Taking animal news seriously: Cat tales in The New York Times

Abstract

‘Cute cat videos’ are often vilified for representing everything journalism is not and should not be. However, news about cats – cute and otherwise – has been fodder for The New York Times for more than 140 years. This article critically examines the Times’ cat tales in the context of the cultural history of journalism and the academic study of human–animal relations, also known as anthrozoology. Trends and themes in the coverage indicate that cats have been used and portrayed as commodities, heroes, villains, victims, women’s best friends, and urban symbols. The stories demonstrate how and why animal news should be taken seriously by journalism scholars. Not only does it offer insight into our evolving relationships with animals, it also provides a provocative means of thinking about where journalism has been and where it is heading.

Keywords

Animal news anthrozoology cultural history human interest news soft news

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