Deliberative journalism and citizenship: principles and practices in the Portuguese regional press

Abstract

What is the perception that journalists have about the citizens' role in democratic life? What is the role of journalists in relation to public sphere and political debate? The main goal of this study is to investigate the relationship between the local press, citizens and civic practices. It takes as starting point a dual theoretical approach, the theory of deliberative democracy and the movement of public journalism, to assess the scope of a conception of "deliberative journalism." Under the project "Citizens' Agenda: journalism and political participation in the Portuguese media ", a questionnaire was delivered to 45 journalists from eight regional newspapers in Portugal. The results show that although the journalists appreciate the principles underlying the public and deliberative journalism movements (which suggests that a deliberative consciousness is emerging), also express an conventional journalism approach.