Media Contexts - Research Paper
Emmalie Balnaves-Gale
Q. Most journalism graduates are women, but most newsrooms are run
primarily by men. What are the implications of this for the practice of
journalism?
For centuries men have dominated the practice of journalism, particularly within
executive roles in the newsrooms, and despite the increase of female journalists in the
field men still have primary control of the media. This influences the content of the
news as well as the amount of control woman hold in the industry. It also affects the
job opportunities available to female journalism graduates and the social stigma
concerning women in the workforce.
A global report on the status of women in the news media by the International
Women’s Media Foundation (2010) indicated that men occupied 73% of top
management jobs in the media and nearly two-thirds of reporters were also male.
Campaigning group, Women in Journalism (WiJ), also released a report, which stated
that 74% of British journalists are male (Slattery J 2011). In the report, a WiJ
committee member questioned whether the absence of women in hard news, politics
and business is affecting the content and slant of news (Davis R 2010, cited in
Slattery J 2011). The American Society of News Editors also found that women make
up just 36.9% of full-time journalists working in America (Linabary J 2011). In her
book titled ‘The Gendered Newsroom: how journalists experience the changing world
of media’, Australian former Journalist and author Louise North, discusses the 3338% of female journalists across the globe and the 0.1-9% of females in decision
making roles (North L cited in Jackson S 2009). The book explains that despite
Australian female students outnumbering males in communication degrees, women
remain in “lower-paid, low-status reporting roles”. North noted the themes in lack of
merit-based promotion for women, hard news allocations primarily granted to men,
sexual harassment in the work place, and the dominance of men in senior editorial
positions, during her interviews with both men and women Australian journalists
(North L cited in Jackson S 2009). These trends and statistics indicate the power
struggle for female journalists and the resistance they face when aiming to obtain a
senior position in the media.
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Media Contexts - Research Paper
Emmalie Balnaves-Gale
Regardless of the rapid increase of female journalist graduates and females in maledominated fields, women continue to struggle to obtain and withhold senior positions.
According to journalist, Susan E. Reed (2002), the majority of the public is ignorant
to the on-going struggle and wrongly believe the problem was solved during the
feminist wave in the 1960’s and 70’s. As many women were hired as a result of
lawsuits against news organisations for failing to enforce equality in their workplace,
many of them were not employed because they were respected or acknowledged for
their work but because their employees were required to. This may contribute to the
difficultly women face in gaining respect amongst their colleagues and superiors as
their struggle is now waged more discretely within institutions (Reed S 2002). In her
article, Reed explains the importance of reporting on struggles of female journalists to
remove the gender gap and the difficulties she faced in finding an editor who would
publish her work, as most senior editors are males. Without the support of the media
due to the refusal by male editors to publish work that provides awareness of the
gender gap, female journalists will continue to find difficulties in improving their
workplace conditions and opportunities (Reed S 2012).
The Director of ‘Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture’, Joe Saltzman (2003, p.
1), described the on-going dilemma female journalists face as learning how to
incorporate the masculine journalistic traits like aggressive, self-reliant, ambitious,
unsympathetic and cocky while maintaining the womanly image society expects of
them as compassionate, caring, loving, maternal and sympathetic. US ABC Sports TV
Journalist, Melissa Stark, stated that despite having a womanly ability for getting
players to open up in interviews, she learnt to adapt to working in a male-dominated
field by matching their mannerisms (Cosmopolitan Magazine 2001, p. 74). As an
honorary boys’ club member, Melissa learnt to hide emotions and shut out work
during off duty hours from her male colleagues. In order to obtain journalism jobs
traditionally dominated by males, females learn to adopt more “masculine and
reporting” language as opposed to “feminine and emotive” language (Luzzatto D &
Jacobson Y 2005, p. 3). This demonstrates the expectation of female journalists to
adapt to traditional male reporting techniques as opposed to shaping the industry with
a female influence. Female journalists have but three options: “use her feminine
wiles, act like one of the boys, or accept she will always be an outsider” (Jackson S
2009).
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Media Contexts - Research Paper
Emmalie Balnaves-Gale
The challenge for female journalists is global and far worse in many countries across
Asia and Africa. According to Mohammad Asef Mubaligh, Bamyan, Afghanistan’s
deputy Governor, women are almost invisible in journalism and Bamyan Journalist,
Zahra Nazari, claimed that many people do not respect female journalists (cited by
International Foundation for Electoral Systems 2012). For International Women’s
Day, China’s party newspaper, People’s Daily, published an online article titled
‘Beautiful female journalists at two sessions’. The “article” consisted of 17 photos of
attractive female journalists without description or additional text (People’s Daily
Online 2012). As an attempt to celebrate women in the media, the article indicated
China’s priority for attractive female journalists and sends the message that what they
have to say if far less significant than the way they look.
