The Journalist's Speech: A Phenomenological Study of Stuttering in the Newsroom

Seeking “skilled, poised, fluent” verbal communicators: Aesthetic labor and signaling in journalism job advertisements

“…Employers should recognize that many audience members will accept journalists who can effectively communicate with imperfect speech. Attributes such as empathy, openness and persistence derived from living with speech difficulties can be appealing and help journalists build a connection with audience members (Powers, 2020).…”

“…Such listings can dissuade applications from those who are not confident in their speech. In a prior study, journalists who stutter cited job advertisements seeking highly skilled speakers as a reason they did not apply to journalism openings (Powers, 2020). The setting of verbal communication requirements in job postings should always be accompanied by an acknowledgment that reasonable task adaptations or other accommodations will be considered when assessing candidates' abilities to perform to a satisfactory standard.…”

“…Such language can have profound influence. In a study of journalists who stutter, some cited job advertisements seeking fluent speakers as among the reasons they decided to avoid broadcast jobs or those requiring them to "lead with their voice" rather than their writing (Powers, 2020). Participants internalized normative expectations about how journalists should sound.…”

“…Participants internalized normative expectations about how journalists should sound. They felt least confident about their speech and most discouraged about their professional prospects at the start of their career, before proving themselves in the field (Powers, 2020).…”

“…Yet few have focused on one important signal that appears in many such listings: verbal communication. Journalists commonly value clarity of communication (Klein, 2020) and expect eloquence and verbal acuity from colleagues (Powers, 2020). Journalism job advertisements frequently cite “exemplary communication skills” (Carpenter, 2009; Wenger et al, 2018; Wenger & Owens, 2012) as a requirement to be considered for openings.…”