2019 Volume 94 Pages 169-186
This paper clarifies the relationship between solidarity activities by journalist
networks in Japan and the possibility of supporting socially vulnerable people.
The Japanese mainstream media, which is vast and bureaucratized, only
examines superficial aspects of the lives of socially vulnerable people, such as
poverty and violence. In recent years, however, the existence of a journalist
network which goes beyond the framework of companies and individuals has
been confirmed by the complexity of social structure and the increasing sophistication
of information. The organizational form of network is diverse and
includes NPOs, NGOs, and voluntary organizations, which work to solve the
same social problems.
This article focuses on the relationship between the activity of the Baratoge
study group, an association of female journalists consisting of more than
600 female journalists from Japanese TV stations and newspaper companies,
and the relationship between this association and legislation.
So far, the dominant discourse has been about “terrible mothers who abandon
their babies after giving birth” based on “motherhood” thinking. However,
the network declared a new agenda of helping “suffering pregnant women and
children who should be helped together.” Furthermore, they delivered a message
to policy makers through repeated coverage. In this study, I used discourse
and agenda setting analysis to track the process. This showed the possibility that women’s solidarity together with empathy could mobilize politics and
society, thereby supporting vulnerable people.
