The following survey of English and French language newspaper was undertaken by the ISIS collective is an attempt to obtain a more precise picture of how women are presented to the news, that is what role women are perceived to play in the world define by men. We say no claim to use of scientific method as the basis for our survey, and while the number of samples used could have been uniform, the similarities of our four findings were so striking that a more "scientific" approach seems to retrospect to have been unnecessary.
The stereotypes projected in the pages of the International Herald Tribune, the London Times, Newsweek, Le Monde, the Daily Mirror and La Tribune de Geneve, were very much the same. Women were most often portrayed as victims. There physical appearance was stressed. Their role as wives and mothers almost always took precedence over their occupations or professions. They were frequently regarded, either explicitly or implicitly, as estranged from the "normal" course of human events, which may help explain the persistent use of a "women's page" in some publications reviewed. When articles that might be some of concerns to women cannot be safely confined to a special page, the general exclusion of women from social consciousnesses was accomplished by the use of "neuter" language we are it would appear, something of a different, species, either sub-human, or more rarely, goddess-like. Few female journalist by-lines graced the pages of any of these publications, and when they did the articles were more likely to be about concerning women rather that concentrating on "straight" news reporting. And contrary to the assumptions of some feminist circle women journalists seemed no more concerned unprejudicial treatment of women than male journalists were.
Most of these findings surprised us very little, but the question they pose require responses of varying complexity. Clearly sexual stereotyping is pernicious and most of us are aware of how it is used to destroy our self-confidence and self-respect, in effect to dehumanize us and to limit the range of activities in which we might participate.
Clearly to all journalist should be made aware of offensive practices and there implications, whether obvious or abstract. Unconscious attitudes must be expose and corrected. Journalistic unfairness to women might be dramatically altered if journalists and editors could rid themselves of preconceived notions about what is is of interest to women and what women's contribute to society is.
But the subtlest problem whose resolution is essential for successfully defining our own world, is the use of the neuter language many of us have advanced in name of equality. Certainly use words like "Chairpersons" underscore the importance of gender- free language, and such practices should obviously be pursued on these grounds. But what of words like "parent", "Child", "doctor", "nurse", secretary", "executive" etc?. what of the use of "he", as the neuter pronoun? Unconscious assumptions are made about the sex of a " doctor" or "nurse", a "secretary, " executive on the basis of social conditions presently in force and without a carefully elaborated editorial policy, the use of neuter terms may well have the effect of excluding women even more from general social consciousness. Nonetheless, once women find the outlets to articulate their views and express their concerns the use of terms may become a secondary issue.
Put quite simply, we do not yet enjoy the freedom of speech. ISIS hopes it's pages will provide women with a new voice.
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is sold throughout the world and purports to be the International daily for English language readers. In fact its 14 page issues compose of articles Taken from the New York Times in the Washington Post or written by IHT staff headquartered in Paris, emphasize US news while including broad coverage of International political, cultural, social and business events. It aims at a well-educated, sophisticated, middle class readership. The following article is based on a survey of the IHT from May 3-25, 1976. Quotes maybe accurately documented upon request. All puns, accusation and slurs are intentional.
Women are as personable and as soothing as house plants*, as sexy as jet air craft and synthetic fibers, as cheeky and contemptible as birds, and in their most virulent form - welfare mother - and evil the US taxpayer must stamp out at once. In Rhodesia, the employment of white "females" is preferred to that of black men because the former are more obsequious. Females, everywhere and eternally, are smiling, attractive, modest, attentive, responsive, polite, charming, deferential, supportive and "pneumatic." Caution, however, must be observed. The passivity of females can be deceptive. Moreover, you can never believe what they say. The species can become dangerous (i.e., aggressive, redoubtable, "tough") if made the butt of unremitting victimization. Frightening unpredictability can ensue. Layers of fat may go on, make-up may coll)e off, bras may burn. But one thing remains the same. Once a woman has attained power or prestige in the male professional world, you can bet her "success" story will be related to an expectant audience by our journalist brothers. And the tone of their articles is sometimes as telling a comment on the usual drivel written about women as it is a withering reproach to the female journalists who, regrettably, too often write it.
