Technological innovation in journalism: a reading against the grain

Innovation in journalism is often associated with progress that follows a “straight” path. While there are differing views on the most groundbreaking technologies and radical changes, the underlying assumption of advancement is frequently presented as inevitable and taken for granted. In this chapter, I argue that the idea of progress related to innovation in journalism is not neutral—even if it is often presented as such—but political. I draw on insights from feminist, crip, and queer studies to propose a “reading against the grain” that aims to challenge implicit beliefs about innovation in journalism. My critical reading involves exploring whose voices are included or excluded, which perspectives are marginalized or privileged, and how power relations and norms are reproduced. It is based on an analysis of various discourses on innovation in journalism and qualitative interviews with an international sample of 45 journalists and technologists. My research shows how ideas about innovation are deeply entangled with dominant notions of temporality and visions of the future that are experienced differently by those who fall outside the norm. The chapter offers insights into intersectional complexities related to innovation while highlighting the potential of queer and crip theory to create a more fluid and plural understanding of change in journalism.