Presentation held at ECREA's 6th European Communication Conference (ECC), Nov 11th 2016, Prague, Czech Republic.

1. The journalist turned brand:
How reporters build their profiles
through personal branding.
Julius Reimer
@julius_reimer
ECREA 2016 / 6th ECC
Prague, Nov. 11th 2016

2. Personal branding in journalism: a trend strongly discussed
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• Brems et al. 2016
• Bruns 2012
• Canter 2013, 2015
• Hanusch/Bruns 2016
• Hedman 2015
• Hedman/Djerf-Pierre 2013
• Hermida, 2013
• Holton/Molyneux 2015
• Holton 2016
• Molyneux 2015
• Molyneux/Holton 2015
• Mourão 2015
• Schultz/Sheffer 2012a, 2012b
• Summ 2013
• Tandoc/Vos 2016
• Wiik/Hedman 2015

3. (Broad) definition
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Personal branding...
Practices aiming at creating “associations in the minds of customers and other
important constituents [that] differentiate the brand and establish (to the extent
possible) competitive superiority”… (Keller/Lehmann, 2006: 740; cf. also, Aaker, 1996; Chan-
Olmsted/Cha, 2008 Esch, 2002; Meffert/Burmann, 2002; Siegert et al., 2011)
…in journalism
…within the boundaries of journalistic norms, logics and concepts (for the largest
part, at least)

4. Procedure
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Literature study
Deduction of potential semantic dimensions of a journalist’s brand (e.g., role
conception, topics)
Document analysis
Further inductive differentiation or pooling, complementation or reduction
Based on 290 blog posts, media-journalistic articles and interviews, conference
talks, how-to guides and other documents of the meta-journalistic discourse (in
German and English) about personal branding in journalism

5. Practices and target groups
Journalistic performances as such
Selection and presentation of stories, information, opinions, etc.
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“If you write about stuff in which […] you don’t
really have expertise, you’re just going to turn out
a mediocre product. And that’s going to affect
how you’re perceived in the long run.”
Glenn Greenwald, cited in: Baker 2015: n.p.

6. Practices and target groups
Journalistic performances as such
Selection and presentation of stories, information, opinions, etc.
Meta-communication/self-presentation
Communication about one’s journalistic performances and oneself as their producer
(e.g., tweets promoting one’s latest story, blog post describing one’s journalistic
attitude, discussions about journalistic values and approaches on Facebook)
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“I blog about my work, what I’ve done. I try to make the production
process a little more transparent because that’s my approach:
journalism must be open, approachable and transparent. […] Apart
from that, I write about things that upset me, that bother me or that
I’ve got a certain opinion about.”
Daniel Bröckerhoff, cited in Schnitt 2013: 3:20-3:30 min.; own translation

7. Practices and target groups
Journalistic performances as such
Selection and presentation of stories, information, opinions, etc.
Meta-communication/self-presentation
Communication about one’s journalistic performances and oneself as their producer
(e.g., tweets promoting one’s latest story, blog post describing one’s journalistic
attitude, discussions about journalistic values and approaches on Facebook)
Target groups
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Peers
Employers, clients
Audiences
Advertisers
Sources,
interview partners
Potential
goal conflicts

8. Dimensions of differentiation
Distribution media (print, TV, radio, online)
(Different degrees of) specialisation vs. generalisation on print, TV, radio and/or
online
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9. Topics and fields of expertise
(Different degrees of) specialisation vs. generalisation on more than one beat, one
beat, a niche within a beat
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Dimensions of differentiation
“‘I wanted to build something that was designed to play
to my strengths’: […] covering the ins and outs of
biotechnology”.
Luke Timmerman, cited in Mullin 2016: n.p.
“In TV and radio pieces she [Anorte Linsmaer; J.R.] reports
on a wide variety of topics: ‘Specialise!’ […] She could
never relate to advice like that.”
O’Daniel 2013a: n.p.; own translation

10. Topics and fields of expertise
(Different degrees of) specialisation vs. generalisation on more than one beat, one
beat, a niche within a beat
Implicit connotations of seriousness or lightness/hard or soft news
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Dimensions of differentiation
“I think that if you want to be taken seriously as a woman,
write about serious things and talk about serious subjects.”
Eleanor Mills, cited in: Albeanu 2014: n.p.

11. Topics and fields of expertise
(Different degrees of) specialisation vs. generalisation on more than one beat, one
beat, a niche within a beat
Implicit connotations of seriousness or lightness/hard or soft news
Minor perceived inconsistencies = opportunities for surprise and differentiation
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Dimensions of differentiation
“At the age of 40, or 50 at the latest, most of the men in
journalism fall into the relevance trap: They only want to
write about Obama, Putin, maybe Zipras and the EU
borders. But definitely not about topics that have to do
with style or people. […] Smart writer, dumb stuff – I
wanted to introduce that concept in Switzerland.”
Mark van Huisseling cited in: Imseng 2016: n.p.; own translation
“Sometimes if you actually aim at a particularly male
area [she mentions business and sports; J.R.] there could
be lots of opportunities.”
Eleanor Mills, cited in: Albeanu 2014: n.p.

