Boundaries of data journalism in U.S. public radio newsrooms.

This article examines how the recent integration of data journalists into U.S. public radio newsrooms is reshaping journalistic norms and practices through the lens of boundary work, which explores how professions negotiate inclusion and exclusion of new roles and methods. Based on semi-structured interviews with 13 public radio data journalists, the study finds that while these journalists largely adhere to traditional journalistic routines—such as story identification, information gathering, editing, and presentation—they also introduce new practices like data transparency and cross-station collaborations that expand newsroom boundaries. However, data journalists often occupy a liminal status, sometimes viewed more as technologists than full journalists, partly due to challenges in adapting data-driven content to audio formats and limited institutional support for the time-intensive nature of data work. The study concludes that acceptance of data journalism in public radio is emerging but remains a continuum rather than a clear inclusion, influenced by newsroom culture, resource allocation, and managerial support, with potential for further expansion as public media seeks to enhance interpretive and fact-checking functions.