Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 4.04 Mass Media
Presentation #1 Title
Media Representation During the War on Poverty: Resisting the Status Quo
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
NB: Please place this on the same panel with Hugo Freund's presentation on photographer Warren Brunner. Preface: Photojournalist Warren Brunner documented eastern Kentucky throughout the War on Poverty. Unlike mainstream journalists, he based his work on careful field research; consequently, he successfuly created images depicting human need together with human dignity. Abstract: Throughout the War on Poverty, photographers from the US and beyond documented economic hardship throughout Appalachia. The resulting images usually represented the region and its people harshly—giving the nation and the world a skewed view of rural America. Berea, Kentucky photojournalist and documentarian Warren Brunner saw Appalachia through a different and more sensitive lens. Working for non-profit and government agencies, Brunner shot thousands of rural Kentucky images. He sought and successfully cultivated the rare ability to depict both human need and personal dignity. Brunner’s work appears in numerous publications and has been exhibited at the Smithsonian. During interviews, Brunner states that he was continually frustrated by the mass media throughout the War on Poverty. When journalists or television networks contacted him for photographs, they consistently requested images of the most downtrodden people living in the worst conditions. These images attracted audiences to newspapers and television news specials. They continue to draw audiences to old and new media today, but Warren Brunner followed a different visual philosophy. With the discerning eye of an ethnographer, he documented people rather than the poor. In his work, eastern Kentuckians are depicted working in small industries and training programs; in schools as students and teachers; and as volunteers in their own communities. Brunner’s Appalachia shows us self-respect, intelligence, emotion, and connection with others.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Susan L. F. Isaacs is an ethnographer whose research, writing, and teaching crosses boundaries between English, social science, and creative writing. She is a tenured professor at Union College and lives in southeastern Kentucky.
Media Representation During the War on Poverty: Resisting the Status Quo
NB: Please place this on the same panel with Hugo Freund's presentation on photographer Warren Brunner. Preface: Photojournalist Warren Brunner documented eastern Kentucky throughout the War on Poverty. Unlike mainstream journalists, he based his work on careful field research; consequently, he successfuly created images depicting human need together with human dignity. Abstract: Throughout the War on Poverty, photographers from the US and beyond documented economic hardship throughout Appalachia. The resulting images usually represented the region and its people harshly—giving the nation and the world a skewed view of rural America. Berea, Kentucky photojournalist and documentarian Warren Brunner saw Appalachia through a different and more sensitive lens. Working for non-profit and government agencies, Brunner shot thousands of rural Kentucky images. He sought and successfully cultivated the rare ability to depict both human need and personal dignity. Brunner’s work appears in numerous publications and has been exhibited at the Smithsonian. During interviews, Brunner states that he was continually frustrated by the mass media throughout the War on Poverty. When journalists or television networks contacted him for photographs, they consistently requested images of the most downtrodden people living in the worst conditions. These images attracted audiences to newspapers and television news specials. They continue to draw audiences to old and new media today, but Warren Brunner followed a different visual philosophy. With the discerning eye of an ethnographer, he documented people rather than the poor. In his work, eastern Kentuckians are depicted working in small industries and training programs; in schools as students and teachers; and as volunteers in their own communities. Brunner’s Appalachia shows us self-respect, intelligence, emotion, and connection with others.
