ZURn6619 Interrogating Journalism’s Power and Inequalities

Fakulta sociálních studií
jaro 2025
Rozsah
2/0/0. 2 kr. Ukončení: z.
Vyučováno kontaktně
Vyučující
Sandra Banjac, Ph.D. (přednášející), Mgr. Klára Smejkal, Ph.D. (zástupce)
Garance
doc. Mgr. Jakub Macek, Ph.D.
Katedra mediálních studií a žurnalistiky – Fakulta sociálních studií
Kontaktní osoba: Mgr. Boris Rafailov, Ph.D.
Dodavatelské pracoviště: Katedra mediálních studií a žurnalistiky – Fakulta sociálních studií
Rozvrh
Čt 6. 3. 14:00–17:40 M117, Pá 7. 3. 8:00–11:40 U35
Předpoklady
TYP_STUDIA(MN)
Omezení zápisu do předmětu
Předmět je nabízen i studentům mimo mateřské obory.
Předmět si smí zapsat nejvýše 15 stud.
Momentální stav registrace a zápisu: zapsáno: 8/15, pouze zareg.: 0/15, pouze zareg. s předností (mateřské obory): 0/15
Mateřské obory/plány
Cíle předmětu
Journalism is often perceived and treated as a neutral institution whose societal function is to expose power abuses and inform the public, among other things. However, scholars have also argued that the journalistic field – and many of its values, norms and ideals – is a classed, gendered, and racialized space. We see this manifest, for example, in the objectivity norm which is an important aspect of journalistic work, but is also seen as a strategic norm rooted in ideals of rationality and whiteness. In practical terms, journalists are encouraged to rely on official documents, elite expert sources, and practice emotional detachment as authoritative tools to protect themselves from accusations of bias. However, journalists with marginalized or stigmatised identities also question the objectivity norm as something that inhibits meaningful engagement with underrepresented societal issues and publics. We see these inequalities also play out in newsroom cultures that place emphasis on values and norms which lead to dominant news selection practices, work routines, and representation that perpetuate stereotypes. The intersectional identities and lived experiences of a journalists may predispose them to values and norms that either reflect or are at odds with those they encounter in the newsroom and within journalism’s ideals. For example, female-identifying journalists experience sexism and impeded opportunities in ‘masculine’ newsroom cultures. In terms of social class, the journalistic field tends to consist of those with origins in the social elite and, even when not, journalists are socialized to adopt and reinforce a worldview that often neglects the lived experiences of marginalized groups. On the receiving end, audiences’ gender, class and racial identities also shape how they perceive and experience journalism. Here scholarship has found that where women are more likely to avoid news because they perceive it as geared towards male audiences, and working-class audiences are more likely to feel excluded by mainstream news. These are some of the issues we’ll tackle in this course. This seminar will also encourage students to consider their own positionality and how dynamics of oppression and/or power shape their journalistic ideals, perceptions of audiences, and imaginations of journalism’s future.
Výukové metody
Seminar - a mix of minimal frontal teaching followed by group discussions, in-class exercises that invite students to reflect and share observation of inequalities in the journalism they consume, and to relate these discussions to their future work in journalism and how they can be challenged.
Metody hodnocení
class group literature presentation (20%), final written report on how one of the domains of power (e.g., gender or class) shapes journalism, with argumentation (big sky thinking) for how inequalities in journalism could be tackled (80%), active in-class participation (not graded, but expected)
Vyučovací jazyk
Angličtina
Další komentáře
Studijní materiály
Předmět je vyučován každoročně.
  • Statistika zápisu (nejnovější)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/predmet/fss/jaro2025/ZURn6619