Uncovering the Research Behaviors of Reporters: A Conceptual Framework for Information Literacy in Journalism

Abstract

The American news media is facing a crisis of public trust fueled, in part, by an epistemological disagreement of what constitutes quality news. Through a series of 50 interviews with journalism professionals and students, this research investigates how evidence-based journalism is created by gathering data on expert and novice research practices. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed through the lens of the ACRL Framework to provide the foundation for a journalism information literacy framework. This analysis can be used to inform library instruction and higher education journalism curricula and offers insights and greater transparency on the processes that underlie trustworthy news.