Old is not sexy. How media do (not) report about older people, and how older Swiss journalists started their own newspapers online

Stephan Russ-Mohl () and Karen Torben-Nielsen ()
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Stephan Russ-Mohl: University of Lugano
Karen Torben-Nielsen: Bern University of Applied Sciences

Revista Romana de Jurnalism si Comunicare - Romanian Journal of Journalism and Communication, 2012, issue 1, 59-68

Abstract: Although the older people (65+) form an important and ever-growing group in the ageing society, they are not visible accordingly in the media. Via a literature review of earlier international studies, this paper firstly demonstrates how older people are rarely covered in the media, or if so, in an often stereotyped and negative way. This could have a negative influence on the way older people think about themselves, the expectations of society towards them, and the regulations concerning older people. Moreover, the stereotyped portrait does not do justice to the nuanced reality of older people. A case study of (mostly) retired Swiss top journalists, who founded two online newspapers, shows that older people may continue to be innovative and entrepreneurial. We conclude with some reflections about the future presentation of older people in the media, and the possible integration of older journalists in the news rooms.

Keywords: Older people; media; ageing society; online newspapers. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D D2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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