Comparing News Beat Structures across 13 Countries: From Geographic to Topical and Sub-Specialised Division of Labour

Reich Z; Price LT; Coddington M; Mellado C; Malling M; Císařová LW; Ginosar A; Leuven SV; Kumari A; Marchetti D; Wintterlin F; Splendore S; González RA; Vatikiotis P; Faure A; Hernández L

Abstract

Almost 200 years after their inception, news beats became a dominant factor that shapes newsrooms. This study explores the beat mix of leading quality dailies in 13 countries. Findings are based on executive interviews triangulated with other data sources. They indicate a shift from geographic to thematic division of labour and the rising trend of beat sub-specialisation. Newsroom size matters but not linearly: larger newsrooms are not larger across the board. Despite the “interpretive turn”, the iconic figure of the newsroom is still the news reporter, with commentators having a minor share. The studied newsrooms are still based on full timers, with restricted reliance on freelancers and part-timers, mainly in softer news. Gender differences have not disappeared; however, they are smaller and nuanced. These findings suggest that beat systems are responsive to ontological, cultural and environmental changes, while preserving their basic logic of newsmaking at least regarding their core staffs.