Anyone interested in how the media portrays women should read
“Do Women Count?” by E.J.
Graff, senior researcher for the Gender & Justice Project of the
Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism. She cites studies and examines issues. She looks at who writes the news and whom they interview. Some conclusions:
… in the news media, women are mainly shown as having families and feelings and sexualities and bodies and problems. Men are shown to have authority and expertise and power and knowledge and money. Next time you watch a report about an earthquake or a famine, think about which sex is speaking about the geology or weather patterns … and which sex is crying over the dead body, or is the dead body.
... The media help create our image of the world, our internal picture of what’s normal and true. And when the news is being written by men about men, a significant part of reality is missing from view.
If the media ignores an issue or doesn't get it right, that can affect public policy.