I spent a lot of time lately thinking about the ways in which many of the common narratives used to frame our perceptions of the present are being called into question. The video above provides a simple illustration with implications for political oppression that seem somewhat obvious, but I think there is a more profound fragmentation going on as a result of fundamental economic breakdowns and subsequent changes in consumer behaviors and the election of the nation’s first black president.
A post on Rod 2.0 drew my attention to Washington Post reporter Howard Kurtz who recently called into question the objectivity of black women to effectively cover Michelle Obama, noting that they have a vested interest in her success and empowerment. The American Prospect was quick to note in their blog
You would never ever see a media critic like Kurtz questioning the ability of white men to cover other white men objectively, or for that matter the ability of white men to cover women or people of color, despite the fact that if newsroom coverage were to be affected, it would be by the prevailing cultural biases of the better represented population in the newsroom
This reminded me of the coverage Jon Stewart provided on CNBC and their choice to consistently feature guests and so-called economy experts who unilaterally provided commentary in support of the banking and mortgage industry during the months leading to its collapse. The call-out quote from Jon was, “If I’d only followed CNBC’s advice, I’d have a million dollars today — provided that I started with a hundred million dollars.”
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| CNBC Financial Advice | ||||
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Jon’s satirical critique is eerily reminiscent of the discourse about embedded reporters on the frontlines of the conflict in Iraq and the ways in which their “coverage” validated an offensive under the auspices of freedom and democracy with 90% civilian casualties.
All of this made me think about the emergence of new media channels and particularly the role Twitter has played in Iran to help facilitate the spread of information following the elections because it calls into question the authority of journalistic sources and their relationships to positions of power. It will be interesting to see what the future holds.
Thanks to Yasmin Hamidi for recommending the Rod 2.0 article
