Journalists’ Personalization: How Self-Promoting, Branding, and Ideological Positioning Redefine Journalistic Practices, Products, and Institutions

Abstract

This research extends the existing discussion on political personalization by examining it from a different angle: exploring how this phenomenon manifests within journalism and journalistic practice. Based on in-depth interviews with 18 prominent journalists from Israel, Italy, and the United States, alongside a quantitative content analysis of 600 tweets by 30 journalists from the same countries, our analysis compares political personalization processes with journalistic personalization, highlighting both commonalities and differences. The discussion explores how journalists' personalization—including branding and celebrification practices through social media—is intertwined with broader trends of populism and polarization that are reshaping journalism in the digital age.