my letter on barking women
On Sunday I sent the below letter to Today newspaper. They didn't publish it.
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I refer to the article by Nazry Bahrawi “Woman barks up the right channel to find lost pooch” (Mar 9). I am deeply disappointed that Today has allowed such callous reporting to make it to print. Even if the pun was intended, the headline is extremely offensive to women by referring to them as dogs. The story about one woman’s attempt at finding her missing dog is unfortunately tainted by irresponsible reportage that is disrespectful and objectifying to all women, and whose logic continues to fuel greater injustices that include harassment, abuse and violence against women. The fact that this comes just one day after International Womens’ Day is even more tragic. The media plays a large role not just in reflecting, but also in shaping, the ways that Singapore society treats women. I hope that in the future, Today will consider with more gravity the ways in which its headlines and framing of articles shape and affect the way we perceive women.
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I refer to the article by Nazry Bahrawi “Woman barks up the right channel to find lost pooch” (Mar 9). I am deeply disappointed that Today has allowed such callous reporting to make it to print. Even if the pun was intended, the headline is extremely offensive to women by referring to them as dogs. The story about one woman’s attempt at finding her missing dog is unfortunately tainted by irresponsible reportage that is disrespectful and objectifying to all women, and whose logic continues to fuel greater injustices that include harassment, abuse and violence against women. The fact that this comes just one day after International Womens’ Day is even more tragic. The media plays a large role not just in reflecting, but also in shaping, the ways that Singapore society treats women. I hope that in the future, Today will consider with more gravity the ways in which its headlines and framing of articles shape and affect the way we perceive women.
posted by burgers and durians at
11:01 AM
3 Comments:
Well, your point is well-noted but you have to understand that the concept of 'hetereglossia', or the multiple voices in a newsroom operations. Sometimes the author or reporter is not necessarily to blame. And honestly, there are more sensitive terms that Today should look closely at - for example, the term 'holy war' or 'Islamic terrorists' are still being used when it comes to reporting. Brevity may figure largely in the minds of editors working on a copy, but sometimes it is just not worth the simplification. Life just isn't tt simple. The insider.
Hi anonymous insider,
Thanks for your comments.
In fact, i'm aware that headlines are often written by copywriters or editors and it wasn't my intent to lay sole blame on the reporter, although in hindsight, it does come across that way i suppose.
I agree that Today (and ST too for that matter) uses some pretty problematic language and imagery in the name of brevity (funny how the notion of brevity doesn't seem to apply to the ads they publish, though- those just seem to be getting bigger and bigger). But I don't think the debate should be about whether the subversive sexism that this perpetuates is worse or if the subversive racism is. Media oversimplifications for the sake of 'soundbite knowledge' feeds into all sorts of steretypes and illogical discriminatory worldviews, and all have consequences that need to be critiqued.
I couldn't agree with you more there. Indeed, 'soundbite knowledge' only spells danger to me especially when it has the ability to shape mindsets. But my insider experience makes me wonder if media producers - and the print media is not too bad a culprit if you juxtapose it against radio and television in terms of providing details - can ever get out of this mould. That the news industry all over the world exists commercially can probably account for the big ads and little editorial space in newspapers. Then again, some people want simplicity and brevity. I think the solution is in media literacy. Take leaf from literary studies -- a theory upholds that readers now read a text critically with an understanding of the writer's context. So too should more media consumers read their media text the same -- with a critical eye. They should also look at what is not said - which could sometimes be more important that what has been said. In that sense, I suppose your posting in this blog would be educational. The insider.
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