Caution for all Prof Green Thumb Members: Issues of Representation in Journalistic Media Output

One of the most difficult things about journalistic media output is that there will always be some type of unease with the manner in which sources are represented. Mainstream journalistic writing which still in some degrees dances to the tune of objectivity often results in a journalistic output that represents sources as objects. Moreover it tends to reinforce the stereotypes that have come to be associated with certain groups of people and also perpetuates widely held ideologies that are oppressive and disempowering to those whom they exclude. I feel that we as student journalists need to be very aware of this, seeing that most of us are working with learners that attend so-called ‘disadvantaged’, ‘historically disadvantaged’, ‘currently disadvantaged’, ‘underprivileged’ schools…whatever it is… you see even these categories and supposedly politically correct/incorrect terms are incredibly problematic. Although, the fact that we are employing a participatory-civic form of journalism should ease the burden created by this tension, I still think it is important that our journalistic output (be it posters, PSAs, how-to videos or sound slides) represent the learners we are working with as active agents and subjects that are having a positive impact on their immediate environment, through whatever it is they are participating in – be it an anti-littering campaign, a PSA stigmatises littering, or a paper making initiative that promotes recycling.