The metaphors journalists live by: Journalists' conceptualisation of newswork

The aim of this article is to grasp professional journalists' point of view: the journalists' self-understanding and their conceptualisation of newswork. The article presents an analysis of journalists' everyday language, in particular of their everyday metaphors, and what these metaphors show about the given suppositions behind the journalists' conceptualisation of newswork. This analysis is an explication of an important part of these professional practitioners' tacit expert knowledge and the conclusion is that several different metaphors - and thus different conceptualisations of newswork - coexist. These results provide an opportunity to nuance previous research as it demonstrates how the journalists' multi-layered conceptions of newswork are not mutually exclusive but rather co-present in the journalists' consciousness. Furthermore, the analysis creates an opportunity for journalists to gain a more nuanced insight into their routinised linguistic practice, and thereby makes it possible to discuss and reflect upon this knowledge.