The News Media, Education, and the Subversion of the Neoliberal Social Imaginary: An Introductory Essay

Abstract

In this introductory essay, the special issue editors examine the relationship between the media and the neoliberal privatization of education in the U.S. They first take up an examination of news media journalism in late modernity and highlight how neoliberal politics under the guise of democratization of the news media have resulted in both the gutting of professional education journalism and the intensification of the representation of the interests of the economic elite. They next turn to the task of establishing a common and critical understanding of the term neoliberalism, locating it as an extension of Marx’s concept of primary accumulation, an important logic that defines the relationships between individuals, communities, the state, and capital. Finally, they consider how people can disrupt the powerful processes that serve the interests of the neoliberal social imaginary. Highlighting the political actions of Raymond ‘Boots’ Riley to disrupt the destructive practices of neoliberalized education, they illustrate the possibilities of engaging with alternative media to reframe educational debates, while remaining critical of alternative media.