Indie-rock redemptions: decoding themes of penance, punishment and self-pity in #MeToo-era comeback journalism

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.