Cultural reporting in the new culture wars

Since Patti Smith is on tour again, this is a good time to be reminded of the 1980s and ’90s culture wars. Elected representatives took it upon themselves to slash budgets and politicize the work of then-contemporary artists whose practices were deemed un-Christian or amoral. Though it’s long past, younger generations are today getting a taste of a similar public outcry. We’ve come to a place where audiences are seeing politics transforming culture: federal budget cuts forcing arts institutions to do more with less, the politicization of architectural and artistic styles, big-budget Marvel films getting trash-talked by conservative pundits, exhibitions canceled or moved due to political pressures.

Editors are already tuning into these issues, understanding that we’re rapidly marching into a new culture war across an expanded array of media, including film, streaming TV, podcasting culture, and online content creation. Audiences are similarly coming to terms with this new reality, grappling with how their dollars don’t just support an industry but could be fueling an ideology. In the coming year, culture reporting will be more attuned to the ways that fine art, architecture, television, film, and much more have become the receptacles for leaking (or overt) moralization, taking the form of content, budgets, intellectual property issues, and commentary.

That being said, these stories require rigorous cross-disciplinary reporting, on issues ranging from budgetary appropriations to contextual art historical research. Culture journals and periodicals have a chance now to invest in expansive coverage, not just in column inches but in resources. In order to fully grasp the shape that this novel cultural moment is taking, reporters will require the financial and human resources available to staff writers, including embracing collaboration with political and legal reporters. Culture journalism won’t be relegated to arts-specific publications or sections — as a big business of the broader art market (film studios, content creators, and AI are all part of this ecosystem), we have the chance to give this beat the resources demanded by its broad-reaching impact.