Hidden behind the text: A linguistic ethnographic study of stancetaking in news production

This article examines stancetaking in newswriting situations. It adopts a linguistic ethnographic approach that looks behind-the-scenes of news production. Through two case studies, it first shows how journalists use stancetaking in interviews as a resource for producing newsworthy material, corresponding with news values of negativity and emotion. It then unfolds the processes that lead journalists to erase their own contribution from the final product, presenting instances of their stancetaking as if they only originated from the source. By doing so, journalists incorporate their own views into the news products while ostensibly adhering to the journalistic standard of neutrality and objectivity. • Linguistic ethnography captures instances of stance-taking remaining invisible in news products. • Stance-taking in interviews is a resource for producing newsworthy material. • Monologization enables journalists to hand over their stance-taking to their sources. • The routinization of news production facilitate the reallocation of stance from the journalist to the source.