Focusing on deadlines: How orientation to time is a constitutive normative constraint at meetings in media organizations

This article deals with the orientation to time and deadlines at morning meetings in news organisations. Time is a central structuring factor at the meetings, and the prevailing norm of ensuring progression and keeping the deadline of the meeting constitutes important normative constraints on the meeting. The study shows how deadlines are pursued through verbal and non-verbal interaction, and how progression is achieved in a subtle way in order to handle issues of impoliteness or “losing face”.