by Cecilia Bahnson Discrimination based on gender is nothing new. We have hundreds of historical movements and events to back up the fact that women have faced, and continue to face, many obstacles on the road to success. This is true in both career and societal settings, because, simply put, the world tells women that they should behave a certain way, look a certain way, and strive for certain things. This internalized misogyny influences many different aspects of our government and society, but the issue is strikingly evident in the journalism and news industry. Women make up a little over one third of the media industry (print, broadcast, internet, etc.), despite the fact that over two thirds of journalism graduates are women. In 2017, men received 63% of bylines in print, internet, and TV reporting. This imbalance could be attributed to the online media’s tendency to amplify male voices more often than female voices, or it could be a result of the huge lack of female leadership in the news: two thirds of newspaper supervisor positions in the US are held by men. Either way, this gender bias stems from deeply rooted sexism, and the issue has not been given enough public attention or awareness to spark any significant change. Why should we make changes to address gender discrimination in this field, anyway? What’s the problem and why does it matter? Mary Shedden (WUSF Public Media Director) and Alexis Jones (multimedia journalist and Women’s Health assistant editor) have shared a little bit about their experiences as women working in media. In an interview at the Fall National High School Journalism Convention, they talked about lagging female leadership, the strain that work puts on their work/life balance, the constant search for perfection, the struggle to prove themselves to their male coworkers and leaders, and the differences in the ways that men and women approach stories and sources. Both women found that even after working for an outlet for several months or even years, they still faced skepticism from their colleagues about their ability to get the job done. This feeling of constant doubt is one that haunts many women and leads them to question their capabilities, competence, and self worth. Shedden and Jones have both been frustrated by male coworkers and leaders who react with surprise when they realize the accomplishments and successes of the two women. Female journalists have found that they end up spending much more time and effort on articles and research than their male counterparts do in order to be taken seriously. Both Shedden and Jones have felt that perfectionism is needed in order to “prove their worth”. The need for perfection isn’t just in their own heads, though. Studies have shown that male editors and publishers are far more likely to hire men as journalists, ask for men as sources, and publish articles written by men. In addition, nearly 67% of the headshots in newspapers are of men. There’s even a difference in the way that the photos are taken: male faces are usually shot dramatically close up and large, and most group shots featured in newspapers are male dominated—despite the fact that nearly 51% of the population is female. Another example of how much the news industry favors men is in the percentage of news stories told and published about women. In 1995, only 17% of news stories worldwide were about women. Today, that number is still disappointingly low with around 24% of news stories told about women in 2020. This happens because, in general, editors and publishers are more likely to ask reporters to seek out male sources. There is no real reason or logic to excuse this modern gender bias, other than the deeply ingrained idea that men are stronger and more reliable than women. Women in the news are constantly fighting the battle for gender equality and equity and they often go out of their way to connect with other women, both colleagues and sources. What many of these reporters have found is that men and women tend to tell stories and ask for stories differently. The lack of female presence in published news leads to a lack of depth and variety that publishers don’t even know they are missing. It also reinforces some of the internally sexist ideas that influence the world outside the news industry. When young people watch the news, scroll through articles online, or listen to the radio, 76% of the stories they hear are about men. This causes generations of people to grow up with men dominating in the spotlight and with not enough attention directed towards the women who are working harder and more efficiently for less money and less recognition. It leads young people to believe that women are less deserving of attention than men, and they will grow up holding onto this misogynistic idea. Gender discrimination in this field also affects our country on a larger scale. Smothering the voices of strong, intelligent, and empathetic women undermines our democracy at its very core. The credibility of American journalism is tarnished by gender inequity, and that inequity contributes to the decreasing value and trust in the First Amendment. The First Amendment declares the freedom of press, and with that freedom comes the responsibility to discover and present true, unbiased information for the benefit of the public and the people of America. When media outlets fail to represent and give voice to all communities and people in an equitable way, they are failing our democracy. As the gender gap increases, democracy and our idea of self-governance weakens. When the news industry fails to express and represent true diversity, the trust put into the industry by the people is reduced and our modern democracy begins to crumble. Gender inequity in journalism is relevant even in our own communities of Corvallis and Albany. Of the twelve people listed on The Gazette Times’ newsroom staff, only three of them are women: Jane Stoltz, Nia Tariq, and Caitlyn M. May. What’s more, all three of these women write for several other papers including but not limited to The Oregonian and The Albany Democrat-Herald, along with their work for The Gazette Times. The Gazette Times and The Albany Democrat-Herald actually share a lot of staff, and, like the Gazette Times, Albany’s newsroom staff is made up of nine men and three women-- the same three women who represent the Gazette Times in Corvallis, in fact. The persistency of all of these issues only helps to strengthen misogynistic ideology in journalism. By refusing to address any problem we face, we encourage the idea that the problem is not serious enough to deserve our attention. But gender bias absolutely deserves our attention, especially when it affects everything from our local news outlets to the structure of our democracy. Luckily, some media outlets have begun to recognize gender imbalances and some have started to take action. A few large-scale projects have been launched, including The Financial Times’ newly developed bot, which detects gender imbalances in sources, as well as in readership. Several radio and television media outlets have begun initiatives to amplify female voices by increasing their number of female guests and leading experts. There have also been discussions written by columnists in The New York Times, which address gender bias in journalism and reveal some of the striking statistics related to the issue. Samara Klar, a political scientist and writer, even created a website known as “Women Also Know Stuff”, which allows nearly 2,000 female writers, scientists, and researchers to connect with each other and exchange insight on a wide variety of topics. But even with the use of these initiatives and projects, there is still a long way to go. News outlets must address this gender issue, not to mention the issues around racial bias, homophobia, and transphobia. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to find a “perfect” way to address internal bias. But as our society changes and finally begins to recognize the people who have so long been deprived of the acceptance and validation they deserve, journalism must change with it. In fact, journalism should be a leading factor in this change. No matter how old you are, or how involved you are with the news, each and every person on this earth can contribute to the fight for gender equity in journalism. By holding each other accountable for the way we collect and distribute information, we can make change happen. Speaking out and recognizing gender bias within your community, whether that bias is intentional or not, is incredibly important. Amplifying quiet voices and uplifting marginalized ones are things you can do in your everyday life. Listen when you are talking with a group; notice who is being talked over and whose voice is being smothered by a louder one. Every voice deserves to be heard. Sources: https://www.fastcompany.com/90401548/theres-a-gender-crisis-in-media-and-its-threatening-our-democracy https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2017/women-dominate-journalism-schools-but-newsrooms-are-still-a-different-story/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/625775/gender-news-reporitng-us/ https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/women-and-leadership-news-media-2020-evidence-ten-markets https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/03/25/male-journalists-dominate-the-news https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/30/asne-two-thirds-of-u-s-newspapers-employ-women-in-top-editing-jobs/ https://www.reliableplant.com/Read/9307/study-women-say-y-need-to-work-harder-than-men http://orlando.journalismconvention.org/ If you want to write for the Crescent Crier, we would love to see you at one of our virtual meetings, which are every Wednesday at 1:30pm! To come to a meeting, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/TrQ5PqFcDqeE2yiB9, and we’ll send you a link ASAP. 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