Knowledge can wait? The epistemic conversion of new beat reporters

Abstract

This study shows how, during the turbulent period of their initial months on the job, new beat reporters experience a shift in their basic approach to knowledge. This new epistemic approach encompasses two interconnected shifts: From seeing self-knowledge as a necessity to reliance on sources’ knowledge, and from prioritizing content knowledge to prioritizing journalistic knowledge. Findings suggest that reporting without knowledge isn’t a bug, but rather a major feature of news reporting; that at least during reporters’ first years, the main epistemic challenge is reporting despite the lack of beat knowledge; and that the foundations of source-reporter relations are laid down when the latter are at their weakest point in terms of power and knowledge, enabling sources’ to gain a dominant position in shaping the reported realities.