The Changing Logics of Danish Cultural Journalism

Even though it is often overlooked in scholarly and public discussions of the proceedings of the news media, cultural journalism constitutes an important dimension of journalism among media workers as well as audiences. Providing a broad introduction to cultural journalism in Denmark, this chapter outlines the most important historical developments of the field over the last 120 years and identifies central transformations in recent years. It builds upon and reviews the existing body of Danish research in this specialised field and points to new routes for future research. On this basis, the chapter argues that the transformations of cultural journalism relate to what is considered within the boundaries of culture and the cultural public sphere, by whom and where cultural journalism is conducted and published, and which professional logics are at play in cultural journalism. For when it comes to cultural journalism, a tension exists between the traditional ‘watchdog’ understanding of journalism in general and the specificity of cultural journalism, which is characterized by a more experience-based or ‘soft’ orientation; the chapter addresses this tension through an analysis of recent discussions of cultural journalism’s place in the news media.