Trust in the press may be low in the real world, but in Barbie Land the Fourth Estate is alive and well.
In the recently released “Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig and featuring a cavalcade of sequined Barbies of every kind, alongside Doctor Barbie and Physicist Barbie, we see an impressive, pink-clad Journalist Barbie. Played by Ritu Arya, Journalist Barbie canonically is one of the most lauded reporters of all time, winning both a Pulitzer and a Nobel Prize for Journalism (which does not exist in the real world, but is very real in Barbie Land).
In the movie, we see President Barbie stonewall Journalist Barbie with a “no comment,” but the dauntless reporter nevertheless prevails. We see her reporting on the scene, anchoring behind a desk, winning her Nobel, pretty in pink all the while. (No spoilers here, but one quick piece of Journalist Barbie reportage arguably veers into state-sponsored manufactured consent in a Noam Chomsky-meets-Mattel moment.)
Obviously, I’m playing up the intrepid reporter angle on a movie that’s not exactly “Spotlight,” but while watching “Barbie” I was struck by the choice. It matters to me that in the lineup of dream jobs in a cotton-candy version of the real world, journalism is given a prominent role.
News isn’t new to Barbie. A National Geographic photojournalist Barbie can be yours for $14.99. News anchor Barbie was part of the 60th anniversary “You Can Do Anything” 2019 career-themed Barbies release, holding a microphone that “helps this journalist report on global news and top stories from the scene!” Another news anchor Barbie was released earlier in 2010.
Even iconic investigative journalist Ida B. Wells has a Barbie, holding a miniature copy of the anti-lynching newspaper Memphis Free Speech.
News industry employees can get tunnel vision on what it means to work as a journalist. Seeing it through Barbie’s eyes is affirming: Girls can be brave, bold and unapologetic; demand answers of figures in power; and they can do it by being journalists (OK, yes, even if the question posed in “Barbie” is, “How is every day the best day ever?”).
It’s heartwarming that in the mosaic of aspirational careers for young girls, “journalist” is alongside doctor, president, mermaid and anything else a little girl would dream of growing up to be. Just don’t let them know about the pay in local markets, yet — that comes later.
This piece originally appeared in The Poynter Report, our daily newsletter for everyone who cares about the media. Subscribe to The Poynter Report here.