I, We—and Them: Rhetorical Maneuvering Between National and Professional Positions in Journalism

This article focuses on Danish journalists’ use of “I” as it casually or
consciously shifts to “we” in coverage of abortion rights in the Faroe
Islands. This politically controversial issue is a rich site for exploring
journalism which creates deliberative fora across geographical
divides while touching upon precarious issues of representation,
source agency, and the journalist’s role as a facilitator. By
rhetorically maneuvering the professional journalistic subject
position and the Danish subject position, Danish reporters shift
between facilitating a transnational dialogue and constituting the
Kingdom of Denmark split between a Danish “we” and a Faroese
“them.” In parallel, the same maneuvering is conducted through
uses of the second person singular “you,” which constructs a
difference to “us” by maneuvering the subject position of the
sources. By examining how journalistic mediation can rhetorically
maneuver others, this article critically adresses journalism’s norms
of objectivity and offers an analytical approach to address shifts
between national and professional positions in journalism.