Such criticism is intended neither to let male journalists off the hook, not to portray the IHT as an egregious practitioner of sexual discrimination. It at least formally eschews the traditional women's page. It avoids burying all articles about, by or concerning women on its back pages, though certainly there is a tendency to do so. More over, it runs articles on prominent women, like Alice Saunier-Seite, Deputy Minister for French Universities, or the new president of the Sorbonhe, Helene Ahrweiller, or Francoise Giroud the new French Minister of Culture. Reports on Imelda Marcos, Indira Ghandi, Mrs. Bandaranaike, Isabel Peron, Margaret Thatcher and the "Wife of Mao" regularly appear, and so they should. Eve Betty Friedan hits the news now and then, and there is some coverage of feminist· events, like Susan Heller Anderson's stories on the Brussels Tribunal on Crimes Against Women (March, 1976'), though generally the IHT sticks to literal feminist ·politics. Furthermore, the IHT seems to have more female journalist by-lines than any of the publications consulted, and the number .has recently grown. Finally all attempts made by journalists to use non-sexist language and to avoid stereotypes should be commended. Points went to Michael Gibson, Richard Flaste, James Goldsborough and Susan Heller Anderson though Ms. Anderson made the incredible boo-boo of writing "manned" when she meant "womanned."
So why complain? Every stereotype city in the operiing of. this article was use often more than once, in the pages of the IHT 's May issues. And cartoons we not even included in ' the survey, though cartoonists are the worst offenders, using stereotypes ranging from Big Number Lucy, in Peanuts, who even has ·a "psychiatric practice"), battle-axe (B.C. Wizard of Id), to dumb blonde· (Beetle, Blondie), harassed wife (Andy Capp), harried mother, petulant school girl, slick chick (Dennis the Menance. differential office wife ( Rex Morgan) and Fawning glamour girl (Rip Kirby). But then, humor is a form of contempt.
The problems stereotyping poses are serious. It infects all aspects of our social attitudes and serves as the foundations of our behaviour, which is why none of the examples offered above can be considered separately. The risk of trivialization is too high, and trivialization is a tactic employed by editors and journalists who resist changes women seek in editorial policy and journalistic procedures. Critics will also claim that the presentation of women in the media accurately reflects their position in society, and to some extent this is true. But there is a fine line between portraying women in positions they usually hold merely to describe reality, and portraying them in such positions so that they might be reinforced, thereby discouraging women from considering alternatives. It would also be extra ordinarily naive for anyone to suppose that journalists are free of value- loaded assumptions and that their own views are not transferred to those whom they ask leading questions. Thus do stereotypes proliferate and coupled with the use of neuter language would encourage the view that women endure what occurs in the world and have little to do with shaping events. How else to explain the persistent photos of men rescuing women (and children, of course) in natural disasters than to assume that men have world events well in hand and that all premeditated action is carried out by then. Aren't men also victims of catastrophe, and don't women sometimes rescue them?.
IHT editorial and employment policies do not appear particularly advanced as far as sexual equality is concerned. To begin with, ·unless the women in question has real power, most articles about or concerning women are written by female journalists , many of whom seem no more sensitive to their subject than men do . If this is a policy, it's surely dubious one , since it smacks of the same kind of separatism now being universally decried regarding race· relations. In fairness, many male journalists would have to concede that they would consider the assignments that women journalists usually receive as anathema, exile to the nether reaches of human intercourse. Most women are not news unless they have been victimized, but they are consumers, so a modicum of fashion, food and family information is a necessary component of a paper to expedite sales and advertising. In the IHT, women journalists regularly cover health, family, fashion, cultural, human interest and woman- related topics, though there are exceptions in Flora Lewis, Claire Sterling, Marvine Howe and Eileen Shanahan, who monitor political and economic events. But the ratio of male to female by- lines is lop-sided indeed. A two-week sample of the lHT (May 13-25 ) revealed an over-all average of 35 to 3. Advertising is no better. Philips seems obsessed with locating "key men" for its operations. IhT encourages you to call .home to hear "Your best girl's sighs ," "Your sister's laugh," but "Your brother's jokes." And National Airlines wants to fly you to the sun capital of the world on Elaine's 747's.
