In the silences of a newsroom: age, generation, and sexism in the Indian television newsroom

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of liberalisation and globalisation on the construction of the gendered self within the space of Indian English-language television newsrooms. Using the lived knowledge of women journalists, the paper seeks to map the intersections of ageism, sexism, and capitalism in these neoliberal newsroom settings. It posits that the weakening of journalists’ unions, the expansion of women workers in newsrooms, and the evolution of a mythical, celebratory post-feminist narrative in journalism are intrinsically interlinked. The object of this paper is to analyse how young female journalists working in Indian English-language television newsrooms negotiate feminism in relation to their profession. Has post-feminism, using the words of “choice” and “empowerment,” made its subjects apolitical by feeding them the image of a socio-economically and sexually empowered woman who does not need feminism, as equality is seen as a goal that has already been achieved? As part of this enquiry it discusses the various ways in which young female journalists deal with issues of sexism, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment at work. What are the different ways of “doing” discrimination and how are they changing? Following from this, the article asks: how does age become an important criterion for difference among women in the newsroom; and what does this mean for both “young” and “old” journalists? The article concludes by considering the newer assertions of dignity and modes of protest in this space.

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