Journalism, change and listening practices

This paper develops a theoretical account of listening as the 'anchoring practice' for change in all types of contemporary journalism. It contests the technological determinism implied in claims that citizen journalism will 'naturally' help us to listen. Instead, the paper makes the case for theorizing media as practice, attending to the practical and symbolic dimensions of the work needed to redistribute communicative power, and recognizing editorial vision, communicative expertise and financial resources as decisive factors in enabling 'everyday people' to speak, listen and be heard in the media. Three examples of media practices anchored in new approaches to listening are discussed: purposeful cross-cultural communication in SBS Radio, GetUp!'s strategic use of television advertising to achieve a public hearing for dissent, and the bridgeblogging activities of Global Voices that facilitate intercultural dialogue between strangers. Helping people to listen to and hear unfamiliar voices, break silences, and establish meaningful dialogue across difference and disparity can be difficult and costly work. Approaching media as practice provides a productive way of analysing not only the complex range of aural experiences, political interventions, and journalistic activities that emerge when we ask what people are doing in relation to listening, but also the rationales they offer for the turn to listening in journalism and media practice.