Transitioning to transparency: Footnote journalism as a novel journalistic practice

Wehden, Lars-Ole; Uth, Bernadette; von den Driesch, Lea; Engelke, Katherine M.; Springer, Nina

Abstract

Objectivity as the professional norm of Western journalism has–for quite some time–been under scrutiny. Questioning a norm inevitably leads to a search for other normative anchor points. One guiding principle that is currently attracting much attention is transparency. Despite extensive research on audience perceptions of journalistic transparency efforts, less is known about journalists’ transparency practices and how they are embedded in journalistic content. This study investigates a novel practice of source transparency that we term footnote journalism: the visually-emphasized use of scholarly referencing practices that substantiate news content by listing sources in the form of footnotes. Using quantitative content analysis, we assessed N = 2,588 footnote references embedded in N = 127 journalistic news items across three outlets to explore what types of sources were used, what types of statements were substantiated, and whether sources were specific, traceable, and accessible. We find that footnote journalism cites sources of high scientific quality to a substantial extent, but it is rather narrow in its thematic focus. The type of sources used depends on several factors, including the author’s profession, the nature of the statement, and the topic. The discussion addresses the theoretical and practical implications of footnote journalism.