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Journalists are often thought to have a significant amount of autonomy to tell stories that are newsworthy and of substantial interest to the public. But journalists work within cultural and professional contexts that affect the work they produce. Though many say they follow professional norms, journalists work within organizations and social structures that indirectly influence content. As it has become easier and less expensive to produce and distribute mass messages in the era of digital media, understanding who journalists are and the contexts in which they work is essential to being media literate. If today’s technological resources and tools allow anyone to publish, how do we identify the work of journalists, and what, if anything, sets it apart from other forms of media? Exploring individual journalists, the work they do, and the organizations in which they do it shows the complex system in which journalism is produced. Q1. ARE JOURNALISTS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE POPULATION THEY SERVE? Answer: Generally speaking, no. The digital age has made determin- ing who is a journalist an increasingly difficult task, particularly consid- ering the rise of bloggers and citizen journalists. Therefore, developing 1 Journalists: What They Do and Whom They Work For