Press conferences on the Internet: Technology, mediation and access in the news

This paper contributes to the study of the discursive back-region mechanisms underlying business news production by focusing on a novel type of online press conference, i.e. one which allows for both live attendance and participation through the Internet. Drawing on a single case study of a press conference of a Dutch government agency in the field of telecommunication hosted by the Dutch news agency ANP, this article sets out to demonstrate how, at the meso level of newsworker routines, the use of technology is meant to enhance both journalistic and industry analyst access. On closer scrutiny at the micro-level of verbal interaction, however, the hybrid participation framework combining online and live involvement is shown to seriously weaken the journalists’ interactional position. It is argued that, at the macro-level of dominance and asymmetry within and between institutions, this leads to a shift in the balance of power in favour of the news source, most prominently the government agency's PR officer ‘gatekeeping’ the press conference. Hence, the use of technology leads to less rather than more journalistic access. In contrast with orthodox critical work on the topic, my data suggest pragmatic reasons, rather than manipulative ones.