Mythmaking in Annual Reports

Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2001

Carol David Iowa State University

Abstract

Annual reports produced today increasingly include elaborate photographs and graphics in the narrative section. Financial analysts and many scholars have judged these reports on their clarity, accuracy, and honesty. Because the narrative invites interpretations, such criteria are not sufficient, and additional standards need to be constructed. A semiological analysis of the textual and visual elements allows for the discovery of the techniques used by document designers to promote their companies’ values. Artistic images may encourage positive readings of annual reports, which, combined with similar messages in other media and repeated over time, invoke cultural myths. By definition, myths are broadly accepted commonplaces that conceal details of their subject, and communicators must expose the missing details and judge the myths within a specific context. This kind of analysis, acknowledging the constraints of the rhetorical situation of a single report, can identify effective criteria for judging the narrative's ethics.

Journal: Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published: 2001-04-01
DOI: 10.1177/105065190101500203
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multimodality voice and style

Citation Context

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Cites in this index (2)

Longo (1998)

An approach for applying cultural study theory to technical writing research

Technical Communication Quarterly
Ornatowski (1992)

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