Affective Journalism – Uncovering the Affective Dimension of Practice in the Coverage of Traumatic News
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Affective journalism – uncovering the affective dimension of practice in the coverage of traumatic news Stephen Jukes Thesis submitted to Goldsmiths, University of London, for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Media & Communications London, April 2017 Declaration of authorship I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of Goldsmiths, University of London, is solely my own work. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. I declare my thesis consists of 93,500 words. Stephen Jukes, April 2017 2 Acknowledgements I would like first and foremost to thank my supervisors, professors Natalie Fenton and Lisa Blackman. I have been immensely fortunate to have been guided by two extraordinarily knowledgeable, committed and patient academics. They have pulled me up every time I have strayed back into old habits of journalese and pushed me at every turn to challenge the practices I had taken for granted for so many years. I would like to think that they too have occasionally gained an insight into each other’s very different areas of academic expertise. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my employer Bournemouth University, which has supported me from the outset of my doctoral studies. Equally, I have been very grateful for the opportunity to discuss my ideas with several colleagues along the way, notably Prof Barry Richards, whose work on media and emotion spurred my early academic interest in the subject of this thesis. Last but not least I would like to thank my wife Yvonne, and children Dominic and Timothy for their loving patience during my years of doctoral study. The refrain of ‘when will it be finished?’ was reminiscent of those long holiday car journeys (‘are we there yet?’) … 3 ABSTRACT This thesis is an exploration of the affective processes, behaviours and practices that lie at the heart of journalists’ work when covering traumatic news stories such as conflict, acts of terror and natural disasters. The starting point is one of the central tensions of Anglo-American journalism. On the one hand, the normative values of objectivity have become deeply ingrained as a mark of professional standing. On the other hand, the practice of journalism relies on emotion to engage the public. The apparent contradiction has often been the focus of academic analysis, sometimes from the perspective of audience reception and sometimes from that of professional and political economic tensions facing the industry. This thesis unpicks and examines in detail the component parts of the ‘objectivity paradigm’ and breaks new ground by uncovering the affective dimension of practice when covering traumatic news. Its analysis draws principally on affect theorists who have been influenced by a psychosocial tradition. Empirical research is based on interviews with 25 journalists who have covered traumatic news stories where the objectivity norm has been challenged or disrupted. These include the shooting of primary school children in Dunblane, Scotland, in 1996, in the pre-Internet era, and several contemporary stories dominated by social media ranging from the Syrian conflict to terror attacks in London and Paris. What emerges is a complex picture of journalists grappling with competing tensions – on the one hand a virtually hard-wired notion of what it is to be a professional journalist and, on the other hand, a visceral, empathic often instinctive affective dimension of practice. The research identifies two main affective behaviours of journalists covering difficult stories, that of ‘cool- detached’ and ‘autopilot.’ It also investigates the affective dimension of social media images, including potential mental health risks of working with user- 4 generated content, and the ‘herd instinct’ of journalists covering major breaking news. The research highlights the moral obligation on news organisations to maintain the mental well-being of their journalists whether on assignment in the field or in the newsroom handling graphic user-generated content. It also explores the tensions between the commercial attractions of such content as a means to reengage disaffected audiences and its impact in creating a more emotionally driven news file. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration of authorship ............................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................ 3 Abstract .......................................................................................................... 4 Contents .......................................................................................................... 6 A personal reflection ...................................................................................... 9 Introduction Introduction ................................................................................................ 14 Research questions and contribution to knowledge .................................. 16 A false antagonism ..................................................................................... 19 A long history 22 Structure of the thesis ................................................................................. 23 Major themes .............................................................................................. 31 Chapter 1: Social History Objectivity and Emotion in Journalism – Tracing the Professional Norm Introduction ............................................................................................ 33 Fundamental tension ............................................................................... 35 Chapter overview - tracing a common heritage ..................................... 37 Development of fact-based reporting ..................................................... 38 Crowds, publics and suggestive realm ................................................... 41 The Dreyfus Affair as a case study for Tarde ........................................ 44 Influence of the Chicago School ............................................................ 45 Towards a common understanding of objectivity .................................. 47 The dangers of hypnotism ...................................................................... 49 A radio broadcast unleashes panic ......................................................... 51 Mass society ........................................................................................... 53 The public good ...................................................................................... 55 Inherent contradictions ........................................................................... 57 Challenging the ideal .............................................................................. 59 Technology of intimacy .......................................................................... 64 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 68 Chapter 2: Literature Review The Challenge of Affect and its Application to News Introduction ................................................................................................ 71 The turn to affect ........................................................................................ 73 Challenging the status quo in journalism studies ...................................... 74 Definitions .................................................................................................. 77 Looking to the 19th Century ....................................................................... 79 Contemporary investigation of news narratives through affect ................ 84 Television as an affective medium ............................................................ 90 6 Multi-media and affect ............................................................................... 92 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 97 Chapter 3: Research Methodology Examining the Relationship between news, journalism and emotion Introduction ……........................................................................................ 99 Overview of research questions and methodology ................................... 100 Choosing the news stories .......................................................................... 102 Choosing the journalists ............................................................................. 107 Using an experiential approach and ethical considerations ...................... 109 Applying theories of affect to analyse empirical data ............................... 112 Drawing on Bourdieu and boundary work................................................. 116 Adding my personal experience ................................................................ 119 Traditional analytical tools ........................................................................ 122 - Frames ...................................................................................................... 123 - Markers of objectivity ............................................................................. 124 Considering the impact of the changing media landscape ........................ 126 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 128 Chapter 4: Empirical chapter The Lived Experience of Journalists covering Traumatic