Missing: A Musical Dramedy: Engaging with the missing through the perpetually present

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika C. Speer ◽  
Chari Arespacochaga
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Coming Of Age ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
White Girls ◽  
Beauty Pageant ◽  
Childhood Event ◽  
The Media ◽  
Missing White Woman Syndrome

Missing uses a historical reimagining of the murder of JonBenét Ramsey as a launchpad to examine what it is like for a woman of colour to be inundated in a sexist and racist media and cultural spin-cycle. The script tells the story of a young Black girl, Nancy, coming of age and absorbing these cultural messages. In Act 1, Nancy, a child beauty pageant contestant, learns about the death of her friend, JonBenét. Nancy is simultaneously drawn in, obsessed and repulsed by the media storm that follows. In Act 2, indelibly shaped by this childhood event and inspired by her role model Diane Sawyer (pageant winner turned news anchor), Nancy has grown up to be a reporter. She now finds herself peddling similarly problematic stories for ratings and clickbait. Nancy struggles increasingly with both the erasure of identities like her own and the salacious eagerness through which the media (now her job) capitalizes on violence against women in general. The title Missing stems from ‘missing white woman syndrome’ a phrase coined by PBS journalist Gwen Ifill and subsequently adopted by social scientists to refer to the immensely uneven media coverage favouring victims who are upper/middle-class white girls/women in contrast to the coverage and framing of victims of colour. A key goal of the play is to underscore and then question the dominant media representations of women whose stories garner mainstream attention. Whose stories get told? How are they framed? Who, in turn, are marginalized and ignored? How can artists engage representational inequity without inadvertently piling more attention on the already visible? Musicals can and should tackle questions of systemic inequity and inclusion; doing so requires more than positioning protagonists of colour in a theatrical world that fails to acknowledge the systemic realities of our actual one. Missing, a collaborative project in process, tackles these questions.

“Don’t Mess Around with Gordie”: Hockey Violence, the 1959 Gordie Howe-Lou Fontinato Fight, and Postwar Masculinity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacy L. Lorenz ◽  
Braeden McKenzie
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Second World War ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
World War ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Cultural Constructions ◽  
Second World ◽  
The Ideal

This article explores cultural constructions of hockey, violence, and masculinity through a close examination of one of the game’s most successful and prominent players in the postwar period, Gordie Howe. By combining skill and scoring ability with toughness, physicality, and a willingness to fight when necessary, Howe epitomized many qualities of the ideal hockey player over the course of his lengthy professional career, which extended from 1946 to 1980. In particular, this study focuses on media coverage of Howe’s highly publicized fight against Lou Fontinato of the New York Rangers on February 1, 1959. Using Canadian and American newspapers and magazines as the primary research base, we analyze media representations of Gordie Howe in the context of ideals and anxieties related to North American masculinity following the Second World War. Historians have identified this period as a time when Canadian and American manhood was perceived to be in decline. We argue that Howe demonstrated a combination of controlled violence and humble manliness suggested by his early nickname in the Detroit press, the“Bashful Basher.” Howe’s rational and expert application of violence – especially in contrast to the emotional Fontinato – firmly established his masculine credentials within the culture of hockey, while positioning him more widely as a “modern” yet rugged role model for masculine renewal in postwar Canada. Howe’s example of gentlemanly masculinity normalized and celebrated a culture of fighting in hockey while establishing a standard of conduct for superstar players that persists to the present day. At the same time, cultural constructions of Howe’s manhood contributed to the entrenchment of a dominant version of heroic, white, heteronormative hockey masculinity in Canadian life.

