Cultural Journalism as a Tool for Global Citizenship

As media has become one of the key agents in the social construction of reality, it has become crucial that journalists, editors, and news channels leverage mainstream media to promote global culture and empower citizens to raise their voices against dissent. People’s trust in news media is rooted but mostly swayed by the paid content or news of powerful people. Especially given the current fake news and misinformation issue, authenticity is difficult to maintain. This research focuses on creating a framework to place cultural journalism at the apex and provide a safe space to marginalized communities in India, China, and the U.S. I would like to study RQ (1) In what ways can journalists conduct discussions on critiquing the global narratives, RQ (2) What are the most effective practices to encourage consumers to participate in the public debates and be a catalyst for change. To address RQ (1), I would like to take support from the existing literature, research papers, reports, case studies, and surveys to compile data and use content analysis to identify the themes, formats, and narratives. To study RQ (2), Interviews will be conducted with the activists, leaders, and journalists to identify best practices to promote civic participation and convert news consumers into global citizens and mediators. Reporting on local cultural initiatives shows community-driven efforts in social change through grassroots movements. Such as citizen journalism, environmental activism in China, the Black Lives Matter movement and #MeToo movement in the U.S., and the Clean India Mission and Campaigns against caste discrimination in India. There are far more complicated issues yet to be addressed, and by dismantling stereotypes, fostering solidarity, strengthening the democratization of voices, and strategically implementing media literacy, this research will address the time-sensitive problem and do justice to the profession of journalism.