Professional boundaries in Estonian journalism: A decade of digital and organisational change

This article analyses how Estonian journalists negotiated professional boundaries over a decade of technological and organisational change. Based on five interview waves (2012–2023) in national and local newsrooms, it traces shifts in symbolic, epistemic, organisational and temporal boundaries. Results show migration rather than erosion: from the marginalisation of online journalism in 2012, through debates about originality and quality, to institutionalised convergence and questions surrounding metrics in 2022/2023. Journalists accepted digital integration as routine but defended verification and public value. The study provides a diachronic account of identity formation in a small Central and Eastern European market, extending boundary work research by highlighting shifting lines of legitimacy and demonstrating how commercial and organisational pressures, rather than political capture, dominate struggles over identity.