Media Representations of Domestic Violence

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meda Chesney-Lind ◽  
Nicholas Chagnon
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Routine Manner ◽  
The Media

Though it is generally given less attention than sexual assault, domestic violence is quite often depicted in corporate media products, including news broadcasts, television shows, and films. Mediated depictions of domestic violence share many of the same problems as those of sexual assault. In particular, the media tends to imply that women are somehow culpable when they are being beaten, even murdered, by their partners. News on domestic violence is often reported in a routine manner that focuses on minutiae instead of context, informing audiences minimally about the nature, extent, and causes of domestic violence. Though it is encouraging that over the past several decades the media has begun to acknowledge that domestic violence is a serious problem, this recognition is challenged by antifeminist claims-making in the media. Such challenges generally cite contested social science research as proof that feminist research on domestic violence is biased and inaccurate. Furthermore, media representations of domestic violence often supply racializing and class-biased discourses about abusers and their victims that frame domestic violence as largely the product of marginalized classes, rather a problem that affects the various strata of society. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, media coverage of the violence against women abroad, particularly in Islamic nations, has provided more racializing discourse, which juxtaposes “progressive” Western cultures with “backward” Eastern ones. On the domestic front, news focusing on indigenous communities replicates some of the racism inherent in the orientalist gaze applied to domestic violence abroad. Generally, the media do a poor job of cultivating a sophisticated understanding of domestic violence among the public. Thus, many researchers argue such media representations constitute a hegemonic patriarchal ideology, which obfuscates the issue of domestic violence, as well as the underlying social relations that create the phenomenon.

scholarly journals Ageism and Perceptions of Vulnerability: Framing of Age During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 134-134
Author(s):  
Jasmin Tahmaseb McConatha ◽  
Jordan Broussard ◽  
Jacki Magnerelli
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York Times ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
News Article ◽  
Washington Post ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Media Frames ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Media representations of the Covid-19 pandemic and its devastating consequences have shaped people’s fears, anxiety, and perceptions of vulnerability. Social scientists have examined the consequences of how information is “framed.” Framing theory asserts that issues can be portrayed differently by emphasizing or de-emphasizing aspects and information. According to Lakoff (2004) the impact of a message is not based on what is said but how it is said. Theories of framing focus on how the media frames issues, which then structure and shape attitudes and policies. A news article serves as a frame for an intended message. The purpose of this project is to analyze the ways that “age” has been framed during the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the most dominant frames in terms of COVID-19 coverage is how the pandemic has been analyzed through the lens of age and framed in terms of age discrimination. Method: A thematic analysis of New York Times and Washington Post news articles addressing older adults and illness vulnerability was conducted. The results of news articles appearing in these prominent newspapers indicated that the perceptions of older men and women tended to focus on the relationship between age and vulnerabilities to severe consequences from Covid-19. The frames in which these new articles were presented indicated ageist tones and messages that had the potential to either reinforce or lead to age stereotyping and discrimination.

scholarly journals Representing language education in Australian universities: An analysis of press reporting (2007–2016)

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Mason ◽  
John Hajek
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Regular Feature ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Discipline Area ◽  
The Media ◽  
Australian Universities

Abstract Educational issues are a regular feature in mainstream media, and the ways in which particular issues are represented can influence public perceptions of the various discipline areas and, in turn, policy decisions that affect them. While the research literature includes media coverage analyses of a wide range of educational disciplines and sectors, missing is an understanding of the media representations of language education in the tertiary setting, despite languages being seen as a key pathway to generalised national multilingualism, social harmony, and economic prosperity. The authors address this gap using Australia as a case study, a country that has seen considerable policy and media attention to language education in general over many years. A content analysis of print newspaper coverage from 2007–2016 was conducted, revealing that the coverage of the discipline area at the tertiary level is extremely limited, is generally superficial in depth, narrow in scope, and negative in tone. This representation perpetuates the already precarious position of language education in Australian universities, and there is little support for a more positive and visible public agenda.

