Stop the Press: The Future of Journalism Is Not Post-Political

Abstract

Discussions of the future of journalism center on new economic models, digital modes of distribution, and how to attract young audiences. But what of how future journalism might represent, describe, and critique issues of race, gender, class, and sexuality? And what of the race, gender, class, and sexuality of future journalists themselves? Issues of industry survival take center stage in debates about journalism’s future. Issues of integrity, wisdom, and increased levels of equity in coverage and employment have less success finding the spotlight. Concern over how to deliver news in the coming decades generally trumps debate about who might deliver it and the character of what might be delivered. The importance of political economy analyses of new journalism, coupled with keeping gender, race, and sexuality identities front and center, is emphasized.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to Anthony Nadler for guidance and to Mary Vavrus for the inspiration, insights, and direction that sharpened and focused this essay. Also, thank you to John Pauly for a conversation that added depth at the right moment.

Notes

1. ¹Vavrus traces the term back to 1919, when it was used to decenter analyses of sex made popular by the suffrage movement (2002, p. 188, n. 6).