Multi-Media Tune-Out: Ignoring Female Expertise

[realFedUp]

Multi-Media Tune-Out: Ignoring Female Expertise

By Sheila Gibbons - WeNews commentator
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2307

(WOMENSENEWS)--Women continue to be underrepresented as news sources.

No news there.

But a study released Monday tells us what we couldn't really be sure of before this: That when it comes to including women, there are no good guys. Whether in newspapers, on Web or TV, women as people with authoritative views on the world are neither seen nor heard.

The failure to include women's perspectives holds across all news media, according to "The Gender Gap: Women Are Still Missing as Sources for Journalists," released May 23 by the Project for Excellence in Journalism.

There are some circumstances under which women stand a better chance of being treated as though they have brains to be picked.

Women are most likely to be included as sources if the story being reported is a "lifestyle" piece, as opposed to hard news, business or sports, or if the reporter is female.
(continued)

more info also at:

Project for Excellence in Journalism-- - The Gender Gap: Women Are Still Missing As Sources for Journalists - May 23, 2005: - http://www.journalism.org/resources/research/reports/gender/default.asp

Global Media Monitoring Project 2005: - http://www.globalmediamonitoring.org

The White House Project-- - Research Overview: - http://www.thewhitehouseproject.org/research/index.html

[pop goes the weasel]

1. It's so true

Part of the reason I don't watch many news programs on TV is that they consist of bloviating men yammering on and on. And they think they are experts on anything, that their points of view are truly representative. I'll never forget seeing some round table of gray-haired white men yammering on and on about sexual responsibility among young minority women. The fools never stopped once to say "Wouldn't it be a good idea to ask women and minorities about this?"

The news media might as well be a college of cardinals for all that they give a damn about diversity. But it is a problem that stretches throughout the media. Sit in front of your TV and count the number of men and women, boys and girls, with speaking parts in shows and commercials. Note what their role is. Look at film listings, and see how many major films feature women as the main characters. Now, of the ones that do, how many of them are not in the "chick-flick" genre?

The media reflects society, though. Many children's TV shows have female leads, but not many parents encourage their sons to want to be like Dora the Explorer, even though they don't mind their daughters' interest in Bob the Builder. The message comes through loud and clear that males are acceptable role models and sources for boys and girls, but only girls should ever have any respect for female sources.