Media scholar Jack Lule, professor of journalism and communication at Lehigh University, visited UGA April 4 to discuss his research. Some highlights:
On why news becomes myth: “Sometimes, in describing some experience or reporting some event, reporters and editors draw upon this fundamental story of earthly existence and universal and shared stories of humankind--and . . . news becomes myth. . . . Very often in journalism you get this feeling that ‘I’ve written this story before.’ I think readers get the same feeling. They can scan a headline and they know exactly what the story is going to say before they get to even the second or third paragraph. . . . We really do tell the same essential stories, from society to society and century to century. . . . I think some stories are simply fundamental, . . . based on this shared experience of being human.”
On the social implications of news as myth: “Comparisons of news and myth are important not just for their literary implications but also for their social implications. . . . News most often tells the story that supports and sustains the current society. Reporters, editors, sources and readers draw from a large range of fundamental stories that ultimately help confirm social order.”
On myth and the modern news industry: “News brings information, but it also tells stories . . . The goal for any newspaper will have to be to strike the balance between story and information.”
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