This clip comes from a CNN television show called Showbiz Today which aired in the 1980s and 1990s. It reports on a 1989 conference of the Writer’s Guild of America that focused on ageism in the entertainment industry, especially as it pertained to not hiring writers and producers over the age of 40. It shows writers and producers who are considered “too old” to write material that would appeal to the 18-30 consumer demographic.
discussion
What are examples of ageism discussed in the report?
What are the implications of excluding older writers and producers from television and movie production processes? How does this compare with the exclusion of older actors and actresses?
All of the writers and producers they speak to are white, how do you think age and race discrimination may intersect?
More than thirty years after this news report was produced, do you think things have changed? Do more movies and television shows target older audiences, as the end of the report suggested it might?
