What’s the Fuss About Fault Lines?
When you hear the words “fault lines,” what comes to your mind? For some, it reminds them of the earth as an accomplice in earthquakes. However, for many j-schoolers, it takes them back to the annoying repetition of Cross Cultural Journalism, otherwise known as J2000.
According to Angela Dodson’s “Fault Lines: A master metaphor for connecting with the audience,” Robert C. Maynard, founder of Maynard Institute for Journalism, created this concept which expands on the many variances that “shape opinion and human experience.”
The five Fault Lines consist of class, gender, generation, geography and race/ethnicity. All part of what Maynard thought would suffice in explaining cultural differences.
But as journalists, what is the point of constantly going over these Fault Lines? What is the point of having a semester-long course and a 20+ page assignment explaining their significance? Is it not common sense to know that one person isn’t the same as another?
“Different parts of journalism are based around fault lines,” Missouri School of Journalism Associate Professor María E. Len-Ríos said. “In the fields of advertising, public relations and marketing, the Fault Lines often take the form of looking at consumer demographics and psychographics. Fault lines are a tool for understanding.” Len-Ríos has doctorate in Journalism with a focus in Strategic Communication.
Len-Ríos made it clear that fault lines don’t need to be used in every single story. Not every fault line needs to be present, you don’t force it. However, making sure that we are aware of what’s going on around us and what makes a fault line relevant aids us as journalists.
“It’s like a packing list for a trip—did I forget anything?” Len-Ríos said. “Their use is a tool to help us think about things that we may not remember to concern.”
So when you are complaining about the proposal you have to create for your journalism class, remember that this is only to help you understand the world and our thought processes. Remember the Fault Lines when you are stuck in one of those lovely journalistic dry spells or want to reconnect with your audience.
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Says a blog that only features one staff member that is of minority background.
Says a white girl.
Katie,
I am glad you are aware of Fault Lines yourself. However, the whole point was show that they are used when it holds relevance to a situation. The only background that holds relevance is Len-Ríos’ education on the matter, her standing as a professor and her partaking within the J-School.
I could point you out for being part of the “majority”; does it hold relevance? No.
I’d be interested to hear what Karen Mitchell has to say about this story.
It does hold relevance. At first I thought you were going to be like every other student in my J2000 class, who complained of the “politically correctness” of the class and how it was just a “white guilt trip.” I’m very glad you did not, so thank you for that. But although we are taught this idea at a very, very early time in our education at MU, many students ignore the fault lines in their later reporting.
If you want to talk about relevance, talk about how something that is used as the core of our education isn’t being adequately applied down the road. I don’t understand the point of this article — oh, fault lines aren’t a bunch of PC nonsense, let’s let Len-Rios explain why. Why don’t you talk about something more meaningful and applicable to what is actually produced here by students and whether or not we actually use fault lines in our real reporting?
To me, this was meaningful. The shear fact that I worked really hard in Cross Cultural Journalism and became thoroughly annoyed with Fault Lines means something to not only me, but some of my past classmates as well.
Len-Ríos gave credibility to this article in my opinion. The way she explained everything gave a balance of everything involving Fault Lines. She wasn’t annoying about it.
I talked about them this way because that is the way I wanted to talk about them. I learned something, others learned something. It is a win-win, in my eyes.
Think what you must. I could always do things differently, but I’m satisfied.
Thanks anyway.