2023 BEA On-Location

The Evolution of Elliot Page and Transmasculinity TV News: From Magazine Covers to The Freedom to Exist; George L. Daniels, The University of Alabama
In 2021, TIME magazine’s cover story on Elliot Page, who was born Ellen Page, was considered the first time a transgender man appeared on the cover of the magazine. But, it would not be the last time for the Canadian actor as a magazine cover subject. He showed up as Esquire’s Summer 2022 cover, and most recently graced the cover of People Magazine in June 2023. Using Stuart Hall’s (1997) theories of representation as an analytical framework, this study employed textual analysis to focus on the evolution of storytelling about transmasculinity as reflected initially in three news magazine cover stories and recently, in a June 2023 ABC News Soul of a Nation special –The Freedom to Exist. Besides Page, four other transgender males’ stories were included in the network television special that was the latest installment in its Soul of a Nation series. The research shows the difference a television news program can make in amplifying the nuances of the lived experience of trans gender males in America.

The Creation of Ethical and Effective True Crime Television; Michael Sinclair, Regent University
True Crime documentaries are a popular form of entertainment on various platforms. These, inspired by real-life stories, have historically played an essential role in literature, film, and television. Television producers oversee the editorial decisions in their programs and are responsible for making programming that engages audiences. Audiences engage with these stories as they provide an adrenaline rush, stimulate the mind and the imagination, and trigger survival instincts and a desire for a sense of justice while allowing audiences to explore their dark side. True crime programming is based upon real people’s lives, however, and when television producers ignore their story's impact on victims’ families and survivors of crime, it creates trauma. Advocates for crime victims ask television producers to consider the treatment of victims and their families in their storytelling. An effective method for television producers to create programming that respects victims and their families is to adopt the posture of a servant leader. This article examines areas where television producers can implement servant leadership principles, serving their production teams, the story, the families, and the truth to create true crime television programming that ethically treats victims, survivors, and their families while engaging audiences.

Restoring Journalistic Credibility through Revisiting the Ancient Religious Tradition of Jubilee; Steve Perry, Regent University
As society has become increasingly post-modern or even meta-modern, we have lost an underlying value system on which all reporters generally agree. In order to re-establish a foundation from which journalists can critique the current world events, it is difficult now to rely on the post-enlightenment's many value systems that people have been fighting over. Instead, this philosophical article turns to the ancient principle of a jubilee year, which was taught to the nation of Israel but was never practiced, as a model from which reporters can pull ancient wisdom that critiques both the right and the left in America. This article introduces how the jubilee year can be applied to controversial issues often covered by reporters: immigration, family, debt, charity, crime, economics, and so on. The principal of jubilee balances the collectivist vs. individualist orientations of society, and the notions of socialism with those of capitalism. It challenges any system of enduring "haves" and "have nots" in society. The principles of jubilee also present objective foundations on which some of the main institutions of government that are linked either to left and right politically can be challenged by the press, thus rehabilitating the watchdog role of the press. This article presents how journalists can use this to construct narratives that restore objectivity and perhaps credibility to the news business.