Research indicates a crisis in the journalistic field due to economic, technological, institutional and cultural shifts. This seems to have led to a paradigm shift in arts journalism, from a cultural to a journalistic focus, and a loss of autonomy for culture departments in the Swedish press. This article investigates how arts journalists’ professional values are affected by this presumed autonomy loss, the paradigm shift and insecure working conditions due to managerial control and economic pressure. The research material consists of interviews and articles by editors and critics debating their profession. The results show that the ideal-typical values traditionally associated with journalism in Western democratic society are under pressure. This prompts a redefinition of the profession and debate about the future of arts journalism and its threatened role of promoting cultural heritage and participation in an autonomous cultural public sphere.