‘I Know How to Write News in My Own Country’: Resocialisation Process of Immigrant Journalists During Newsroom Internships in Finland

Abstract

In this article, I examine how immigrant journalists are resocialised into Finnish journalistic culture through internships and which aspects of that culture this process reveals. Research data, which was collected over nine months in Finland, included interviews, participant observation, research diaries and Signal messages. I identified four cultural clashes that demanded negotiations in the newsrooms: the journalist’s role, storytelling, relevant sources and newsroom interactions. The resocialisation process was more likely to happen when differences were easily visible and concrete (such as storytelling and interaction in newsrooms), and therefore communicated, which is crucial because socialisation is based on interaction. Journalist’s role and source selection, however, were not quite open to the resocialisation process, partly because the journalists were so embedded in their communities. Understanding the differences in journalistic cultures may help journalists who are starting their journalistic career in a new country or different culture adapt to the new culture and facilitate resocialisation, in turn improving newsroom diversity.