Sighing and flying, . in fact, seem to be major female activities in the IHT. But then, women are. flighty and plucky, aren't they? Male bird fetishes come into play with an article entitled "Elite Chicks gets calls for Wrong Birds." The owner of the "Elite Chicks" company is an Iowa poultry breeder. He got an enormous amount of calls- all from men. You can guess the rest."And of course," we are reassured, "the birds cannot carry on a decent conversation, except with people who can .cheep ." This topical item appears on page 2. Lest anyone think such entertainments area one shot affair, a more recent story a bout talking plants boasts: "Press a button and you have a sex pot. From a small sound box on the stand, a soft female voice coos: 'This is your plant speaking. I 'm so happy in my home ... You make sure that I'm happy and healthy in the nice warm sunshine.This is why I love you. Thank you for taking such good care of me. You are so nice. I love you I love you, I love you." Note how cooing, domesticity and coquetry are firmly implanted in the female persona.
All this takes on a more insulting tone when it is used lo impugn the legitimacy of Third World leaders and, by implication, oppressed majorities, where upon the sinister nature of bird fetishism is clearly revealed. It .can be no coincidence that next to an article headlined "Echeverria Refuses to be Lame Duck" there is a photo of a garage attendant shooing mama duck and her goslings off the premises. The photo .is entitled . "Small Change," and the quip that it was "obvious they weren't going to buy any gas" follows stories about how Mexico would develop and dispose of its newly discovered oil reserves. Observe how Echeverria's masculinity is subtly questioned.
Preoccupation with appearance and marital status seems to play an important role in how reporters perceive the women they interview or describe. Usually the formula is to recite name, age, figure, hair color, attitude toward husband, number of children, which is to say.women are primarily judged by their conformity to what is assumed to be proper feminine behavior. Nan Robertson writes of Dewey Burton's "affectionate, trusting wife" and his "pretty, platinum blonde wife." Anthony Lewis, in support of a federally funded day-care program reports: "Geraldine Lacey, a slim, attractive woman of 34, is separated from her husband." In all fairness to Lewis, his description of a welfare Mother differs sharply from popular image and myth. Spiro Agnew, for ·example, sees them as black breeders of ten children by five different fathers: Andreas Freund's .coverage of .the Sorbonne's appointment of its first woman president assures us that she "thrives" on leading three lives. "The first is as a wife and mother... " which is all we need to know, the implication being that the first is most important. Some may object that these examples are unfair. But how many times does one see reporting like, "Mike Gregory, a slim, attractive brunette, divorced father of two, thrives in his multifaceted role of father and homemaker, lawyer, and Democratic Senator from New York. Cheerful and always smiling is his flowered ties and gay, spring-hued suits, Mike · says, 'Without day-care, I'd have to give it all up and go on welfare.'" Contrast this with banner headlines proclaiming "Jon Vickers: In .Control of his Career" next to an article announcing "Minnesotan (35-24-35) is Miss U,S . A. of 1976." She may go to law school.
Some of the examples above are actually the best of a bad lot. On the first Concorde flight, there are "harassed stewards," but later "seat mate and I have time for close inspection of stewardesses. Good looking, yes, but the uniforms are oddly clumpy." An article about creating a line of products around the name of Marisa Berenson is even more frank. She is the "object of a campaign." Her promoter says "She is the ·first human he's tried to sell, although he did market two synthetic fibers and was president of American Fashion and Fabrics Magazine. The fashion biz, in fact, comes up with the worst clinkers. Hebe Dorsey, IHT fashion .reporter, quotes Coco Chanel on women: "I feel sorry for them. They want to vote, smoke, use weapons they don't know. I feel sorry for women because they're always wrong." Coco says she forgot .she was · a woman all too often. Dorsey asks designer Karl Lagerfeld why he brought back one-piece swimsuits. "Because personally, I hate the sight of a woman having lunch in a two-piece suit. no matter how thin she is, she always has three bulges around the waist. It's ghastly!" Dorsey allows her own fashion bias to interfere with a story on French cartoonist Claire Bretecher. "Miss Bretecher, 36, comes across girlish. Her nice, almost sweet smile belies the bleak humor of her cartoons." "She wears tight jeans, a T-shirt and no make-up." No make-up? As for Dretecher's style, "The women are miserable scroungy creatures, all teeth, straggly hair and feet. The men do not fare much better and seem to spend most of their time slouching on a settee." Oretecher's fans know that save for a few squiggles around the chest, her men and women look exactly the same--it's just that slobdom is less acceptable in women. Dorsey insists Bretecher is best on "women's lib and women's problems. And what are women's .problems? Vanity, obesity and runny mascara.
