Media's Investments in Untruths

This book examines the gendered nature of business fraud by examining media representations of four entrepreneurs (Sam Bankman-Fried, Elizabeth Holmes, Bernie Madoff, and Anna Sorokin) who swindled money from wealthy investors and everyday people. From a feminist political economic perspective, the book asks how the intersections between gender, age, socioeconomic background, and the country of origin matter in media portrayals. By examining fictionalized television shows, films, and news reports about the four fraudsters, the book considers: what kinds of “truth” do media texts unveil through story narrative, character development, and mise-en-scene? How were financial crimes seen to disrupt an orderly and rational market? How were fraudsters redeemed or not in media texts? This book will interest media studies scholars who examine gender, finance, and economics.