The face of the newspaper

This article investigates how Nordic editors-in-chief position themselves and their news organisations in the crowded public opinion space of the early 21st century. In addition to being managers, editors-in-chief act as the face of the newspaper, immersed in public negotiations over the authority of their organisation. Using positioning theory to explain the performative dimensions of the role, we present two case studies of prominent Danish editors-in-chief: outlining their trajectories in the opinion space and conducting comparative close readings of their inaugural performances on national television. Our analysis shows how the editors-in-chief performatively personify their newspaper, constructing distinctiveness by actively merging individual and institutional levels of journalism. This highlights the editor-in-chief as a central node, or resource, in the process of positioning news organisations in society. Operationalising the notion of positioning in future studies of journalistic actors could enrich scholarly understanding of their activities, influence, and significance in opinion formation processes.