“Coming to Terms with our Own Racism”: Journalists Grapple with the Racialization of their News

摘要

While considerable research has been done on the effects of news on its consumers and context, relatively little is known about the effects of news production on its producers. Even less is understood about what emerges when journalists begin investigating, writing and talking about racism with intentionality. This article uses data from interviews with journalists at 28 major U.S. newspapers, who produced special news series dedicated to understanding racism in the post-Civil Rights era. I contend that explicit and intentional “racial projects” can foster antiracist consciousness and action in their producers. After discussing the factors that gave rise to these media projects, I demonstrate how journalists' investigation of racism in their cities prompted them to turn their lens inward, engaging in a critical self-reflection about the complex relationship between racism and their news content, production practices, and newsroom hierarchies. Consciousness about the racialization of news led journalists to reorient their relationships to each other and the community, and make changes inside the newsroom related to hiring, space allocation, and news coverage of people of color. I conclude by considering the possibility for “antiracist journalism” and what media projects about racism can offer for cultivating larger shifts toward antiracism.View full textDownload full textKeywordsRacism, Journalists, Racial projects, News production, AntiracismRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15295036.2010.514936