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What does it feel like to be featured, quoted, or just named in a news story? A refugee family, the survivor of a shooting, a primary voter in Iowa—the views and experiences of ordinary people are an important component of journalism. While much has been written about how journalists work and gather stories, what do we discover about the practice of journalism and attitudes about the media by focusing on the experiences of the subjects themselves? In Becoming the News, Ruth Palmer argues that understanding the motivations and experiences of those who have been featured in news stories—voluntarily or not—sheds new light on the practice of journalism and the importance many continue to place on the role of the mainstream media.
Based on dozens of interviews with news subjects, Becoming the News studies how ordinary people make sense of their experience as media subjects. Palmer charts the arc of the experience of “making” the news, from the events that brought an ordinary person to journalists’ attention through the decision to cooperate with reporters, interactions with journalists, and reactions to the news coverage and its aftermath. She explores what motivates someone to talk to the press; whether they consider the potential risks; the power dynamics between a journalist and their subject; their expectations about the motivations of journalists; and the influence of social media on their decisions and reception. Pointing to the ways traditional news organizations both continue to hold on to and are losing their authority, Becoming the News has important implications for how we think about the production and consumption of news at a time when Americans distrust the news media more than ever.
— Rasmus Nielsen, Director of Research, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford
Becoming the News examines the seemingly mundane experience of having been mentioned in the news—an important social phenomenon that scholars have ignored and one that changes how huge numbers of Americans think not only about the news media but also about themselves. Palmer weaves a compelling tapestry of classic social theory, modern scholarship, and outstanding interviews. Built on thoughtful and sensitive research and brimming with insight, Becoming the News is a breakthrough contribution to the fields of sociology and journalism studies.
— David Pritchard, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
From Kurt and Gladys Lang to Todd Gitlin, media scholars have probed the disjuncture between experiencing a media event and the journalistic coverage of it. Now, in our era of fake news and partisan distrust, Ruth Palmer analyzes how ordinary people feel when they become the subjects of news stories. This timely and fascinating book marks a major step forward for the field of communication research.
— C.W. Anderson, University of Leeds
Highly recommended.
— Anna Maria Polidori
A significant contribution
Recommended.
Highly recommended.
Becoming the News offers its audience a fresh perspective, while adding a needed voice to the established literature of current journalism-related scholarship . . . A useful and relevant resource for those who teach or study journalism, for veteran or budding journalists working in the industry, as well for anyone who may share even a general interest in media and journalism studies.
Becoming the News offers valuable insight for journalists and students of journalism to more honestly, and with greater awareness, navigate the journalist–subject relationship.
Palmer has made a persuasive case for rethinking the journalist–source relationship . . . I suspect it will be regarded as a formative intervention by future projects in the years to come.
— Stuart Allan, Cardiff University
Adds substantially to the literature in this field.
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Victims of the Press?
2. What’s in It for Them? Weighing the Pros and Cons of Becoming a News Subject
3. The Interview Stage Part 1: Encountering Journalists
4. The Interview Stage Part 2: From Interaction to Story
5. Truth (Perceptions) and Consequences: How News Subjects Judge Accuracy and Error
6. That’s Me! . . . But It’s Not Me: Aesthetic, Emotional, and Existential Effects of Confronting Our News Selves
7. Celebration, Condemnation, Reputation: Audience Feedback as an Indicator of Status and Stigma
8. Making the News in a Digital World
9. Lessons for Subjects and Journalists
Note on Method
Notes
Bibliography
Index