Karin Assmann

The University of Georgia, Journalism, Faculty Member

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Assistant Professor of Journalism
Newsroom sociology, media management and journalist-audience-source relationships. Working to bring student journalists into rural communities in Georgia. Before academia: U.S. correspondent for Spiegel TV

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Papers by Karin Assmann

We’ve Got a Union, Now What?

Journalism & communication monographs, May 13, 2024

Precarious economic conditions, low pay, layoffs, and dwindling job security motivated journalist... more Precarious economic conditions, low pay, layoffs, and dwindling job security motivated journalists to organize in record numbers in the 2010s and 2020s. Cohen and De Peuter&#39;s 2020 research on newsworkers&#39; motives and organizing strategies in digital newsrooms finds that economic, political, and cultural factors play a role. Pay equity, a more diverse and inclusive newsroom, and a voice in editorial and strategic decisionmaking are often cited as arguments for union membership. This monograph asks how newsworkers assess the effect of unionization and guild membership on their work, working conditions, and culture. Interviews with 45 journalists in 16 U.S. newsrooms with unions, both established and recently organized, suggest that several goals, such as pay equity, diversity, and inclusion, have not been achieved. Nevertheless, the act of organizing and the managerial work accomplished by union leadership in the newsroom is creating both institutional change and opportunity. A parallel organizational culture is emerging that mitigates poor leadership and human resource management and serves as training ground for a new class of journalists.

We've Got a Union, Now What

Journalism & Communication Monographs, 2024

Precarious economic conditions, low pay, layoffs, and dwindling job security motivated journalist... more Precarious economic conditions, low pay, layoffs, and dwindling job security motivated journalists to organize in record numbers in the 2010s and 2020s. Cohen and De Peuter's 2020 research on newsworkers' motives and organizing strategies in digital newsrooms finds that economic, political, and cultural factors play a role. Pay equity, a more diverse and inclusive newsroom, and a voice in editorial and strategic decisionmaking are often cited as arguments for union membership. This monograph asks how newsworkers assess the effect of unionization and guild membership on their work, working conditions, and culture. Interviews with 45 journalists in 16 U.S. newsrooms with unions, both established and recently organized, suggest that several goals, such as pay equity, diversity, and inclusion, have not been achieved. Nevertheless, the act of organizing and the managerial work accomplished by union leadership in the newsroom is creating both institutional change and opportunity. A parallel organizational culture is emerging that mitigates poor leadership and human resource management and serves as training ground for a new class of journalists.

Rise of the Zombie Papers: Infecting Germany’s Local and Regional Public Media Ecosystem

Media and Communication

Germany’s public broadcasters, along with local newspapers, have consistently ranked among the to... more Germany’s public broadcasters, along with local newspapers, have consistently ranked among the top three most trusted news sources in Germany. Yet growing criticism of mandatory fees and recent revelations about public broadcasters’ misuse of funds have put into question the health of Germany’s news and information infrastructure. In fact, a perfect storm appears to be brewing: precarious working conditions, exacerbated by cutbacks in the wake of Covid-19 and the emergence of so-called zombie papers. These papers, published without a local staff, reporters, or newsrooms, threaten to complicate audiences’ perceptions of news credibility and trust. This study explores Germany’s emerging news deserts by examining the rise of zombie newspapers in two states, one in the Western and one in the Eastern part of the country. Analyses of existing literature through the lens of institutional political economy and of interviews with key informants show that Germany, despite its strong federaliz...

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Are women journalists in leadership changing work conditions and newsroom culture?

Journalism

Using standpoint epistemology and critical mass theory this study analyzes the potential impact o... more Using standpoint epistemology and critical mass theory this study analyzes the potential impact on work culture and conditions in German newsrooms following a call for voluntary gender quotas in newsroom leadership. In-depth interviews with 53 journalists in 21 leading newsrooms in Germany find positive changes in work culture and conditions for all journalists in all newsrooms that reached or approached critical mass of women in leadership. Through the eyes of women and men working in these national newsrooms, an increase in women in newsrooms that came near or superseded the voluntary quota in leadership positions helped boost ongoing institutional support regarding paid parental leave and childcare options and augmented transparency around opportunities for mentoring, coaching, and hiring through more institutionalized processes. We recommend a continued implementation of voluntary quotas and further research to document and analyze long-term structural and systemic changes that ...

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Whistleblowers and their Faith in Journalism

Journalism Practice

The “ProQuote” initiative: women journalists in Germany push to revolutionize newsroom leadership

Feminist Media Studies

Using standpoint epistemology and critical mass theories this study examines outcomes of the 2012... more

Bill Cosby on Twitter and Beyond

When a video of comedian Hannibal Buress calling entertainer Bill Cosby a rapist went viral in Oc... more When a video of comedian Hannibal Buress calling entertainer Bill Cosby a rapist went viral in October 2014, journalists were quick to explain why they had not pursued these rape allegations much earlier. “The absence of social media in 2005” was one of the reasons they gave for dropping the story when Cosby was first charged. This paper examines what features of the discourse on social media made Bill Cosby a newsworthy topic in 2014 in the view of the mainstream news media. A content analysis of tweets on the day the tide of public opinion turned against Cosby and an analysis of the follower networks of influencers who brought voices critical of the comedian out of the Twitter sphere into the mainstream newsrooms, contributes to an understanding of the dynamic of gatekeeping on social media networks and the new, perhaps weakened role of traditional news media outlets as agenda-setters.

