Communication (research) and power

Conversations about power can be difficult and uncomfortable but also very important, for they must also accompany reflections about responsibility. As individuals who do not fit into traditional definitions of a ‘journalist’ gain more power over their own news consumption as well as those of other audiences, and as traditional journalists continue to be demonised and their work labelled as ‘fake news,’ the question can no longer be how journalists can retain that power or what audiences are doing to journalism. Instead, we must also find ways to ensure that those who wield power–either journalists or audiences–do so responsibly. But in our discussions and examinations of communication and power, we may also be overlooking the power that we as communication researchers may have.