12. Journalistic role conception (cf. Heise et al. 2014; Weischenberg et al. 2006)
Inform & explain; criticise, control & engage; provide service; entertain
Reporting style
In a general sense: rather distinct journalistic genres (cf. Schmidt/Weischenberg 1994: 225–
232): objective reporting/information journalism, interpretive journalism,
investigative journalism, new/literary/gonzo journalism, precision & data(-driven)
journalism, constructive journalism, etc.
In a personal sense: the journalist’s personal voice/tone (emotional, humourous,
highbrow, etc.)
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Dimensions of differentiation
“[H]e [Roger Ebert; J.R.] was
viewed as a movie critic with
the soul of a poet”.
Carr 2015: n.p.
“He [Harry Enten; J.R.] operates almost entirely from his
computer, crunching figures, aggregating polling data, and
searching for historical indicators. His pieces are full of
numbers, an explanation of what those numbers mean, and a
prediction about where they could be pointing.”
Vernon 2016: n.p.

13. Presentation forms (cf. Schmidt/Weischenberg 1994: 232–235)
News report, feature, interview, editorial, commentary, review, etc.
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Dimensions of differentiation
“Find a niche. By that, I mean offer presentation forms
and formats that others don’t.”
Oswald 2014: n.p.; own translation

14. Presentation forms (cf. Schmidt/Weischenberg 1994: 232–235)
News report, feature, interview, editorial, commentary, review, etc.
Newly developing forms on new platforms: live-blogging on Twitter, live-streaming
on Periscope or Facebook live, texting on WhatsApp, everything on Snapchat...
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Dimensions of differentiation
“Mike Schnoor [a media consultant; J.R.] advises
journalists to train presentation forms and also offer
producing videos and live-streaming”.
Blaß 2016: n.p.; own translation

15. Personality traits
Dimensions conveyed especially in social interaction:
Teamplayer vs. lone wolf
Leader vs. follower
Traditionalist vs. innovator vs. rebel
Person of integrity
Person with rough edges
Cynic
…
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Dimensions of differentiation
“Don’t be an asshole.”
Bröckerhoff 2014: n.p.; own translation
“Don’t be a jerk.”
Conlin 2013: n.p.

16. Socio-political positions
Liberal/progressive vs. conservative
Religious
…
Special skills
Technical expertise and coding
Statistics and data visualisation
Expertise in newsroom management
Audience engagement
Strategic innovation
…
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Dimensions of differentiation

17. Outer appearance (incl. voice, typical gestures or facial expressions, clothing, etc.)
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Dimensions of differentiation
“She [Mercedes Bunz; JR] wears horn-rimmed glasses, her
hair is combed backwards – two of her trademarks”.
Bolz 2009: 118; own translation

18. Outer appearance (incl. voice, typical gestures or facial expressions, clothing, etc.)
Networks and contacts
In one’s field of coverage: sources and interview partners
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Dimensions of differentiation
“Some of the alpha-journalists are markedly successful
and talented networkers who always obtain veritable
and exclusive Information via their connections”.
Weichert/Zabel 2007: 42f.; own translation

19. Outer appearance (incl. voice, typical gestures or facial expressions, clothing, etc.)
Networks and contacts
In one’s field of coverage: sources and interview partners
Among audiences: readers, viewers, followers, fans, etc.
In journalism: peers and potential clients/employers
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Dimensions of differentiation
“Networks are important in journalism – perhaps even
more important than in other professions – because
getting a job in journalism is about trust. You get the
most lucrative and interesting jobs via
recommendations.”
Bröckerhoff 2014: n.p.; own translation

20. Meta-communicative techniques
Assertive techniques (examples)
Basking in reflected glory: enhancing one’s status through contacts with important
people, groups, events
Emphasising competence and expertise
Entitlements: talking about one’s achievements and titles to signal high ambitions
and standards
Boosting: evaluating others in a way that makes oneself seem superior
One proactively defensive techniques
Understatement (“fishing for compliments”)
Some reactively defensive techniques following accusations of wrongdoing
Apology, excuse, justification, refusal, etc.
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21. Strategies of combining positions in different dimensions
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Conscious contradictionConservative consistency
Experimental expansion

22. Summary
Practices Journalistic performance Meta-communication
Meta-
communicative
techniques
-
Competence and expertise,
entitlements, basking in reflected glory,
boosting, etc.
Modes Specialisation Generalisation
Dimensions of
distinction
Distribution media, topics and fields of expertise,
journalistic role conception, reporting style (general/personal),
presentation forms, personality traits, socio-political positions,
special skills, outer appearace, networks and contacts
Combination
strategies
Conservative
consistency
Conscious
contradictions
Experimental
expansion
Target groups
Peers
Employers, clients
Audiences
Sources, interview
partners
Advertisers
ßà
&

23. Thank you!
Julius Reimer, M. A.
Associate researcher @ Hans-Bredow-Institute for Media Research
www.hans-bredow-institut.de/de/node/4346
julius.reimer@hans-bredow-institut.de
@julius_reimer
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