LEARNING TO LOVE THE AUDIENCE: How Journalists and Newsrooms Adjust to Audience Inclusion and Engagement

Title of Dissertation: LEARNING TO LOVE THE AUDIENCE: HOW JOURNALISTS AND NEWSROOMS ADJUST TO AUD... more Title of Dissertation: LEARNING TO LOVE THE AUDIENCE: HOW JOURNALISTS AND NEWSROOMS ADJUST TO AUDIENCE INCLUSION AND ENGAGEMENT Karin Assmann, Doctor of Philosophy, 2019 Dissertation directed by: Dr. Linda Steiner, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland This study examines how institutional change in the news industry, in particular empowerment and inclusion of the audience, affects journalists. How does minding the audience, interacting with readers or viewers and engaging with them at various stages of the news production process, make journalists feel about their jobs, themselves, their workplace and their audience? How might this outcome affect journalistic output? Answering these questions is a contribution to the discourse about the future of journalism practice in a hostile economic environment. Through in-depth interviews with 131 journalists and newsroom managers in four newsrooms, with 22 audience engagement editors in 20 newsrooms and with 15 consult...

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Lügenpresse: The lying press and German journalists’ responses to a stigma

Journalism, 2019

The term Lügenpresse, ‘lying press’, was used by the German National Socialist Party before and d... more The term Lügenpresse, ‘lying press’, was used by the German National Socialist Party before and during the Third Reich to discredit the news media and to undermine public trust. By 2014, reports of verbal and physical attacks on journalists and news organizations by individuals calling them Lügenpresse, had again become a frequent feature of the public discourse in Germany. While the term ‘fake news’ is used to similar effect and intent in the United States, Lügenpresse is a historically and politically charged expression of distrust in news media on an institutional level. This research examines the responses and institutional strategies of 27 news editors and executive editors in Germany’s leading broadcast, print and online news organizations to the accusations that they are lying to their audiences. Findings indicate that the reemergence of the term Lügenpresse, has led to considerable self-reflection within institutions, in an effort to counter the lack of trust and to demonstr...

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Negotiating Change: Audience Engagement Editors as Newsroom Intermediaries

ISOJ, 2017

In an effort to address their newly empowered and increasingly fragmented audiences, many newsroo... more In an effort to address their newly empowered and increasingly fragmented audiences, many newsrooms are hiring editors tasked with audience engagement. This paper investigates this new genre of news workers, the scope of their activity and their roles within news organizations. Interviews with 22 audience engagement editors working in 20 U.S. news organizations show how they conceptualize journalism, journalistic
practices and standards, and how engagement strategies fulfill important institutional functions. Audience engagement editors serve as multi-tasking intermediaries between reporters, editors, advertisers, and their audiences.

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The “ProQuote” initiative: women journalists in Germany push to revolutionize newsroom leadership

Feminist Media Studies, 2021

Using standpoint epistemology and critical mass theories this study examines outcomes of the 2012... more Using standpoint epistemology and critical mass theories this study examines outcomes of the 2012 ProQuote [ProQuota] initiative in Germany demanding at least 30% women in leadership per newsroom. In-depth interviews with 53 journalists in 21 newsrooms show that ProQuote boosted women's ascension into leadership by triggering and sustaining a debate about gender in newsroom leadership. This contributed to the normalization and legitimization of women in top positions, somewhat alleviating the stigma of tokenism. With critical mass in a given newsroom, women's standpoints have entered the discourse on leadership. More representation of women of different backgrounds and overall diversity in leadership are still needed.

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Lügenpresse: The lying press and German journalists' responses to a stigma

Journalism, 2019

The term Lügenpresse, 'lying press', was used by the German National Socialist Party before and d... more The term Lügenpresse, 'lying press', was used by the German National Socialist Party before and during the Third Reich to discredit the news media and to undermine public trust. By 2014, reports of verbal and physical attacks on journalists and news organizations by individuals calling them Lügenpresse, had again become a frequent feature of the public discourse in Germany. While the term 'fake news' is used to similar effect and intent in the United States, Lügenpresse is a historically and politically charged expression of distrust in news media on an institutional level. This research examines the responses and institutional strategies of 27 news editors and executive editors in Germany's leading broadcast, print and online news organizations to the accusations that they are lying to their audiences. Findings indicate that the reemergence of the term Lügenpresse, has led to considerable self-reflection within institutions, in an effort to counter the lack of trust and to demonstratively better serve the public. The main focus across newsrooms is on improving established processes and on making professional standards and practices more visible to the audience.

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Karin Assmann

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