Performing the News: Identity, Authority, and the Myth of Neutrality

By Elia Powers

Book Overview

Performing the News: Identity, Authority, and the Myth of Neutrality explores how journalists from historically marginalized groups have long felt pressure to conform when performing for audiences. Many speak with a flat, "neutral" accent, modify their delivery to hide distinctive vocal attributes, dress conventionally to appeal to the "average" viewer, and maintain a consistent appearance to avoid unwanted attention. Their aim is what author Elia Powers refers to as performance neutrality--presentation that is deemed unobjectionable, reveals little about journalists' social identity, and supposedly does not detract from their message. Increasingly, journalists are challenging restrictive, purportedly neutral forms of self-presentation. This book argues that performance neutrality is a myth that reinforces the status quo, limits on-air diversity, and hinders efforts to make newsrooms more inclusive. Through in-depth interviews with journalists in broadcasting and podcasting, and those who shape their performance, the author suggests ways to make journalism more inclusive and representative of diverse audiences.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1978836686
• ISBN13: 9781978836686
• Release Date: September 2024
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 9.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher