Journal of Communication Inquiry

In this article the author reads the German philosopher Karl-Otto Apel as a communication theorist. After a brief biographical introduction, the author examines five fields of significance pertinent to Apel’s thought and to the study of communication: First is Apel’s work on the so-called understanding and explanation controversy, or Erklaeren-verstehen (E-V) in German; second is Apel’s theory of discourse ethics; third, there are a series of essays through which the readers also get a fuller account of Apel’s use of Charles Sanders Peirce’s pragmatic approach to philosophy; and fourth, there are several articles’ that reflect Apel’s contributions to global politics based on his transcendental pragmatic framework. Finally, there is a lengthy discussion of a few other areas of significance that reveals Apel’s conceptual relationship to theories of communication. The first of these areas or fields consists of the way in which Apel takes up hermeneutics. The second is his definition and use of the “self-recuperative principle” while the third consists of his ongoing conversations with social philosophers Jürgen Habermas and Enrique Dussel.

Changes in the technologies of news production do not simply modify journalistic practices; they also introduce what might be considered technologically specific forms of work. These work forms are rooted in the affordances of novel technical capacities while also making claims about the journalistic nature of such work. How do journalists discuss the emergence of these technologically specific forms? When are new work forms seen as contributing to the practices of journalism and when are they seen as threatening it? Drawing on archival research of industry discussions, this article argues that such work is discussed in three distinct ways: (1) as exemplars of continuity; (2) as threats to be subordinated; and (3) as possibilities for journalistic reinvention. Each mode, it is argued, points to different understandings of the relationship between journalistic work and technology and carries different implications about the changing nature of journalistic work in the digital age.

Postracialism pervades public discourse and positions race and racism as ancient history with little bearing on contemporary culture. This orientation impedes discourse on race in education, politics, media, and the workplace. As a consequence, postracialism thwarts the articulation of a successful politics of race and prevents movement toward racial justice. This essay identifies racial humor as an important site that might disrupt the impasse created by postracialism. Discussions of race have become labored in public discourse but humor has the capacity to counter the consequences of postracial ideologies. This essay considers the work of Stephen Colbert and his implicit critique of postracialism and Whiteness from the position of a White, male who ostensibly advocates postracialism. Although humor is always subject to varied interpretation, his political satire can be used to affirm progressive race-consciousness, reflect on the influence of racial constructions throughout history, expose White privilege, and refute reactionary White victim narratives.

This article explores the relationship between advertisings’ directive to consume and the binary-based “legitimizing myths” surrounding feminine identity found in magazine advertisements by first presenting a theory of gender identity dissonance, and then examining the complexity of marketing gender identity dissonance to women. Key to establishing and developing the relationship between consumption, identity, and pleasure is the dissemination of gender-based dichotomies that work to both create and reinforce stereotypical notions of appropriate female gender identities as well as link self-actualization with the embodiment of contradictory identity positions. To illustrate this point, this article provides an in-depth analysis of the De Beer’s right-hand ring print advertising campaign featured in women’s magazines from 1998 to 2006. Advertisements and information gathered from industry sources indicate that there is a conscious focus within the industry, especially within recent years, towards the representation and utilization of feminine complexity and female gender identity dissonance in product marketing.