Codes of Professionalism: Journalists Versus Politicians in Finland and Sweden

Previous studies have demonstrated that journalists' normative views of `professional journalism' vary between countries. This study shows that context-bound variations in the meaning of journalistic professionalism also encompass conduct in real-world situations. Indeed, we argue that empirical evidence allows us to speak more of a universal code for professional politicians than for professional journalists. For instance, we find evidence of gender-related bias and bias against right-wing protest parties in the conduct of journalists. The study is based on a content analysis of live television interviews in Finland and Sweden.