How can global journalists represent the ‘Other’?: A critical assessment of the cultural studies concept for media practice

Many cultural studies scholars analyze media texts to show evidence of problematic representations of the ‘Other’. I transfer these concepts to current global media practice, especially television journalism. As an exemplar, I use travel journalism as a site where representing the Other is the constitutive part of the work. Standard television production praxis is evaluated through insights from visual anthropology and cultural studies. Moreover, actual journalistic strategies are proposed that help create more open texts and encourage multiple representations. The cultural studies concept of ‘Representing the Other’ is helpful as a model for text and media critique. Yet it lacks the potential to overcome the epistemological dilemma journalists face when covering others. Only self-reflective and critical approaches towards traditionalritualistic reporting and production strategies can help to disentangle problematic media representations.