Russian Regional Media: Fragmented community, fragmented online practices

This study uses Bourdieu’s field theory to examine differences and similarities in digital practices among regional news organizations. Findings from interviews and field observations indicate that online journalism is fragmented in the region, with newsrooms operating on their own beliefs and interpretations. The variance can be explained by such factors as differences in managerial approaches, organizational culture, external factors, and history of the field. In addition, respondents saw online news as simplified journalism, or as a first draft of a story that has the potential to be published in the print edition. In the language of field theory, reporters do not perceive online journalism as providing cultural or symbolic capital, and there is little evidence that it offers economic capital.