Closeness with politicians helps journalists but risks their independence.

Journalists need to stay close to politicians to get news. Yet getting too close can damage their independence and honesty. Researchers studied how reporters handle this tricky balance. They interviewed political journalists in Austria and Czechia to see how they set limits with political sources. They found that journalists rely on a process called double adaptation. This means reporters adjust their behavior on two separate levels. First, they adapt to specific, day-to-day moments. They balance nine different types of closeness across their interactions and personal relationships. Second, they adapt to larger, outside forces. Things like money pressures, online changes, and political spin doctors force them to change how they work. In short, reporters actively reshape their professional boundaries to fit both immediate conversations and huge industry changes.

Why it matters

For anyone who reads political news, this matters because the way journalists manage relationships with politicians shapes what gets reported and how. When journalists get too close, they may lose critical distance; when too distant, they lose access. This study shows the balancing act is more complex than it seems, involving both personal choices and pressures from the media industry.

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