This past week, I had to do a research paper analyzing the popular account of a topic compared to scientific and scholarly research. I chose to look at an article that reported on Web sites that promoted anorexia and unhealthy eating habits and behaviors. The sites mentioned provide users with an anonymous safe haven where they can normalize their disorder with others who can relate to them. While the information is valuable so that people can become aware of the dangers, there also comes an inevitable possibility that readers who may already feel insecure about their body images and may not already know about these Web-based communities may become curious and visit the sites themselves. Similar to covering suicides, covering such a controversial topic such as anorexia and disordered eating, there always comes the potential for a copycat effect. Journalists need to do their best in reporting such stories with appropriate tones, slants and omissions of facts. Unfortunately, “The winner dies,” which appeared in Salon, did not comply with the ethics and guidelines of traditional journalism. When the media are part of the social constructing process, journalists need to be careful of what and to whom they report. While Brown gives a detailed and accurate account of the Web sites, the article neglects to consider those that may be reading the article as a curiosity into the world of an anorexic. There are exact names and Web sites and links on the online article that allow users to actively search and browse the online communities, which paradoxically goes against the authorial intent. Similar to the pro-ana sites themselves, Brown’s article reinforces certain norms of body images through certain inclusions and phrases. She includes the “pro-ana commandments” and examples of extreme dieting tips, which are informative of what the sites contain, but there is no cautionary disclaimer warning readers or potential visitors that the behavior should not be condoned.
Furthermore, the article was not representative of the total population. Because of the western assumption behind eating disorders, there are many different social and cultural factors that affect body satisfaction in other cultures and races that professionals may not understand or fail to acknowledge. The article says that the pro-anorexic Web sites promote similar tips and advice to what you would see in “any women’s magazine.” However, Latinas and Black females do not have the same body ideals as what the mainstream culture in the United States tells them. Therefore, the reporter of the article is presuming that all women have the same ideals, and neglects the multi-cultural audience, failing to be objective and fair.
As research has shown, many studies are inconclusive as information is usually dependent on volunteers who wish to disclose their anorexic identities. For individuals who are part of minority cultures that don’t traditionally have the same values and body perceptions as the majority Western culture, many accounts go underreported and undiagnosed due to differences in causes and behaviors among different cultures. Consequently, as in many news publications based on statistics and surveys, the percentages used by Brown in the article can be misleading in that saying that 3 percent of all women have eating disorders in the U.S. These figures do not take into account the numerous unreported cases. While her facts come from a credible source, the average reader probably does not understand or is unaware of the factors that are behind the figures documented in the article.In addition, nowhere in the article does Brown mention male anorexia or the use of online forums by males, despite research and evidence that proves men do suffer from the illness as well.
Reporting on pro-anorexic Web sites March 18, 2008
This past week, I had to do a research paper analyzing the popular account of a topic compared to scientific and scholarly research. I chose to look at an article that reported on Web sites that promoted anorexia and unhealthy eating habits and behaviors. The sites mentioned provide users with an anonymous safe haven where they can normalize their disorder with others who can relate to them. While the information is valuable so that people can become aware of the dangers, there also comes an inevitable possibility that readers who may already feel insecure about their body images and may not already know about these Web-based communities may become curious and visit the sites themselves. Similar to covering suicides, covering such a controversial topic such as anorexia and disordered eating, there always comes the potential for a copycat effect. Journalists need to do their best in reporting such stories with appropriate tones, slants and omissions of facts. Unfortunately, “The winner dies,” which appeared in Salon, did not comply with the ethics and guidelines of traditional journalism. When the media are part of the social constructing process, journalists need to be careful of what and to whom they report. While Brown gives a detailed and accurate account of the Web sites, the article neglects to consider those that may be reading the article as a curiosity into the world of an anorexic. There are exact names and Web sites and links on the online article that allow users to actively search and browse the online communities, which paradoxically goes against the authorial intent. Similar to the pro-ana sites themselves, Brown’s article reinforces certain norms of body images through certain inclusions and phrases. She includes the “pro-ana commandments” and examples of extreme dieting tips, which are informative of what the sites contain, but there is no cautionary disclaimer warning readers or potential visitors that the behavior should not be condoned.
Furthermore, the article was not representative of the total population. Because of the western assumption behind eating disorders, there are many different social and cultural factors that affect body satisfaction in other cultures and races that professionals may not understand or fail to acknowledge. The article says that the pro-anorexic Web sites promote similar tips and advice to what you would see in “any women’s magazine.” However, Latinas and Black females do not have the same body ideals as what the mainstream culture in the United States tells them. Therefore, the reporter of the article is presuming that all women have the same ideals, and neglects the multi-cultural audience, failing to be objective and fair.
As research has shown, many studies are inconclusive as information is usually dependent on volunteers who wish to disclose their anorexic identities. For individuals who are part of minority cultures that don’t traditionally have the same values and body perceptions as the majority Western culture, many accounts go underreported and undiagnosed due to differences in causes and behaviors among different cultures. Consequently, as in many news publications based on statistics and surveys, the percentages used by Brown in the article can be misleading in that saying that 3 percent of all women have eating disorders in the U.S. These figures do not take into account the numerous unreported cases. While her facts come from a credible source, the average reader probably does not understand or is unaware of the factors that are behind the figures documented in the article. In addition, nowhere in the article does Brown mention male anorexia or the use of online forums by males, despite research and evidence that proves men do suffer from the illness as well.