The Information Industry: Selling America to Americans Lippi-Green, Chapter 7

The Information Industry…  “Language is one area in which the news media representatives vigorously advance the notion of homogeneity, directly and indirectly. The process of linguistic assimilation to an abstracted standard is cast as a natural one, necessary and positive for the greater social good.” (p. 135)

The Information Industry…( p. 146 )  Mainstream US English: Good communication Good communication Clear English, talking with distinction Clear English, talking with distinction Uniformity: a business asset Uniformity: a business asset Goal: standard American English Goal: standard American English “national aesthetic” equals national media, “where no one who is anyone betrays where he or she came from when they speak” “national aesthetic” equals national media, “where no one who is anyone betrays where he or she came from when they speak”  Non-mainstream US English: Accents impede communication Accents impede communication Strong, heavy accents; voice twisted by regional or ethnic influences: a telltale tongue Strong, heavy accents; voice twisted by regional or ethnic influences: a telltale tongue Goal: control an accent Goal: control an accent Goal: combat foreign accents Goal: combat foreign accents Goal: eliminate American regional accents, Asian, Indian, and Middle Eastern accents and Spanish accents Goal: eliminate American regional accents, Asian, Indian, and Middle Eastern accents and Spanish accents

The Information Industry: Selling America to Americans Summary (p. 151)  “The individuals who provide us with information and news on a daily basis in print and broadcast forums have an unusual amount of power and control in the lives of the public. They are given free admittance to our homes, to bring to us their factual knowledge about the workings of the world.

The Information Industry: Selling America to Americans Summary (cont.)  This process involves choosing among those pieces of information to share, and presenting them in a form which is accessible and understandable. The translation process from raw material to finished news report involves news filters of all kinds, many of which we are not immediately aware of when we take in the information over our dinners.

The Information Industry: Selling America to Americans Summary (cont.)  The politics and cultural preconceptions which shape the news and the presentation of the news include ideas about language, and the importance of language. The process of language standardization is one which is implicitly and explicitly supported by the information industry, for practical reasons. In practical terms, it is useful for them to have authority in issues of language, which is their primary tool. This authority was assumed long ago, but it is necessary in this social contract – as in others – to remind all parties of the terms.

The Information Industry: Selling America to Americans Summary (cont.)  We concede to the information industry, particularly to the broadcast news industry, authority in the spoken language. We identify journalists and broadcasters as our role models; we allow them to chide us when our language differs from those varieties of English they speak, or think they speak. They have convinced us that they have the right to do this, and we do not challenge that right.”