Indie-rock redemptions

Decoding themes of penance, punishment and self-pity in #MeToo-era comeback journalism

Bibliographic Data

ID12346830
AuthorsJenessa N Williams (0000-0002-8418-6572, Stanford University, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume36
Issue2
Pages232-248
Publication date2026-02-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Semiotics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1035-0330 • E-ISSN: 1470-1219
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10350330.2026.2637009
OpenAlexW7133627271
LanguageEN
References cited19

In the context of cancel culture, #MeToo and celebrity scandal, public apology statements heavily influence audience perceptions of guilt and justice. This paper investigates the role of music journalism in shaping fan opinion by examining three published interviews with indie-rock artists who were publicly accused of sexual misconduct in a #MeToo climate: Evan Stephens Hall of Pinegrove (Pitchfork), Ben Hopkins of PWR BTTM (Billboard) and Ryan Adams (Los Angeles Magazine). Exploring themes of penance, punishment, self-pity, I present a content analysis of the articles themselves, and a sentiment analysis of their reception from fans who read them. I consider the responsibilities that feature writers have to report objectively and in line with public interest, but also note how personal interest, access and/or interpretative privilege of writers can problematise the evenness with which redemption opportunities are applied. Whilst acknowledging the commercial pressures that online-era writers may be under, I subsequently argue that White accused perpetrators are often granted deeper humanity in the press than their Black counterparts, re-appropriating victimhood in ways that illustrate the irony of lamenting one's ‘cancellation’ on a sizeable public platform.

Conversation analysis · Decoding methods · Discourse analysis · Journalism · Punishment (psychology · Crime, Deviance, and Social Control · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Music History and Culture

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