The News is a vital institution
within our society. Journalists and media outlets serve as the medium between
elite discourse and the public. But it is essential that we acknowledge the
misrepresentation presented by these media conglomerates. Women are highly
disenfranchised by the media proven by the lack of women who actually
participate in producing and delivering the news. Women make up 51% of the general population
but only 38% of women hold positions in newsrooms. The most public transition
of a female journalist was met in 2006 when Katie Couric took over as lead
anchor on CBS’s nightly news, coming in as the first female to compete with the
suits and ties which had always dominated the nightly news. Unfortunately,
compared to her contemporaries Ms. Couric bided farewells just five years
later; a very short tenure for a serious nightly news anchor. To understand why
Ms. Couric was so unsuccessful in such a prestigious position, we must first
understand how women are used by the media and the challenges they often
endure.
In a content analysis of essays
by female journalists it was found that women in both print and broadcast media
perceived themselves as marginalized in their newsrooms, and that they
attributed this marginalization to less access to news due to traditional
gender-related roles in their jobs. A survey of female news correspondents at
national networks found that women were less satisfied than men about their
work environment, and also less satisfied with their jobs overall (Price and Wulff,
2005).Williams (1997) found that gender altered the nature of decision making
for female journalists. The reason for this difference is that women are a
clear minority in the news organization, and may not seek advice from peers
because of the pressure to compete against males. He suggests that, “female
journalists in television may feel pressure from males to prove their toughness
and intelligence to be accepted as more than window dressing (52, Williams).
Because of the imposition on women to conform to gender-norms, aspiring female
journalist either change course entirely or subject themselves to the
stereotypes of institutions like sports networks.
ESPN, Fox Sports and Sports
Illustrated are three of the most popular sports news providers in the world.
No matter how often SportsCenter loops the same stories, or how false their
“expert” opinions are, ESPN is currently being shown in every sports bar across
the nation. In all the years of ESPN’s existence, two things have remained
constant; you can always find the score of “the game” and there will always be
a drop dead gorgeous anchor giving you that score. Female anchors are sexualized to
the point, that websites such as BleacherReport.com (a Time Warner Company)
have published articles titled “Erin Andrews and Other Sports Hotties That Need
a Bikini Shoot” and “The 30 Hottest Women in ESPN History.” As John Berger
said, “Men Act-Women Appear.”
The question then becomes, who is
calling the shots? Certainly among the executives who are responsible for producing
such sexist and inferior representations of women there are probably some
female heads, but in 2012 women comprised only 16.6 % of board seats. This percentage
is unacceptable and the discourse has to be changed. The Katie, Couric’s, Diane
Sawyers, Jill Abramson's and Sheryl Sandberg’s are the very women who set the
stage for future female media pioneers.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/667027-erin-andrews-and-other-sports-hotties-who-need-a-bikini-shoot/page/43
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ4UBfTkjhg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ4UBfTkjhg
No comments:
Post a Comment