The dominance of males in senior editing roles across the media influences all areas
of news, although most prominently in the coverage of sport. Female sports
journalists are certainly a minority and the coverage of women’s sport is just as
scarce. Foxtel’s various Fox Sports channels and ESPN lead the coverage of sport
across the globe and the airtime devoted to women’s sport is outrageously low. Fox
Sports has four sports channels and across the four, female-only sport was not
covered at all during a 24-hour time period of Tuesday the 5th of June and the only
coverage of sportswomen was during the airtime for the French Open (Fox Sports 1, 2
& 3 2012). ESPN covered female sport once in the same 24-time slot when they aired
the Ladies Professional Golf Association at 1 am in the morning (ESPN 2012). Print
coverage of sport in Adelaide’s leading newspaper ‘The Advertiser’ consists of a
daily sport’s section as well as additional sport lift-outs throughout the week. On
Wednesday the 6th of June, women’s sport was covered on 2 out of the 10 sport pages,
with men’s sport dominating the other 8, as well as typically taking the cover page.
(The Advertiser 2012, pp. 78-88). Lift-outs during the week of Thursday the 31st to
Thursday the 7th of June included AFL and SANFL pre and post-game discussions.
The influence of male editors is prominent in these examples as the public is flooded
with the importance of men in society over women.
Female sports reporters struggle to get airtime just like sportswomen and have
received criticism in the past when they have been successful. When United States
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Media Contexts - Research Paper
Emmalie Balnaves-Gale
female sports journalist, Jennifer Gish, published an article criticizing the season
performances of NFL’s Buffalo Bills she received over 300 sexist and abusive emails
(Romenesko J 2011). The emails included comments insisting she “stay in the kitchen
next time” and “so how does it feel to be both a woman and so wrong about football?
I guess those two go hand in hand”. These sexist and right-winged comments prove
that the social stigma towards females in traditionally male dominated roles is still
relevant today and shows that women still face this discrimination. When Australia’s
first female football commentator, Kelli Underwood, began commentating she
received immense amounts of criticism and was labeled the “most annoying caller on
television” by the male-dominated audience (Penberthy D 2011). She commentated
for two years before being dispatched back to the boundary to provide occasional
comments.
There is also a tendency for female sports journalists to be recognized for their
appearance over their work as demonstrated in the first two articles found on Google
search engine results under ‘% of female sports journalists’ titled ‘The 20 sexiest
sports reporters of 2012’ and ‘The 10 sexiest female sports reporters of 2012’. These
articles received public responses including “Michelle Beadle! Hell yeah! Only
reason I watch sportsnation”, under a shot of the journalist in a bikini, and “Tune into
the sky sports feed on fox soccer at some point, ladies on there are top shelf”
(Bleacher Report 2012). This supports the acknowledgment of women for their
appearance over what they can offer intellectually. Christie Malthouse, daughter of
Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, and Samantha Lane, daughter of ABC journalist
Tim Lane, are two of the most renowned female sports journalists in Australia and
both became well known through the success of their fathers. Despite being
professional and successful journalists, when searching their names into Google’s
database, the first three results are titled ‘Sam Lane and Kristy Malthouse are HOT’,
‘Christie Malthouse: AFL Media Images, The Official Photographers’, which showed
images of Christie and Samantha in gowns at the Brownlow Medal Ceremony, and
‘Oops. Watch out for those wardrobe malfunctions, Christie’. This demonstrates the
priority of information provided about two of Australia’s leading female sports
journalists.
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Media Contexts - Research Paper
Emmalie Balnaves-Gale
Men have always held the superior roles in the media and have traditionally passed
their empires onto the following generation. As most fathers conventionally handed
their businesses over to their sons, women remained outside of the powerful
leadership roles. The Murdoch enterprise is an example of this and began with
Australian Journalist and owner of local and regional newspapers, Keith Murdoch.
Keith was the father of Rupert who inherited his father’s business and turned it into a
famous global news empire (Biography.com 2012, p. 1). With the creation of News
Corporation and Fox Broadcasting Company, Rupert became one of the most
powerful people across the news industry. His success was also shared with his sons
who joined the company and obtained extremely influential roles (Biography.com
2012, p. 3). The power of these men to dictate the news indicates the control men
have over the industry and highlights the lack of women in senior positions. As long
as tradition remains and major companies like Murdoch’s maintain their power within
the hands of males, female journalists will continue to struggle to reach superior
employment in the media.
As the majority of senior news positions are obtained by males and traditionally
controlled by men in powerful companies like Murdoch’s who dictate the media,
female journalists remain in the lower profile news positions. With the social stigma
towards women still relevant today, female journalists will continue to struggle to
climb the employment ladder. The lack of women in senior roles allows the flow of
news, particularly in sport, to take a greater focus on male influence in society.
Without greater awareness of the evident social stigma and the ability of females to
fight for power in the industry, men will continue to dictate a great amount of the
media from within the newsrooms.
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Media Contexts - Research Paper
Emmalie Balnaves-Gale
References
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Media Contexts - Research Paper
Emmalie Balnaves-Gale
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