Journalism and cultural studies: the contribution of Jesús Martín-Barbero

Abstract

This article brings up the discussion about the theoretical and methodological approach to journalism based on cultural studies. Our proposition is to look at journalism from a cultural point of view, taking into consideration the wholeness of the communicative circuit. As an example of a methodological proposal associated with a cultural perspective, we take Jesús Martín-Barbero’s (2003) mapa noturno, in which the scientific view at journalism focuses on the communicational process and its mediations, that is, in its wholeness and complexity. To conclude we claim for a cultural analysis of journalism, more as a theoretical challenge than as a methodological model to be followed.