Superheroes, Bathrobe Journalists and Cowboys: How Flemish Journalists Construct Their Professional Identity Through Fiction

This study extends the exploration of fiction as metajournalistic discourse beyond American contexts and general audiences by focusing on how Flemish (Belgian) journalists perceive and engage with fictional representations of journalism. It examines how these journalists interact with portrayals of their profession in fiction and whether these interactions reinforce or challenge existing discourses related to the construction and maintenance of their professional identity. To achieve this, sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted with Flemish journalists, during which they were shown excerpts from various fictional films and series depicting journalism across different cultural contexts. The findings indicate that sensemaking practices in response to journalism fiction are gendered: men journalists are more likely to engage with normative discourses and practices of paradigm repair, whereas women journalists tend to adopt more critical approaches. This ongoing discursive practice underscores how professional identity is continuously shaped, in part, through fictional portrayals. Differences in journalistic culture also emerge as significant factors in how fiction influences the construction of professional identity, with distinct cultural contexts being both differentiated and used as a basis for paradigm repair. Consequently, this study offers valuable insights into the role of fiction in shaping and sustaining journalists' professional identity within the Flemish context.