Journalism, judgment and culture: An inspection to Roberto Arlt ́s chronicles through Hannah Arendt ́s concepts

Abstract

The article reflects on the “cultural” responsibility of journalism in mass society. Questions such as the nature of the cultural task and its antagonism to the dynamics of “entertainment” are first touched upon. The possibilities of the chronicle, the narrative and the judgment in the accomplishment of a genuinely cultural journalism are analyzed later. Finally, the journalistic work of Roberto Arlt is reviewed as a fundamental example of the exercise of judgment and narrative in favor of a culturally oriented journalistic chronicle.