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Confessional culture, masculinity and emotional work

School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. meryl.aldridge{at}nottingham.ac.uk

‘Confessional culture’ is a particularly controversial aspect of tabloidization, condemned by many within the media industry as trivial or even degrading. Others argue that, apart from the positive audience response, public explorations of the subjective are an important flexing of the boundary between the public/rational/masculine and the private/affective/female domains. Having first considered the debate over confessional culture, the article then suggests, on the basis of three case illustrations, that there is little sign of hard news losing its privileged position in the press and in television news. What then is the significance of the confessional genre and why does it appeal to men as well as women? Under the risk conditions of late modernity, men are having to learn new emotional and relationship skills. Given that media directed at men remain cautious in their treatment of emotional work, the article concludes that this ‘confessional’ writing provides a culturally acceptable form of lifestyle guide.

Key Words: gender • modernity • news values • public sphere • tabloidization

Journalism, Vol. 2, No. 1, 91-108 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/146488490100200107


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