Autoethnographic Journalism: Subjectivity and Emotionality in Audio Storytelling

There is a growing trend in journalism to focus on personal storytelling. Interviewees and journalists alike are sharing their real-life experiences, especially suited for the more intimate environments of online media. The audience’s appetite for everyday life stories is driving this mode of journalism, which Rosalind Coward (Journal Pract 4(2): 224–233, 2010) argues can be described as a “new cultural form, a media of personal revelation”. In this chapter, Lindgren examines the role of personal journalism, with a focus on audio storytelling as part of articulating identity. Using a case study, this chapter considers the many pitfalls of autobiographical storytelling, focusing on the need for carefully considered production practices as well as examining the benefits and challenges of journalists putting themselves in the frame.