Seeking Cultural Relevance

Abstract

This study identifies the prevalence of culturally oriented writing techniques found in international news coverage of major American newspapers, through a concept explication and content analysis. These techniques, which I call “culture peg” and “culture link,” are content and thematic choices in international coverage that journalists make to enhance the material's appeal to their home audience. They are, in essence, cultural meaning-making processes that render foreign stories relevant to the home audience which might not otherwise be interested in international news. A content analysis revealed that these cultural strategies, deployed in both text and photographs, were employed in 72 percent of international news articles in the New York Times. Excessive use of such methods might skew the understanding of foreign cultures/societies for the readership. Theoretical and methodological implications of the study are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• cultural relevance
• culture link
• culture peg
• domestication
• international news
• stereotype

Notes

1. The culture peg/link concepts, proposed as a model of international/intercultural reporting, were originally described in Tanikawa (2011).

2. Most literature on domestication seems to describe the approach as an angle or framework (Alasuutari, Qadir, and Creutz 2013; Clausen 2004; Gurevitch, Levy, and Roeh 1991) rather than “objects,” for reporting, although the latter seems to be included in some definitions of domestication. For example, the Germanwings airplane crash into the French Alps in March 2015 triggered American news-reporting, analyses, and assessments of the mental health of American air pilots. This might be a typical case of “domestication” employed as an angle. As operationalized in this study, however, such news reporting may not be considered a case of culture link, since such articles, having only a tenuous link to the actual event, typically did not have foreign datelines, which was a requirement in the content analysis (see the Method section). However, if the news focused on American victims in the plane crash, objectifying “America” or “Americans,” it was likely to fall into the culture link category, with local reporting conducted by the news media. Treating the matter as an object is more typical of culture link which allowed for stricter operationalization for the content analysis purpose.

3. In an article in the New York Times describing the plight of small businesses in Italy in the aftermath of the European economic crisis, an Italian businessman was quoted as saying, ‘This tradition is finita!’ (Segal 2010). Here, the Italian expression is inserted to convey the ambience of being in Italy. Similarly, the word ‘Soviet’ mentioned in the context of a Russian story would be considered a word-level culture peg, as would ‘shrine’ referenced in a Japan-based article, as they are evocative of the image of the local culture in the minds of US readers. News-making foreign heads of state, such as Bashar Assad of Syria and Xi Jinping of China, were not considered a culture peg—even though people may immediately associate them with specific countries—because their fame is a product of recent news coverage. Individuals, including heads of state, who are deeply embedded in the culture and history of a country, however, were considered culture peg such as Picasso for Spain, Fidel Castro for Cuba, Mao Zedong for China, and Sukarno for Indonesia. Well-known foreign cities such as “London” and “Paris,” which appear in the context of a British article and French story, were not regarded culture peg because their political and economic importance would thrust them into articles. Meanwhile, historic cities, regions, and geographic features count as culture peg, such as Catalonia (for Spain), Kyoto (for Japan), and Andes (for western coast of South America), because they are mostly devoid of significant political and economic import and the reason for inclusion would be to create cultural resonance. If the location became a center of news itself, like a site of a plane crash, a different consideration becomes necessary and would not be consider culture peg.

4. When reporting on the military conflicts in Ukraine, the journalist might quote an American expert familiar with the history of Ukraine and/or Russia for comments and analysis. An American professor from a well-known American university might appear not only familiar and credible to American readers but also his or her comments might be properly contextualized for them.

5. Additionally, any type of head dress (including turban and hijab) worn by people in a Middle Eastern or South Asian country would be considered an instance of visual peg, as would ethnic robes worn by locals, typically by heads of state and/or important political figures in the Middle East or Africa.

6. Media studies scholarship often places the New York Times audience at the highest echelon of intellectual readership (Entman 2004; Merrill 2009; Sparks 2000).