Roles of Social Scientists in Crisis Media Reporting: The Case of the German Populist Radical Right Movement PEGIDA

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birte Fähnrich ◽  
Corinna Lüthje
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Radical Right ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Media Reporting ◽  
Populist Radical Right ◽  
The Media ◽  
German Newspapers

This article examines the visibility of social scientists in the context of crisis media reporting by using the example of the German populist radical right movement PEGIDA. Based on previous research, a role typology was developed to serve as a framework for the empirical study. A content analysis of German newspapers demonstrates that social scientists are quite visible in the media coverage of PEGIDA and are presented mainly in the role of intellectuals. At the same time, new roles for social scientists are also discernible. Based on these findings, an extended role typology was developed to provide points of reference for further research.

scholarly journals Emerging Beef Producer Organisations (POs) in the Irish Beef Sector: An Analysis of Media Coverage in the Context of Nationwide Beef Producer Protests

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1489
Author(s):  
Martin Javornicky ◽  
Áine Macken-Walsh ◽  
Anita Naughton
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Integration ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Horizontal Integration ◽  
Beef Industry ◽  
Successful Operation ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
The Media ◽  
Current Constellation ◽  
Beef Sector

International literature acknowledges benefits of the legally recognised Producer Organisations (POs). Successful leveraging of these benefits depends on two forms of cooperation: horizontal integration among the producers for more effective functioning of the POs; and vertical integration of POs with other actors in the production chain to facilitate processes of co-creation and interactive innovation. In 2016 PO legislation was first introduced in Ireland, and in 2019 Ireland’s first two beef POs emerged at a time when primary producers in the beef sector mobilised en masse, protesting against poor prices and seeking changes in supply chain relationships. Throughout this period, significant and detailed media reporting of the beef sector surrounded the protests, which takes the focus of our analysis. Building on an existing but limited literature on institutional conditions in the Irish beef industry and international accounts of factors influencing the success of POs, we analyse media coverage in order to shed light on the nature of emerging new forms of horizontal and vertical cooperation. In this regard, we focus on horizontal integration of producers into PO and associations of POs (APOs); and vertical integration of POs into Inter Branch Organisations (IBOs) and value-based supply chains (VBSCs). Our analysis shows that the media representations of the Irish beef sector evidence significant challenges to the establishment and successful operation of POs, in any form. The analysis suggests that current constellation of relations in the Irish beef sector represents an environment that is partially resistant to horizontal co-operation and significantly hostile to vertical co-operation. Interactive innovation involving different chain actors seems not to be imminent, at least in the short term, unless there are strategic public and/or private interventions introduced to support it.

‘If everyone says so …’ Press narratives and image change in major event host cities

Urban Studies ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (14) ◽  
pp. 3178-3198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Media Representation ◽  
City Image ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Sustained Change ◽  
The Media

This paper looks into the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) programme as a leading example of culture-led regeneration intervention aimed at renewing or diversifying the economic base and positioning of host cities. One of the key claims associated with the programme is that it can transform the ‘image’ of a city. These image transformation claims are often supported by evidence of heightened or more positive media coverage in the short term. However, little evidence has generally been gathered to determine long-term, sustained image change. The paper seeks to at least partly address this lacuna by presenting evidence on the media representation of Glasgow and Liverpool over three decades. These two cities are widely perceived to be paradigmatic not only of successful culture-led regeneration but also of the power of the ECoC title to transform city image. The paper looks at the importance of the media narrative arc surrounding major cultural events in solidifying ‘image change’ processes, regardless of the existence of evidence to suggest a change in perceptions by local communities at the time the event is taking place. The core argument is that if media coverage about a particular place shows a significant change in focus and attitude over time, is voluminous enough and cuts across geographical and journalistic variations, then it effectively becomes a key source of evidence of de facto image change. The key proposition in this paper is that evidenceable and sustained change in media representations of place can be taken as tantamount to image change. This is based on the assumption that widespread and longitudinal trends in media representation have the capacity to both reflect and influence public attitudes and perceptions.

scholarly journals The Irvings Cover Themselves: Media Representations of the Irving Oil Refinery Strike, 1994-1996

1999 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Steuter
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
English Language ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Oil Refinery ◽  
Labour Relations ◽  
Saint John ◽  
The Media ◽  
Roll Back

