• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.57
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• pp.49-68
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• 2012

Much research has been documented on the topic of journalist labour, including process of news production, organizational culture and journalist ethics. Relatively little interest is given to the recent changes in journalist labor caused by the digital convergence in contemporary news industry, however. This study explore the changes from the perspective of the transformation of professional works, practices and identities. For the purpose, in-depth interviews with 17 Korean journalists were conducted and the results can be summarized as follows. First, interviewed journalists expressed both expectations and worries concerning the changes of news production environments. Second, it was found that the new environments could conflict with the old professional culture and confuse the professional identities. Third, the confusion of professional identities was concerned with adaptability, emotional consent or resistance to the changes.