On Re-considering The First as a News Value to Avoid Stereotyping

Abstract

By framing the tragic death of an African-American woman firefighter as the first in Philadelphia to die in the line of duty working at a job typically held by men, journalists crafted a story that could perpetuate deeply held stigmatizing effects such as social attitudes that women of color in public service are Affirmative Action hires and biologically unqualified for firefighting. This case study, based on interviews with journalists and narrative analysis of news coverage, urges reconsideration of traditional journalism training in emphasizing the first as a news value when it could contribute to ongoing discrimination of people who are stereotyped along gender-ethnicity intersectionality lines.

Disclosure statement

There is no financial interest or benefit associated with the direct applications of this research.