Independence and integrity : a case study of KUT News 2002-2012

Abstract

This study employed in-depth interviews and autoethnography with reporters, supporters of and managers at KUT Radio, the NPR affiliate in Austin, as well as leaders in the public journalism movement and media watchers to ascertain the station’s sense of news mission, audience and public journalism’s potential for long-term relevance. KUT launched its newsroom with the public journalism goal to link the public with the civic process by involving them more deeply in the news gathering process. Early on, KUT staff believed strongly in the public journalism model. As the newsroom matured and pressure to produce more content with fewer resources increased, staff received less training in the model. Concurrent with the ascendance of digital technology, blogs and microblogs, the staff and news community adopted more public journalism tenets, which became less an operational guide and more like one element of the overall news mission.