Cultural reporting in the new culture wars

"Since Patti Smith is on tour again, this is a good time to be reminded of the 1980s and '90s culture wars. Elected representatives took it upon themselves to slash budgets and politicize the work of then-contemporary artists whose practices were deemed un-Christian or amoral. Though it's long past, younger generations are today getting a taste of a similar public outcry."

"Audiences are similarly coming to terms with this new reality, grappling with how their dollars don't just support an industry but could be fueling an ideology. In the coming year, culture reporting will be more attuned to the ways that fine art, architecture, television, film, and much more have become the receptacles for leaking (or overt) moralization, taking the form of content, budgets, intellectual property issues, and commentary."

Elected representatives slashed budgets and politicized contemporary art deemed un-Christian or amoral in the 1980s and '90s. Younger generations are now encountering a similar public outcry. Politics is transforming culture through federal budget cuts forcing arts institutions to do more with less, the politicization of architectural and artistic styles, conservative attacks on big-budget films, and exhibitions canceled or moved due to political pressures. Editors are tuning into a new culture war spreading across film, streaming television, podcasting, and online content creation. Audiences are grappling with the idea that their spending can support an ideology rather than just an industry. Culture reporting must attend to how fine art, architecture, television, and film have become receptacles for overt or leaking moralization across content, budgets, intellectual property, and commentary. These stories require rigorous cross-disciplinary reporting on budgetary appropriations and contextual art-historical research, and newsrooms need to invest financial and human resources while collaborating with political and legal reporters as culture journalism expands beyond arts-specific outlets.

Read at Nieman Lab