Double Adaptation: Negotiating Closeness and Managing Boundaries in Journalist–Politician Relations

Abstract

Closeness with politicians is both a professional resource and a potential risk for journalists, as it enables access to information but may compromise autonomy and integrity, particularly within today’s hybrid media environment. This study proposes the conceptual framework of double adaptation as a sensitizing, process-oriented lens for a more systematic understanding of how journalists manage boundaries with politicians, drawing on 96 semi-structured interviews with political journalists in Austria and Czechia. Double adaptation captures the dual process through which journalists adjust their practices in response to both immediate situational demands and structural conditions. Boundaries in journalist–politician interactions emerge through situational adaptation to specific contexts, requiring a careful balancing across multiple dimensions of closeness. The analysis identifies nine such dimensions, grouped into two domains: interactions and relationships. The study further identifies individual factors shaping situational adaptation, including symbolic and pragmatic approaches to boundary management, and situational factors such as personal affinity. Simultaneously, boundaries result from structural adaptation operating at organizational, professional, and systemic levels, influenced by digital transformation, economic pressures, and the professionalization of political communication. Together, these insights advance a more systematic and processual conceptualization of boundary management in political journalism by linking everyday interactional practices to broader structural transformations.