Epilogue

Discourse approaches to politics, society and culture, pp. 175–184

Abstract

Abstract In this epilogue, we look back at the contributions to this volume which have shown how some newsmakers embrace the idea of collaborating while others are more cautious in reaching out. There seems to be, however, simply no avoiding participation. We explore whether this means giving up, or at least redistributing, control. In doing so, we also point to a lacuna in this volume, as it is invariably on journalists and other traditional newsmakers whom we focus, rather than those who fall outside traditional professional categories. We examine how stable the relationships in collaborative newsmaking really are and, zooming in on the ambivalent notion of collusion, how the contemporary design of newsmaking both enables positive participation and enforces unwanted forms of engagement. We conclude by reflecting on how participation, engagement and collaboration are impacting other fields of society. The chapter points to the need for critical reflection on the limits of participation and to new routes for further research.

Authors 4

1. Felicitas Macgilchrist Aachen Institute for International Textbook Research / Center for Language and Cognition

   Leiden University · University of Groningen · Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute

   Affiliation as printed

   Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research

   Institute for International Textbook Research / Center for Language and Cognition, University of Groningen / Leiden University

2. Jana Declercq Aachen Institute for International Textbook Research / Center for Language and Cognition

   Leiden University · University of Groningen · Ghent University

   Affiliation as printed

   Center for Language and Cognition, University of Groningen

   Centre for Linguistics / Ghent University

   Institute for International Textbook Research / Center for Language and Cognition, University of Groningen / Leiden University

3. Astrid Vandendaele Aachen

   Leiden University · Ghent University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University Centre for Linguistics

   Centre for Linguistics / Ghent University

4. Geert Jacobs Aachen Institute for International Textbook Research / Center for Language and Cognition

   Leiden University · University of Groningen · Ghent University

   Affiliation as printed

   Ghent University

   Centre for Linguistics / Ghent University

   Institute for International Textbook Research / Center for Language and Cognition, University of Groningen / Leiden University