Press emphasis on women's marital status cannot be over-stressed. The big news from 1968 Olympic gold-medalist Peggy Fleming is that "her greatest challenge now is 'keeping house and having kids'." ·This is news? There also seems to be peculiar tendency to acknowledge the conjugal bond in head- lines .. Thus, on the front page of the IHT on May 3, "Wife of Mao · is see Gaining in Power." But Chiang Ching has been a political power in her own right for some time now- Reuters was so obsessed with the issue that it went into some detail on her courtship and marriage-- before presenting the information that presumably occasioned its writing. The "Wife of Mao" {Bride of Frankenstein?) syndrome is present again in Nan Robertson's story "The Wife Abby Hoffman Left Behind." Says Robertson, "Yet .Anita Hoffman insists she's happier than she has been in a long time, and she looks as if she means it. Well, you can never be too sure about what women say, after all, which may explain why an item on the League of women Voters' convention read: "A delegate said that the league had a number of problems, the least of which is whether men will be offended by joining an organization that includes women in its title." Only 50 of 1400 delegates supported a name change for the organization and no other issues the league dealt with were cited. So why report on the least important issue?
The press's trivialization of the female voter was probably the most astonishing finding the survey produced. It would seem that even after nearly 50 years of suffrage in the USA, women are still not considered to be serious voters. They vote, of course, but their political views are too often ignored,· as if it was assumed women vote the way men tell them ' to. This attitude was nicely illustrated in an article by Nan Robertson on the Democratic cross-over vote in the Michigan primary. It was front page news. A blurb inserted by the New York Times says the NYT interviewed the Dewey Burton .family in 1972 when "Mr. and Mrs. Burton were voting, as a protest they said; for Gov. George Wallace ( ... ) Last week the Times returned to ask the Burtons . what they would do in the 1976 Michigan primary." Enter Robertson. · It becomes immediately clear that the story is about Mr. Burton not his "affectionate, trusting wife, Ilona," who mumbles a couple of phrases and does a little shuffling for the folks. In an approximately 1'100 word article, about 75 words are devoted to Dewey's "pretty, platinum blonde wife," and most of them have little to do with her political views. About Dewey, however, we find out everything from childhood experiences to political and social attitudes. A description of Dewey 1962 Corvette, decorated with a naked woman on the hood, is included. llona and Dewey are both skilled workers, and yet nowhere is her workday describe or her· leisure time (presuming she has any) examined as it is for Mr. Burton. Does the New .York Times think that the "Dewey Burton family or "Mr. and Mrs. Burton" are in fact only Dewey Burton?.
But enough. The initiated have long known the sins of the institutional press and pique at is continued abuse of women is by now a rather banal affair. One of the greatest ironies of the whole survey was that the IHT had changed its editorial and journalistic policies just enough to give a reviewer some potent ammunition. New practices 0verlaid old to produce glaring contrast whereas in other publications women are often either so generally excluded from the "news" or so over-exposed as "cheesecake," that not much hard analysis can obtain. Because, for the most part, the media seems almost as backward as when the first wave of contemporary feminism began to challenge its role-modelling and myth-making. Certainly it has failed to give much serious play even.to the liberal ideals of equality and integration into the existing social structure. Why else does the general public think "women's lib" represents crude separatism (in. the sense of seeking unjustified preferential treatment), unisex toilets, castration, bottled fetuses, and "loose" morality, all sadly forecast with the bones of charred brassieres? Sensationalism makes money, to be sure, and the media is in business to· make money, despite pious claims of defending the public interest.
But the worst part of all this is that biased coverage seems to be as unconscious as it is wilful. The -press may sensationalize "dangerous" groups or events to trivialize them, or will praise the most conservative elements of a political movement to divide and rule--all of' which is sinister enough. But the most potent and seductive effect comes from the unconscious use of language: how words are used and abused to drain human experience and thought of meaning and dignity, which in the end induces psychic estrangement in the individual and a collective reeling of helplessness and apathy in the, population.
