observation, this study compares “mobile journalists” with journalists working within a traditional television news crew, in which a reporter concentrates on the writing and interviewing aspects of newsgathering and a videographer concentrates on the audio/video production. The research looked at four aspects of “professionalization” found in the sociology of professions literature; expert knowledge, professional autonomy, routinization, and encroachment from outside organizations. Findings suggest that the mobile journalists in this study have less specialized expert knowledge. Also, though the mobile journalists felt that working outside a crew gave them greater autonomy, their increased use of work routines suggests they have given up some control to organizational needs. Additionally, there is evidence that these mobile journalists have allowed some encroachment by other professionals, specifically public relations professionals, in order to accomplish their work tasks within specified deadlines with limited time and resources.

Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest owner of U.S. local television stations, has received recent attention due to its apparent political lean and journalistic practices. This study compared the content and quality of national political news stories at Sinclair and non-Sinclair stations in three television markets. Results indicated evidence of a “Sinclair Effect,” whereby Sinclair-owned affiliate stories exhibited more cable news-style elements. Stations generally adhered to traditional journalistic principles, regardless of ownership, but Sinclair stations produced more stories with dramatic elements, commentary, and partisan sources.

In a closed-cohort educational program design, students enter a program together, take the same courses together, and, ideally, graduate together. In an effort to increase interaction and communication among students, it has been utilized more and more for online graduate programs. This article surveyed students in one of the few closed-cohort graduate programs in a mass communication school. Results indicate that students found several aspects of closed-cohort important, valued social media sites as a way to communicate with other cohort members, felt a strong sense of community among their cohort, and used their cohort to create a professional network of peers.

This research article examined the perception of reporters and news managers at local television stations in the United States regarding “solo journalism.” Solo journalism is the work practice in which a single reporter is expected to gather information, write, shoot video, and edit their news stories on their own. This is contrasted with a traditional news crew in which those tasks distributed among at least two workers, sometimes more. Based on theories of transformational leadership and self-concordance, it was hypothesized that news directors perceptions of solo journalism would impact their reporters. The study utilized data gathered from two separate, but linked surveys, one of news managers (N = 159) and one of front-line journalists (N = 222). The data indicated that journalists and news directors recognized that solo journalism will be integral to the future of television news. However, journalists are generally more pessimistic about the causes and benefits of solo journalism than news directors. Additionally, news directors admitted that they must utilize solo journalists differently than news crews. By matching the two samples by station, analysis suggested that the “optimism” of news managers toward solo journalism may impact the efficacy of the reporters that work for them.

Critics accuse the Sinclair television ownership group of slashing resources and producing biased news. However, few scholars have examined Sinclair’s news quality. Using an investment-based approach to quality, this study provides the first systematic human-coded examination of Sinclair’s local video news quality. Data from 2,300 stories in 40 U.S. markets indicated lower overall quality at Sinclair-owned stations compared to competitors. However, Sinclair outperformed competitors on some quality metrics, and evidence of political bias was minimal. Findings provide insights into how corporate ownership affects local TV, the most trusted source of news in the United States.

The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook, endearingly called “the journalist’s bible,” contains thousands of entries outlining style rules and situational guidance. Designed initially for practitioners, the AP stylebook is a seminal resource at many journalism education programs. Its density and complexity as a learning material inherently poses cognitive load risks for novices—and yet—it remains notably under researched. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study explored journalism instructor axiology, pedagogy, and perceptions of teaching effectiveness when introducing AP Style to novice students. Findings revealed that while AP Style remains a pillar of U.S. journalism curriculum, experienced instructors sometimes feel uncertain about the effectiveness of their introductory pedagogy. They described a hodgepodge of methods and design constraints often incongruous with knowledge of human cognitive architecture. We problematize these findings through cognitive load research, recommend Cognitive Apprenticeship Model principles to reduce load-inducing strategies, and suggest directions for future research.