She was emotional, she was choking back tears, she was doing whatever the opposite of nevertheless persisting is. At least, that’s what the headlines inferred.
As media outlets across the globe reported and reacted to Thursday’s news that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern would vacate the role after five years in office, the words and imagery chosen to portray the news reflected the reception women in power still receive.
Somehow still surprised by how yuck the coverage made her feel, former media studies student and hysterical woman Tyson Beckett set out to flip the tables and rank the headlines based on how emotional they are.
Over run with emotions, hysterical
News.com.au
It wasn’t just a resignation, it was one of Emma D’arcy proportions. ALL CAPS. STUNNING.
Breitbart
A grim-faced Ardern appeared on far right US Syndicated news and commentary website Breitbart who dubbed Arden the “Lockdown Queen” who was “infamous on the world stage for her fervent support of draconian lockdown policies”.
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail deployed one of their characteristically long winded headlines with 35 choice words and four pictures that summarised her multifaceted role (mother, lectern supporter, chart holder, royal direction giver) enticing readers to click.
“Shock as Jacinda Ardern RESIGNS as New Zealand’s Prime Minister saying she ‘doesn’t have enough in the tank’ to fight another election this year, after seeing her popularity nosedive following country’s Covid response and lockdowns”
BBC
Just the first of what is sure to be a series of terrible takes, the BBC published and then deleted a think piece titled “Jacinda Ardern resigns: Can women really have it all?” One thing they can’t have, apparently: a resignation on their own terms, not becoming an opus about their gender and role in society.
Nine.com.au
You know who does have it all? Nine’s throw it all at the wall approach. Not one but two downcast Jacindas, a shock announcement, a mention that the PM was fighting back tears, reference to the fact she’s still unmarried but has however managed to nab a fiance and that they’re gonna put a ring on it. In their own words this is “emotional news”.
Yahoo! News
While picture desks across the globe entered “Sad” AND “Jacinda” into their image galleries, the team at Yahoo! stuck with their titular excitement. They picked a picture of a jubilant Jacinda from election night 2020, smiling and waving with both hands. She’d just won in a landslide, electoral tank and heart full. Emotions can be positive too, don’t you know.
Reigned in
New York Times
An otherwise straight headline took a turn towards the weirdly accusatorial thanks to the addition of “She Says” at the end. Inside they powerpoint a lack of emotional equipment behind the resignation.
Bloomberg
Despite being in a state of shock, Bloomberg kept the headline relatively straight, and ran what was one of the more kindly chosen images of Ardern. But the related articles that ran under the headline painted a less hinged view. “Jacinda Ardern’s 2023 Election Prospects Dim As New Zealand Recession Looms” and “New Zealand Business Confidence Slumps To Worst Since 1970s”. Can’t all be winners.
Wall Street Journal
The picture of the wobbly chin said everything the Wall Street Journal’s eight word headline tile couldn’t emote.
The New Zealand Herald
Closer to home, the Herald was so champing at the bit to deliver the news that they managed to publish their story a full hour before the news conference started (a clarifying note for any easily riled conspiracy theorists, this is most likely a timestamp from when their liveblog covering the standup went live, after they would have been told it was scheduled).
The two other stories given top billing focused on what the decision would mean for Jacinda’s daughter Neve both in the year to come and eight years down the track when she becomes a teenager.
Stuff
Even closer to home, it was a similar scene at Ensemble’s parent company Stuff where five separate stories were placed on the homepage.
CBC
According to Canadian federal broadcaster CBC, the reasons behind Ardern’s resignation were greater than electoral standings or the competing demands of parenthood and public office, instead pointing to her species. “Jacinda Ardern resigns, saying ‘I am human’” their coverage was headlined.
Totally devoid of emotion, probably dead inside
Sydney Morning Herald
The excess of emotions was not found in the PM but instead in us the Kiwi public so said the Sydney Morning Herald, left stunned. Probably too stunned to speak.
Sky News
There was no funny business allowed with the UK’s Sky News reporting. They ran it about as factually as possible with the straightforward headline Jacinda Ardern to resign as New Zealand’s PM. Not even their picture choice could be read into - they didn’t run one.
