A Critical Race Counterstory: Chicana/o Subjectivities vs. Journalism Objectivity

Abstract

This essay employs a critical race counterstory to problematize how traditional journalism pedagogy's conflation of diversity and integration curbs the presumed aptitude for improved coverage of racial and ethnic communities linked to students of color. The instructional material used to teach objectivity to mass communication students, student newspaper articles, as well as personal, professional and communal knowledge inform this composite narrative about the fictional experiences of two undergraduate students of color enrolled in a college news writing course. The tale edifies the way objectivity in journalism practice functions to perpetuate an unnamed system of whiteness that ultimately stifles that craved acuity attributed to students of color. Journalism educators are urged to re-image their pedagogy in six ways in order to draw in the racialized perspectives of underrepresented students symbolized by the main characters in the counterstory-ultimately affecting positive change in the reporting practices of all journalists.

Persistence of Poverty: How Measures of Socioeconomic Status Have Changed Over Time

“…Some current measures of SES include newer approaches, such as inquiring about the ability to take time for oneself and how a person subjectively views himself or herself in terms of social status. Newer theories, like critical race theory and its derivatives, use subjectivity to better understand nuances in experiences (Alemán, 2017). These subjective questions provide some suggestion of progress because these questions provide insight to a person's identity and have evidence of reliability and validity (Rubin et al, 2014).…”

Racism and journalism: The dangers of returning to the ‘safe-space’ of objectivity

“…structural and indeed epistemological nature of racism in professional journalism. (Aleman, 2017;Campbell, 1995;Campbell et al, 2012;Campbell et al, 2012;Durham, 1998;Entman, 2000;Jenkins, 2012;Jenkins and Griffin-Padgett, 2012;Newkirk, 2000;Rhodes, 2001). It is perhaps most closely captured by Blumler (2010: 439) as the "crisis of civic adequacy": the long-term failure of professional journalism to sufficiently reflect a diverse social reality, the way an "adherence to conventional news values can propagate ill-founded stereotypes" and "project distorted impressions of social reality" (Blumer, 2010: 439).…”

Using a Headshot Assignment to Incorporate Critical Theory Into Photojournalism Classrooms

“…Sending journalism students into communities to complete assignments is an opportunity for students to see and experience new ways of living other than their own (Graham, 2009). And while there is great potential for students to experience empathy and compassion for and dialogue with people with different lived experiences (Graham, 2009), unless students are introduced to critical approaches to understanding news-gathering techniques, then an important educational moment is missing from these experiences (Alemán, 2017;Hoops, 2009).…”

“…Without a critical approach to teaching objectivity, scholars have argued, journalism schools are reinforcing systems of power and dominance among races (Alemán, 2017). This issue surfaced again recently in the industry, as people reignited the advocacy for and/or debate over the need to hire and promote the work of Black photojournalists during the Black Lives Matters protests in the summer of 2020 (Matsuda, 2020;Photo Bill of Rights, 2020).…”