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This article examines the formation of a belief in journalism as a worthwhile career in France and the United States. Using journalists' memoirs, early textbooks and novels depicting journalism, we show that a life in news became appealing in the late nineteenth century due to the novel mixture of material and symbolic rewards on offer. Promising pay for work that seemed adventurous and exciting, with opportunities for expression, the potential for influence and a connection to broader social values (e.g., fighting injustice, informing citizens), the possibility of these rewards formed the basis of a highly similar illusio – i.e. the belief that journalism constituted a social game worthy of one's energies (Bourdieu, 2000). Highlighting this emergent sense of worth fills a lacuna in historical scholarship, while also inviting questions about how these attractions are given life under contemporary conditions that often frustrate journalists' efforts to secure these rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores journalists' reactions to economic constraints and technological transformations in two cities: Toulouse, France, and Seattle, United States. Through semi-structured interviews, we show that journalists in both places either endure these conditions, invest in them as professional opportunities, or ignore them altogether. Drawing on Bourdieu, we argue that these distinct responses are shaped in part by a journalist's position in the field: those in low positions tend to endure; those in intermediate positions generally invest; and those in high positions are likely to ignore. We also suggest that the meanings of these responses vary according to the distinctive fields in which journalists are embedded, with the reactions of Toulouse journalists generally less market-oriented than their Seattle counterparts. These findings, and the theoretical perspective that enables them, are positioned in relation to case studies that analyze journalists' reactions and comparative survey research that explores similarities and differences in such reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines journalists' use of social media in France and the United States. Through in-depth interviews, we show that shared practical sensibilities lead journalists in both countries to use social media to accomplish routine tasks (e.g. gather information, monitor sources, and develop story ideas). At the same time, we argue that the incorporation of social media into daily practice also creates opportunities for journalists to garner peer recognition and that these opportunities vary according to the distinctive national fields in which journalists are embedded. Where American journalism incentivizes individual journalists to orient social media use toward audiences, French journalism motivates news organizations to use social media for these purposes, while leaving individual journalists to focus primarily on engaging with their peers. We position these findings in relation to debates on the uses of technologies across national settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the differential formation of online news startups in Toulouse, France, and Seattle, United States. While Seattle is home to many startups, in Toulouse there have been just 4-and only 1 continues publishing. Drawing on Bourdieu's field theory, we argue that amount and types of capital held by journalists in the 2 cities varied as a result of differences in journalism's position in the field of power. These differences shaped the extent of startup formation in each city and structured journalists' capacities to convert their capital into the resources needed to form startups (e.g., funding, credentials, partnerships). These findings are positioned in relation to literatures on journalism innovation and comparative media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]