Patrick Ferrucci, author of The Organization of Journalism: Market Models and Practice in a Fraying Profession, answers questions on his new book.

Q: Why did you decide to write this book?  

The idea for this book has kind of been in my mind for more than a dozen years. I think a lot of my published research over that time period kind of danced around these subjects. I was basically waiting to write the book till I felt I could actually do it well, articulate the argument in a theoretical and data-driven way that made sense.  

Q: What is the most interesting discovery you made while researching and writing your book?  

I’m not sure this discovery is connected to just this book, but a lot of my work is based on in-depth interviews with working journalists. Every time I do a big project that needs a bunch of these interviews, I’m always just super happy to find out how giving of their time and experience journalists are.  

Q: What myths do you hope your book will dispel or what do you hope your book will help readers unlearn? 

I think the main argument revolves around the need to realize there is no such thing as journalism anymore. Obviously, there is journalism happening everywhere, but when we as scholars use the term it typically means a very specific set of norms and practices that I don’t believe are anywhere near as ubiquitous as we make them out to be.   

Q: Which part of the publishing process did you find the most interesting?  

I always think of research as kind of a narrative puzzle that needs to be put together. Doing something so long presents a much bigger puzzle, so that was fun for me.  

Q: What is your advice to scholars/authors who want to take on a similar project? 

Hope for awesome reviewers like I got. Those people and a handful of colleagues who pointed me in some great directions or who read parts or all of this book before I finished it really made this so much better.  

Q: What do you like to read/watch/or listen to for fun? 

For the past couple years, I’ve been reading primarily nonfiction books about the business of various forms of entertainment; I’ve especially been enjoying books about the film business from the 1970s-1990s. I love TV and movies and will basically watch anything. As a former music journalist, I absolutely love music and primarily find myself listening to indie rock from 1990s-2010s.

---