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This qualitative study explored how working mothers communicatively constructed resilience during COVID-19. We focused on working mothers because the pandemic upended arrangements they had made previously to juggle work and family lives. Drawing on the Communication Theory of Resilience (CTR), the study analyzed data collected from 24 U.S. working mothers who were interviewed via Zoom between July and September 2020. We found five themes characterizing the triggers working mothers faced in the pandemic: financial disruptions, on-the-job issues, space-related concerns, temporal concerns, and role-related issues. Consistent with CTR, mothers responded to these disruptions by crafting resilience with the six processes suggested by previous research. Further, we found a seventh process, "communicating emotional well-being," that mothers crafted to recalibrate emotional upsets due to the pandemic. The findings also suggested that working mothers saw their own resilience as inextricably tied to the resilience of their children and partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The press of World Wars I and II depicted patriotic mothers as Spartan-like in their support of the nation's war effort. During the Vietnam War, another maternal image emerged to share cultural space with the Spartan mother, that of the goddess Thetis who objected to her son's participation in the Trojan War. This alternative maternal symbol more closely resembles the archetypal image of the peacetime good mother, who cares for her children and resists sending them into harm's way. This study documents coverage of maternal opposition to the Vietnam War against the backdrop of coverage of US mothers of soldiers in the earlier world wars. The comparison suggests that the Great Father's failure to control the press and promote the war to US citizens provided an opportunity for Thetis' rising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wartime journalists can be torn between loyalty to the ideal of truth and loyalty to their nation. During World War II, American journalists working in the Office of Censorship reached beyond the domestic self-censorship code to stop the publication of news of Allied atrocities. The press had agreed to suppress stories related to military security, but not to cover up military misconduct. The resulting conflict proved difficult for journalists and journalists working for the government to resolve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American press played a key role in the Wilson administration’s effort to craft an image of the Patriotic Mother of the Great War. The Patriotic Mother of a soldier was encouraged to assume the mantle of the Spartan Mother. This monograph contrasts the Spartan Mother archetype used by the government and the press to another wartime maternal archetype, that of Thetis, the mother of Achilles, who objected to her son’s participation in the Trojan War. U.S. mothers of soldiers were socially and politically positioned to assume the role outlined by the Wilson administration and advocated by the news media. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines national television news images of mothers of US combat soldiers during the first seven years of the Iraq War. News stories presented mothers as archetypal good mothers engaged in maternal work long after their children’s deployment. Some mothers were depicted as vocal vis-à-vis their position on the Iraq War, a contrast to the historical depiction of the archetypal patriotic mother who is stoic and silent. The resulting image is more complex, suggesting the boundaries of the archetype may be changing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The archetypal good mother and the archetypal patriotic mother are important symbols in American culture. Both are rooted in maternal work but are separated by two conflicting assumptions. The good mother nurtures her children and protects them from harm, while the patriotic wartime mother remains silent when the government sends her child directly into harm's way. This study explores how the World War II press positioned mothers of soldiers to sacrifice their children in support of the nation's war effort. The findings point to the importance of understanding the role of archetypes in news narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National news media represent mothers of US combat soldiers in the Iraq War as archetypal good mothers, that is, mothers who continue their maternal work even after their children are deployed. However, not all mothers are depicted as the archetypal patriotic mother, i.e., a good mother who is also stoic and silent about the war and her child's role in it. Mothers of soldiers are portrayed as good mothers who sometimes also voice their attitudes about the war effort. The maternal attitudes ranged from complete support for the war to opposition to the war but support for the soldiers. The findings suggest a picture of wartime motherhood that is more nuanced than the historical image of the patriotic mother suggests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the expression of localism among television news stations in Pennsylvania. Coverage in the video marketplace; Emphasis on sensationalism/human interest stories at the expense of local public affairs issues; Suggestion that market forces are mitigating against a realization of the localism doctrine in a new video marketplace.

Reveals the results of a study of Pennsylvania television stations that determined how much news organizations devoted to sensational and public affairs news events. Chart on topics of stories in the early and late evening local news; Increase in amount of sensationalism coverage; Influence of broadcast deregulation on the content of local newscasts.

Reports on the comparison of men and women on professionalism in photojournalism in the U.S. Difference between the professional orientations of male and female; Likelihood of women to rate lower in the professional items than men; Distinction between men and women in terms of supporting professional activities.