Comments on: The Cultural Capital of New Creative Industries http://savageminds.org/2009/05/14/the-cultural-capital-of-new-creative-industries/ Notes and Queries in Anthropology — A Group Blog Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:46:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Celebrity Journalists and North Korean Prisoners | Savage Minds http://savageminds.org/2009/05/14/the-cultural-capital-of-new-creative-industries/comment-page-1/#comment-612560 Celebrity Journalists and North Korean Prisoners | Savage Minds Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:31:02 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=2344#comment-612560 [...] sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for illegally entering North Korea, at the time of my first upload to Savage Minds about her plight you probably have now. On the eve of her sentencing, June 3, Lisa [...] [...] sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for illegally entering North Korea, at the time of my first upload to Savage Minds about her plight you probably have now. On the eve of her sentencing, June 3, Lisa [...]

]]> By: Belinda http://savageminds.org/2009/05/14/the-cultural-capital-of-new-creative-industries/comment-page-1/#comment-608338 Belinda Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:46:24 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=2344#comment-608338 A journalist with a network news operation, a wire service or a big paper will get more backup and support than any citizen journalist will. Ling had lots of experience, all at Current. Lee had been a tape editor, and Koss has twice as much experience as both of them together. An anthropologist at a large university has more clout than someone from a small school, and both have more an independent scholar. Current didn't give these people the support they needed (who hired the now-vanished local fixer?) It's not that Current is "underappreciated" but rather that Current hires people with little or no experience, pays them nothing, and throws them into hot spots to sink or swim. This model isn't working, clearly. Hard to believe, but sometimes professional journalists have skills and instincts that "citizen journalists" don't have. These women are professionals, but should never have been given this assignment without more support. A journalist with a network news operation, a wire service or a big paper will get more backup and support than any citizen journalist will. Ling had lots of experience, all at Current. Lee had been a tape editor, and Koss has twice as much experience as both of them together.

An anthropologist at a large university has more clout than someone from a small school, and both have more an independent scholar.

Current didn’t give these people the support they needed (who hired the now-vanished local fixer?) It’s not that Current is “underappreciated” but rather that Current hires people with little or no experience, pays them nothing, and throws them into hot spots to sink or swim. This model isn’t working, clearly.

Hard to believe, but sometimes professional journalists have skills and instincts that “citizen journalists” don’t have. These women are professionals, but should never have been given this assignment without more support.

]]> By: Chris Park http://savageminds.org/2009/05/14/the-cultural-capital-of-new-creative-industries/comment-page-1/#comment-602932 Chris Park Fri, 15 May 2009 04:18:24 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=2344#comment-602932 I agree, in general, everything you said. As a Korean American anthropologist who has done a fieldwork in Geumgang Mountains tourist site in North Korea and on inter-Korean national politics, my whole hearted support goes to the detained journalists and I wish their immediate safe release. For my own personal academic curiosity, I would like to ask some questions. Have you considered gender, race (nationality), political orientation when speaking of anthropologists and journalists? Anthropologists have a long tradition of reflecting upon one's position and identity as a researcher but also a product of her/his own culture and society. So gender, race, and other factors that define your position and identity have great implications. For example, would it make any difference if two journalists were white male? When you said "Our capacity to move transnationally helps in the production of multisited investigations of a global world." Isn't it true in often times that the capacity is conditioned by what national passport one carries. And lastly, how would anthropologists and journalists or Current TV gain more cultural captial? I agree, in general, everything you said. As a Korean American anthropologist who has done a fieldwork in Geumgang Mountains tourist site in North Korea and on inter-Korean national politics, my whole hearted support goes to the detained journalists and I wish their immediate safe release.
For my own personal academic curiosity, I would like to ask some questions. Have you considered gender, race (nationality), political orientation when speaking of anthropologists and journalists? Anthropologists have a long tradition of reflecting upon one’s position and identity as a researcher but also a product of her/his own culture and society. So gender, race, and other factors that define your position and identity have great implications. For example, would it make any difference if two journalists were white male?
When you said “Our capacity to move transnationally helps in the production of multisited investigations of a global world.” Isn’t it true in often times that the capacity is conditioned by what national passport one carries. And lastly, how would anthropologists and journalists or Current TV gain more cultural captial?

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