Every reporter reckons with the fact that chasing a certain story can make them a walking target and eventually put them in danger. For women journalists, this sort of a natural work-related risk is accompanied by enormous challenges and pressures strictly related to their gender.
Tag: Women in Media
Media Invited Primarily White, Male Guests to Discuss Ginsburg’s Death and Supreme Court’s Future
From September 18, the day Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, through September 29, weekday cable news hosted overwhelmingly white and primarily male guests to discuss her legacy and President Donald Trump’s September 26 nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. 76% of the guests on weekday cable news were white and 62% were men.
Conventional Ignorance: Belva Davis Confronts Violent Racism at the 1964 RNC
At the very outset of what would become an award-winning career as a TV journalist, Belva Davis confronted violent racism at the 1964 Republican National Convention, at which conservative Arizona senator Barry Goldwater was nominated for the presidency. Her memory of that daunting experience reminds us that we’ve been through change followed by backlash before.
“Day one of the convention had been tense but orderly. … Day two was starting to spin out of control.”
Naya Rivera: How “Glee” Helped Femme Lesbians Feel Seen
Naya Rivera’s tragic passing earlier this year has prompted many to look back on her legacy on “Glee.” In the years since its departure from the airwaves, Rivera’s portrayal of Santana Lopez is still making an impact in the lives of lesbian and bi women. As one of the few lesbian TV characters to ultimately have a happy ending, her story was ground-breaking and impactful from start to finish.
Gram Robinson, Women’s Suffrage and the Women’s National Press Club
At 21, Alice Gram Robinson was arrested while protesting for women’s suffrage in front of the White House, held at the Occoquan Workhouse where she took part in a hunger strike—and two years later, helped found the Women’s National Press Club before launching a six-decade Washington journalism career.
Dungarees, Tube Socks and T-Shirts: The Tomboy “Heyday” of the 70s and 80s
An excerpt from “Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different” (August 2020), by Linda Selin Davis:
“When each tomboy heyday ended, childhood became gendered as never before.”
Feminist Lens: Zahra Rasool, Naima Ramos-Chapman and Immersive AR/VR Installation “Still Here”
Produced by Al Jazeera Contrast, and created by Zahra Rasool, Sarah Springer and VR 360 writer and director Naima Ramos-Chapman, “Still Here” meditates on the prison industrial complex, urban gentrification and the experience of formerly incarcerated women.
Joy Reid to Make History as Cable TV’s First Black Woman Primetime Anchor
Joy Reid’s upcoming MSNBC primetime show, ‘The ReidOut,’ will make her the first black female primetime TV anchor. MSNBC made the historic announcement of Reid’s promotion four months after the departure of longtime anchor Chris Matthews, who previously held the time slot Reid is set to fill. Matthews, who had hosted his show “Hardball” for 20 years on the network, resigned in March after guests of his show came forward, accusing the anchor of sexual harassment.
Filipino Journalist Maria Ressa Arrested in Overt Attempt to Crush Press Freedom
Award-winning journalist Maria Ressa was found guilty of “cyber libel” for investigating President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, who has continuously suppressed press freedom and has been responsible for countless human right violations. Journalism is under major fire in the Philippines, and Ressa has been persecuted for denouncing an administration that egregiously disregards basic human rights.
Ressa said: “I’m being set up as an example so that others will stop asking tough questions, and I think that puts responsibility on me to continue asking tough questions.”
Black Artists Challenge Hollywood: “Prove Black Lives Matter”
The entertainment industry needs to use its power and unique position to radically change the oppressive, systemic and white supremacist culture that persists in Hollywood.