The essay will analyze the article by J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur Immersion Journalism and the article by Edward Humes What is an American. The common theme of these essays is “deference” and “otherness”. Both authors describe different topics and issues but construct their works on the opposition between the topic under discussion and its relations to the outside world. The elements under analysis are ritual and traditions which shape the subjects, the principle of opposition, and the idea of Americaness. Thesis The authors analyze different issues, an American nature and immersion journalism, but use similar strategies and techniques to shape the subject and unveil the main problems.
The main similarity between the essays is that they underline the importance of traditions and rituals in the life of a journalist and a common American. in American life, rituals and traditions play a crucial role: they determine the uniqueness of the nation and its self-determination. Humes writes: “From involuntary idleness, servile dependence, penury, and useless labor, he has passed to toils of a very different nature, rewarded by ample subsistence”.
The author underlines a difference between European culture and traditions and unique American values which shape the nation. Similar to Humes, Crevecoeur states that traditions and rituals shape Immersion journalism. Traditions of this type of journalism go back to muckraking. When a reporter crusades on an issue and decides to expose what he sees as evil, he sheds the objective stance. Implicit in the decision to write an exposé is the belief that something needs to be done about the problem or person being exposed. This, of course, represents a point of view. To muckrake in order to effect change brings to a head the larger questions of purpose and effect.
That the press relies on commerce for support (as Tarbell bemoaned) but acts also as a critic of commerce is an integral part of the story of immersion journalism. The rituals and traditions of journalism can be expressed in the objectivity which has evolved over the decades and, even today, it has different meanings from publication to publication. However, whether it is couched in words like “fairness,” “accuracy,” or “impartiality,” or in phrases like “separating fact from comment,” there is some uniform agreement on the principles of objectivity. Let me go from the theoretical underpinnings of the concept to some of its specific attributes.
Both essays are based on the idea of Americaness and the uniqueness of the American nation. Humes explains that the American nation was shaped by historical traditions and colonization experiences. The American lifestyle is reflected in all spheres of life including housing and food, clothes, and communication.
Similar to Humes, Crevecoeur sees immersion journalism as a unique phenomenon of the American nation. the uniqueness of this style is that: “the stories we seek are private ones, for every place or character or institution, even public ones, have a private life, behind the façade, where the real business of families and governments and schools happens” (Crevecoeur). Immersion journalism becomes a part of the American culture and an important tool to support and protect social victims. This notion is closely related to Americaness as a unique phenomenon of the USA.
Opposition and differentiation of other issues and topics help the authors to unveil the main features and principles of immersion journalism and an American lifestyle. Humes underlines that an American man differs from a European because of his unique worldviews and personal relations.
“The American ought, therefore, to love this country much better than that wherein either he or his forefathers were born” (Humes). The main difference is that Europeans take their ancestry and history for granted while Americans value and appraise the hard work of their fathers who came to America many centuries ago. In contrast to Humes, Crevecoeur sees immersion journalism as a distinct style of traditional journalism shaped by social needs and demands.
In contrast to traditional journalism, “Immersion journalists have no particular right to go where they go” (Crevecoeur). It is widely recognized that the mass media provide citizens with ample information that they then use to construct some sense of the world around them. It is not as widely recognized that consumers of media messages are active in this constructive process, making meanings that are sensible to them in their particular life circumstances. The theoretical rationale for the notion of objectivity is that readers and listeners can best make up their minds about public policy issues when they are given verifiable “facts.” These facts are delivered by independent, neutral observers–reporters–who provide for the reader competing versions of the “truth”; in short, a “marketplace” where ideas do battle.
In sum, the essays by J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur Immersion Journalism and the essay by Edward Humes What is an American discuss different issues related to an American culture and immersion journalism, but use similar techniques to unveil the subjects and analyze the problems under analysis. The technique of opposition and differentiation helps both authors to shape the themes and topics under discussion.
Works Cited
Crevecoeur, H.J. Immersion Journalism. 2002. Web.
Humes, E. What is an American. 1995. Web.