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Professional Ideals of Data Journalists Around the Globe: Congruencies and Divergences Between Role Conceptions and Narrated Role Performances

ABSTRACT This study combined an online survey with data journalists from 62 countries with content analysis of Global Editors Network Data Journalism Awards entries to explore and compare normative role conceptions and narrated role performance of these specialized type of news workers. The results reveal that political and audience-centric professional roles assume the same centrality in data journalists’ normative frameworks around the world. We detected a congruency in role conceptions and narrated role performances related to the civic role, but a discrepancy between the two ideals when examining the watchdog role. Contrary to how data journalism has been associated with objectivity, this study found that advocacy is a prominent professional role in the normative and performative compass of data journalists. Factors that influence the idealized professional roles of data journalists are critically discussed within the framework of journalistic awards scholarship and cross-national work.