Conjuring Abraham, Martin and John: Memory and news of the Obama presidential campaign

Abstract

In an era when most presidential candidates have come from well-established roots in mainstream society, Barack Obama broke the mold as an African-American growing up in a single-parent family, and at the time of the 2008 campaign, he was a relative newcomer to the American political machinery. As the subject of intense national scrutiny when his candidacy gained stock, Obama’s background posed a problem for journalists whose job it was to quickly observe the presidential campaign and present it within a framework that resonated with their audiences. This article’s argument suggests that when faced with atypical subjects that do not fit into an existing frame of reference journalists turn to a strategy to produce news that feels resonant and familiar. Through collective memory, references to the past help guide understandings about news of the present. By doing so, journalists can secure their ongoing roles as the storytellers of a culture.