American Otherness in Journalism
News Media Representations of Identity and Belonging
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Offering a critical insight into the production, gatekeeping, and consumption of news in contemporary American society, American Otherness in Journalism lays bare embedded cultural beliefs, via mainstream news media, to ask: who gets to be represented as American, and why?
In this book Angie Chuang argues that, ever since the early 20th century, when the idea of "The (Racial) Melting Pot" became popularized, the dominant-culture conceptualization of American identity is such that some residents have always been perceived as more American than others. Combining close textual analysis of high-profile case studies with media theories of false balance, stereotypical selection, default Whiteness, and the protest paradigm, Chuang demonstrates how news media practices have created a cultural context that excludes some Americans from fully belonging to American identity. The nine news media case studies in American Otherness in Journalism span the first two decades of this century, bracketed by the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic. These narratives include news coverage of the undocumented, mostly-Latine, youth pursuing residency through the DREAM Act/DACA, the Barack Obama "birther" debate, the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally, the Atlanta spa shootings, and Breonna Taylor's killing prior to the 2020 summer of protest. Showing how longstanding multicultural ideals about Americanness and racial equity were exposed, dismantled, and re-examined in the news during this period, this critical study provides a new analytical vocabulary with which to understand vital and difficult issues of Self and Other in our time.
An essential read for students, practitioners, and scholars of race reporting in the U.S. context, this book will be of interest to anyone studying or researching issues of diversity in the media.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Table of Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- Note to the Reader
- Introduction" American Otherness and the Un-Melted Pot
- Part I Threat Assessment
- Part II Earned Americanness
- 7. The Other Shades of White: Protesters and Counterprotesters at Charlottesville’s Unite the Right
- Appendix: Methodology
- Index