Naturalizing negativity: how journalism textbooks justify crime,conflict, and “bad” news |
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| Authors: | Perry Parks |
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| Institution: | School of Journalism, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA |
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| Abstract: | This critical analysis of U.S. journalism textbooks from 1894 to 2016 shows how texts across decades have (re)constructed a discourse of damage through news values emphasizing and rationalizing conflict and bad news. Findings are reported in the context of literature suggesting that negative news values foster a distorted sense of social relations, increase fear, and depress civic participation. Literature also indicates that non-journalists often view news through less conflict-oriented, and more value-laden, frames, suggesting that journalistic values are not natural or inevitable but subject to change. The discourse in journalism textbooks can be a key site for understanding and influencing journalism culture. Constructive alternatives to the dominant discourse are suggested. |
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| Keywords: | Discourse history journalism news values textbooks |
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