Research Topics & Ideas: Journalism

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point. These topic ideas provided here are intentionally broad and generic, so keep in mind that you will need to develop them further. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

To develop a suitable research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap, and a viable plan to fill that gap. If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service.

Journalism-Related Research Topics

1. Analyzing the impact of social media on news consumption patterns among millennials.
2. Investigating the role of investigative journalism in combating political corruption.
3. The impact of digital transformation on traditional print media business models.
4. Examining the ethical challenges of undercover reporting in investigative journalism.
5. The role of citizen journalism in shaping public opinion during major political events.
6. Analyzing the effectiveness of fact-checking platforms in combating fake news.
7. The impact of smartphone journalism on the quality of news reporting.
8. Investigating the representation of minority groups in mainstream media.
9. The role of photojournalism in humanizing the impacts of climate change.
10. Analyzing the challenges of maintaining journalistic objectivity in conflict zones.
11. The impact of artificial intelligence on newsroom operations and reporting.
12. Investigating the influence of media ownership on editorial independence.
13. The role of journalism in shaping public policy on environmental issues.
14. Analyzing the portrayal of mental health issues in news media.
15. The impact of live streaming technology on broadcast journalism.
16. Investigating the challenges faced by freelance journalists in the digital era.
17. The role of journalism in promoting government accountability in emerging democracies.
18. Analyzing the effects of sensationalism in news reporting on public trust.
19. The impact of virtual reality technology on immersive journalism.
20. Investigating the role of press freedom in protecting human rights.
21. The challenges of reporting on science and technology in mainstream media.
22. Analyzing gender representation in sports journalism.
23. The impact of media consolidation on diversity of perspectives in news.
24. Investigating the ethical implications of drone journalism.
25. The role of independent media in fostering democratic processes.

Journalism-Related Research Ideas (Continued)

1. Analyzing the portrayal of immigration in national news outlets.
2. The impact of censorship and media regulation on journalistic practices.
3. Investigating the role of podcasts in the future of journalism.
4. The challenges and opportunities of bilingual reporting in multicultural societies.
5. Analyzing the dynamics of news reporting in authoritarian regimes.
6. The impact of audience analytics on news content and presentation.
7. Investigating the implications of deepfake technology for journalistic integrity.
8. The role of local journalism in community engagement and development.
9. Analyzing the effects of journalism on public health awareness campaigns.
10. The impact of economic pressures on investigative journalism.
11. Investigating the challenges of reporting in a polarized political climate.
12. The role of media literacy in fostering critical thinking among audiences.
13. Analyzing the influence of celebrity journalism on cultural values.
14. The impact of cross-platform journalism on audience reach and engagement.
15. Investigating the effects of social media algorithms on news distribution.
16. The role of data journalism in enhancing transparency and public understanding.
17. Analyzing the impact of crowd-sourced journalism on news authenticity.
18. The challenges of balancing speed and accuracy in digital news reporting.
19. Investigating the role of international correspondents in the digital age.
20. The impact of public relations practices on journalistic independence.
21. Analyzing the representation of LGBTQ+ issues in mainstream journalism.
22. The role of journalism in addressing societal issues like homelessness and poverty.
23. Investigating the effects of editorial bias in shaping public perception.
24. The impact of journalism on political activism and social movements.
25. Analyzing the challenges of maintaining journalistic standards in entertainment reporting.

Recent Journalism-Related Studies

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual studies in the journalism space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of recent studies to help refine your thinking. These are actual studies, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• Imagination, Algorithms and News: Developing AI Literacy for Journalism (Deuze & Beckett, 2022)
• Evaluation of the Effect of a Live Interview in Journalism Students on Salivary Stress Biomarkers and Conventional Stress Scales (Roca et al., 2022)
• Professional and Personal Identity, Precarity and Discrimination in Global Arts Journalism (Sharp & Vodanovic, 2022)
• The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Journalism in the Digital Ara A Descriptive and Critical Approach (Chettah et al., 2022)
• Women in Mass Communication (Creedon & Wackwitz, 2022)
• Newsgames: Experiential Reality, Ludenic News Reading, Conflict of Purposes and Norms (Cengi̇z & Kaya, 2022)
• Deep Journalism and DeepJournal V1.0: A Data-Driven Deep Learning Approach to Discover Parameters for Transportation (Ahmad et al., 2022)
• A View From the Trenches: Interviews With Journalists About Reporting Science News (Anderson & Dudo, 2023)
• Understanding Journalisms: From Information to Entertainment by Persuasion and Promotion (Bernier, 2022)
• Role of educational institutions in promoting medical research and publications in Pakistan (Aslam, 2022)
• Ethics for Journalists (Keeble, 2022)
• “I Felt I Got to Know Everyone”: How News on Stage Combines Theatre and Journalism for a Live Audience (Adams & Cooper, 2022)
• Newsafety: Infrastructures, Practices and Consequences (Westlund et al., 2022)
• The Golden Age of American Journalism (Alent’eva et al., 2022)
• Advancing a Radical Audience Turn in Journalism. Fundamental Dilemmas for Journalism Studies (Swart et al., 2022)
• Mcluhan’s Theories and Convergence of Online and Papers’ Newsrooms (Barceló-Sánchez et al., 2022)
• Scientific communication after the COVID-19 crisis: TikTok publishing strategies on the transmedia board (Neira et al., 2023)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.