This paper studies the ritual and aesthetic performances of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s Coronavirus press conferences. It argues that the press conferences are mediatized sanctuaries—solidaristic respites from the chaos of pandemic and partisan politics. They achieve this via performing a regular ritual of affliction where basic cultural commitments are affirmed, institutional action is validated, and the where the trouble of Coronavirus can healed as a result.
Performing rituals of affliction: how a Governor’s Press conferences provided mediatized sanctuary in Ohio