Towards a linguistics of news production

This position paper sketches the contours of a linguistics of news production. It is argued that, until recently, linguistic interest in the news prioritized close analysis of news products at the expense of the production process. The current paper is aimed at consolidating a number of emerging research efforts which focus on the interplay of language use and journalism, media and society. First, we spell out what can be considered news and how this conceptualization supports a case for the analysis of the news production process. Next, we look to various fields in linguistics and discourse studies to detail some of the relevant methodological frameworks that can be incorporated in a linguistics of news production. Finally, we situate our production focus within the larger media research context and suggest how it can bring added value to ongoing efforts in four related fields outside of linguistics.