«Тұрақты даму мақсатындағы халықаралық журналистиканы оқыту модельдері»
Tabloid journalism and the public sphere
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| Tabloid journalism and the public sphere
The characteristics of tabloid journalism displays a chaotic picture when it comes to issues such as the democratic function of journalism, or shaping the standards of public discourse and serving the public good. Since audiences consume news with elements of sensational crime stories, gossip and the personal lives of celebrities, one has to admit that tabloid journalism “downgrades the audience’s attention to substance of politics” (Barnett and Gabor, 2001, p.34). The implication of such an assertion is quite profound, as there is no doubt it is seen as an assault on citizens’ ability to take active part in democracy (Currah, 2009). These views are not concluding remarks on the debates of democratisation and the public sphere within the field of tabloid journalism. For instance, recent scholarship on tabloid journalistic practices focuses on positive aspects of popular news and seeks reassessment and revision of tabloid effects. For example, Lumby (1999) states that “tabloid media have allowed feminized discourses a place in public consciousness”, thus, highlighting some of the merits of tabloid journalism with regards to feminist issues. However, particular attention can be devoted to the assertions of Ornebring and Johnson (2007) who note that “tabloid journalism managed to attract new publics, by speaking to them about issues previously ignored, in new and clearly understandable ways.” It appears that ‘new’ news consumers who had previously ignored the mainstream media are being exposed to the public discourse. Arguably, tabloids are contributing to a widening of the public sphere by making news more accessible to more people. In this respect, Wasserman (2010, p.87) claims the emergence of an alternative public sphere is a result of the contribution of popular journalism. These views lead tabloid journalists to perform their democratic function of journalism, which is inviting citizens into the public debate (Baum, 2003). On this point, ‘a public mobilizer’ role of a tabloid journalist seems to be an essential component of “creating more open and more egalitarian public sphere” (Lumby, 1999, p.38). Therefore, as noted by Ornebring and Johnson (2004) “emotionalism, sensation and simplification are not necessarily opposed to serving good.” жүктеу/скачать 4,38 Mb. Достарыңызбен бөлісу:
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