What can journalists learn from Arjun Appadurai?

“City of Zombies,” “Apocalypse in Florida,” and “Dangerous Streets of Philly” are examples of documentaries and reportages growing in popularity on various social media platforms, aiming to address the issues of substance addiction and increasing poverty in the US. Clickbait titles easily catch attention and generate millions of views. There’s something dangerously fascinating about the misery of others, and so-called YouTube ‘journalists’ are not afraid to benefit from that. The more explicit the pictures, the more likes and comments.

As Andrew Callaghan from Channel 5 once noted, the dehumanization of marginalized communities is monetized, and it’s a dangerously common phenomenon in media. The opioid epidemic in the US, meticulously described by Patrick Radden Keefe in “Empire of Pain,” has now been reduced to popular and terrifying slogans about “living zombies” – fentanyl addicts. Fear and hatred towards the poor are being nurtured and treated as political weapons, but no solutions seem to emerge.

This raises the question of the responsibility of journalists covering topics of poverty. How can they balance the viewer’s curiosity with the dignity of the protagonists in their videos or reportages? What kind of perspective should a reporter have, and where is the narrow line between good and bad journalism while covering difficult and complex topics?

While there are no easy answers, the article “The Capacity to Aspire” by Arjun Appadurai can be linked to journalism in several meaningful ways. The anthropologist, born in Mumbai, contributed significantly to our understanding of cultural dynamics in a globalized world. In the mentioned article, he explores the links between poverty and aspiration, providing readers with some interesting concepts:

• Challenging the traditional view that culture is opposed to development. He argues that culture is crucial for development and poverty reduction.
• Stating that culture is not just about the past but also about the future.
• Suggesting that policymakers should focus on building the capacity to aspire among the poor through education and other means.

One of his main research questions is: How can we strengthen the capability of the poor to have and to cultivate the “voice” since exit is no desirable solution for the world’s poor and loyalty is clearly no longer generally clearcut (Appadurai 2004: 63)? He sees a few solutions. He encourages outside agents to approach the communities of the poor carefully, with a focus on their rituals and the consensus produced by them. The consensus remains crucial for changing terms of recognition (ibid: 83). He underlines the importance of efforts made to cultivate voice among the poor, which in situations of policymaking or debate should be heard: it is through exercise of voice that the sinews of aspiration as a cultural capacity are built and strengthened, and conversely, it is through exercising the capacity to aspire that the exercise of voice by the poor will be extended (ibid.) He advocates for any developmental project to create a set of tools for identifying the “cultural map of aspirations” surrounding the intervention (ibid.).

I strongly believe that some of Appadurai’s concepts may be integrated into the daily work of journalists, who sometimes are the missing link between activists and policymakers. First of all, they can play a crucial role by highlighting stories of aspiration and resilience from marginalized communities, in order to bring attention to the systemic barriers they face. Journalists can use their platforms to not only report on current events and “breaking news” but also to explore and promote visions for a better future, bringing inspiration to policymakers and creating a space for open discussion. In their work, journalists should provide the audience with the information and tools needed to navigate complex social and economic landscapes, avoiding oversimplifications and slogans. Instead of distancing themselves from politics, journalists can advocate for policies that support the communities of the poor by investigating and reporting on the effectiveness of various programs and initiatives. They can also hold policymakers accountable for their commitments to improving the lives of the poor. Most importantly, according to Appadurai’s thesis, journalists should be driven by great cultural sensitivity.

The anthropologist’s ideas may also influence our daily practices as news consumers and social media users. Instead of watching another “city of zombies” video, as we already have dozens of them, we can explore the background behind the opioid pandemic. We can also take a closer look at how the news is being presented and how interviews are conducted. What kind of language and visual materials are being used by my favorite journalist? How does the community benefit from being recorded? Is their voice heard? Are there any new questions or perspectives that emerge from the material I’m watching, or is it just there for entertainment purposes? These are some questions we can start with.

Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section, we’re always open for a discussion.

Bibliography:

Appadurai, Arjun (2004) ‘The Capacity to Aspire: Culture and the Terms of Recognition’, pp.60-80, in Rao and Walton (eds) Culture and Public Action. Stanford University Press: California, USA.