Abstract: This article focuses on the media coverage of a strike at the Irving Oil Refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick, between 1994 and 1996. A variety of central issues are examined, including: monopoly ownership of the New Brunswick media by the Irving Group of Companies, the ideological presentation of strikes in general, and the representation of changing labour relations in a postindustrial, globally oriented society. The four New Brunswick English-language daily papers as well as selected English-language papers elsewhere in Canada were analyzed for their representation of the strike. The paper argues that the media coverage reinforced an ideology of defeatism and aided in the increased legitimation of a "roll back" orientation in our society. Résumé: Cet article porte sur la couverture médiatique d'une grève ayant lieu à la raffinerie de pétrole Irving à Saint John au Nouveau-Brunswick entre 1994 et 1996. L'article examine une diversité de questions centrales, y compris: le monopole des médias du Nouveau-Brunswick que détient le Groupe de compagnies Irving, la présentation idéologique de grèves en général, et la représentation de rapports de travail changeants dans une société post-industrielle sujette à la mondialisation. L'article analyse la représentation de la grève faite par les quatre quotidiens anglophones du Nouveau-Brunswick ainsi que par des quotidiens anglophones sélectionnés ailleurs au Canada. Cet article soutient que la couverture médiatique renforça une idéologie de défaitisme et aida à accroître la légitimité d'une orientation vers les coupures dans notre société.

scholarly journals Discourses of Blame: An Analysis of Media Coverage in the Robert Pickton Case

INvoke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jori Dusome
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
White Women ◽  
Indigenous Women ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Front Page ◽  
Downtown Eastside ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
The Media ◽  
Robert Pickton

When most Canadians consume their news media, they don't often consider the underlying narratives of colonialism, racism, and classism that can be spread through media representations of marginalized peoples. Such is the case with Indigenous women in Canada, who die violently at five times the rate of other Canadian women, but are given three and a half times less coverage in the media than white women for similar cases. News media articles covering Indigenous women's deaths are also less in-depth and less likely to make the front page. Prior to the apprehension of Robert “Willy” Pickton in 2002, media coverage of the dozens of missing women on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside was minimal, and often portrayed the women as the harbingers of their own misfortune. The Vancouver Police Department also failed to take action, citing the women’s “transient lifestyles” as reason to believe they would return soon. However, even after widespread recognition of the issue began, media coverage continued to attribute a level of “blameworthiness” to the missing and murdered by regularly engaging with tropes and stereotypes that individualized the acts of violence against them. In this paper, I look to explore that phenomenon by asking how the women of the Downtown Eastside are named as culpable or blameworthy in the violence enacted against them, as evidenced in the media coverage of the Robert Pickton case. My analysis found that while an identifiable killer like Pickton provided the news media a temporary cause for the women’s deaths, sex-working and drug using women maintained blame in the public eye both during and long after the case, due in equal parts to their use of drugs, their status as sex workers, and their proximity to “tainted” geographical regions like the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. As evidenced by this research, Indigenous women are continually and systemically blamed for the violence enacted against them. Keywords: MMIWG, sex work, media bias, Downtown Eastside, gendered violence

scholarly journals Marissa’s Choice: Media Coverage of Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-132
Author(s):  
Karen Grandy
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Working Mothers ◽  
Maternity Leave ◽  
Working Women ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
American Business ◽  
The Media ◽  
Ideal Worker ◽  
Internet Company ◽  
The Ideal

This study examines the American business media’s presentation of the ideal worker/ideal mother conflict, as seen in the 2012-2013 coverage of Marissa Mayer, the then newly appointed, pregnant CEO of the prominent internet company Yahoo. Pregnancy, maternity leave, and childcare are issues that foreground a seemingly unresolvable dilemma for working women who are also mothers: how to meet competing societal pressures to be both an ‘ideal worker’ and an ‘ideal mother’. It might be tempting to dismiss Mayer’s experience as irrelevant to the vast majority of working mothers, given her exalted position and the plethora of options available to her. However, I will argue that the media coverage of Mayer illuminates the double-bind that all working mothers face and the often obscured inequities embedded in the idea of ‘choice’, a neoliberal construct continually invoked in media representations of work and motherhood. 

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