Parent-washing
There is a certain nuance in the world of media that often leaves me bemused – the curious fascination with one’s parental status. These familial appendages that are tacked onto headlines, irrespective of their relevance, seem to be an inexplicable obsession with many news outlets. “Grandmother Discovers Ancient Roman Coin in Backyard” or “Father of Two Convicted of Drink Driving” – headlines that teeter on the verge of parent-washing, making the parental status a headline-worthy trait, despite its insignificance to the main storyline.
Being child-free, I find this rampant parent-washing perplexing, if not somewhat irksome. I wonder at the necessity of framing a story through the lens of parenthood when it contributes little to the essence of the news. After all, does the value of the Roman coin discovered increase because a grandmother found it? Is the conviction of the drink driver somehow more potent because he’s a father?
Surely the details of their personal life, the number of offspring or grandchildren they boast, might serve as interesting background information. However, the centrality of these details in the headlines is what baffles me. The story, after all, is about the coin or the crime, not the number of children or grandchildren the individuals happen to have.
It’s almost as though the media is pushing an implicit narrative, an unspoken hierarchy that places parents and grandparents on a pedestal. As if parenthood somehow adds a layer of credibility, sympathy, or intrigue to the person, painting them in a different hue that is presumably more appealing to the reader.
As I contemplate this, I can’t help but reflect on the broader implications of this parent-centric media lens. Is it a subtle reinforcement of societal expectations, the normative family ideals? Or merely a reflection of the audience’s interest, a marketing strategy, of sorts, that leverages the universal experiences of parenthood and grandparenthood?
Whatever the reasoning behind it, I’m left with a lingering sense of unnecessary bias. News, in my opinion, should focus on the core of the story, leaving personal details as just that – personal and peripheral. After all, each individual is an assortment of experiences and roles, not just defined by their status as a parent or grandparent. Perhaps it’s time the headlines reflected that too.
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