When one is doing an analysis of the press one asks whether its role should be to reflect the society that generates it, or whether the media should influence the direction society is taking. Should a newspaper hire its reporters and editors on the basis of a 50-50 sex ratio if the percentage of qualified women is only, say, 30%? Is a weekly obligation search for activist women interested in changing the existing power structure when the majority of women do not question their roles as wives, mothers and/or underpaid workers?·
In assessing the ·work distribution policies of Newsweek International (European edition), I found that of 234 bylines in 4 editions, 49 were those of women. Thus men signed articles almost 4 times as often as women. Two of 13 senior editors are women, while 16 of 32 editorial assistants, the .lowest echelon are women. Therefore, women come closest to achieving parity only in the lower ranks of the employment hierarchy.
Except for one instance, women do not write article about military activities, foreign affairs or crime. They write articles about politics, life 6 styles, finance, business, personalities, arts, entertainment, religion, books discern no difference in how men and women writers treat there subjects. One cannot judge the gender of the author by style. for example Linda Berg Frante uses sexiest description and quotes sexiest comment in an article about Elizabeth Tailor." Halston says she has a great bod" Melvin Poe she may not the prettiest woman in the world now a days but .."
In Newsweek women are presented as artists; entertainers, terrorists, Politicians,political activists, fashion designers, farmers, vendors, wives and/or mothers, victims of natural and man made catastrophes, and, of course; providers of sexual stimulation, real or imagined. Women are "slim, sandy-haired, fiery,, crazed by grief, radicalized
into furious protest." They "declare, react more sympathetically, reaffirm, male on almighty nuisance, mike stinging charges, indict their countrymen, want to ·receive more alimony and Hill grim reputation was senior partners· in terrorist gang" Women aμpear throughout Newsweek but more frequently in the personalities section. Articles solely about women have been on a terrorist, a feminist author, the president of an advertising agency, an anthropologist and an entertainer.
Generally, in topic articles such as those on medicine, there is no gender used. The term "patient," for example, or "body" is used. There is a new trend in names in Newsweek. After the initial naming of the woman, she is referred to by her last name only as has been the custom for men.
La Tribune de Geneve is a local newspaper for the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It obviously has a rather small circulation and is generally about 30-40 pages in length. It tends to be extremely conservative and uncritical politically, taking much of its international news coverage from the big news agencies like Reuters or Agence France Presse. Its local news, apart from comments on the Federal Parliament's debate, deals generally with what is going on in the canton of Geneva from a reporting rather a standpoint. One could say that it is directed exclusively toward a petit-bourgeoisie and middle-class, which takes in a large part of Swiss society since foreign workers increasingly make up the working class.
It is very difficult to determine the number of articles written by men and women in La Tribune de Geneve because most are unsigned of the articles that are signed two thirds are signed with initial only.
And how are women presented in La Tribune? First, it can be said that there are rarely articles in which women are mentioned. When they .are, it is as wife and mother, entertainer, sex object, athlete, .. charity worker, victim of natural disasters or accidents. La Tribune gives quite a good deal of coverage to women's sports.
Women are described as -"little, round, sweet, charming, attractive, blonde with superb blue eyes, ravishing, talented, fragile (for a world record sprinter), pretty and militant prostitute." The most straight-forward reporting about women was done by 'Anne Marie Ley. She covers feminist activities.
Women are very often in fashion and food items on a page titled "lie and She" that is ·geared mostly to "she." It was formerly titled "Women." Women are rarely subjects of articles but appear often in photos in advertisements. Dressed in bikinis at the Le Mans race, shirtless modeling an unzipped jacket; young, pretty women are used to sell anything from mineral water to office equipment.
Le Monde (Paris) is a heavy (at least 40 pages), serious French newspaper, whose outreach is very international. It is almost obligatory reading for diplomats, international functionaries, and businessmen (sic), and can be found in most capital cities in the world. Carrying in-depth political analyses (liberal-progressive, tendi to left-wing) with large section on education, economy, arts tourism, books, profiles on regions or countries, readership - people who have the time and the patience to read through its tightly-knit print (it takes at least to days to read one issue thoroughly) 12 issues of the Le Monde were examined, during the period 8-26 May, 1976.
It was not until I had been reading Le Monde solidly for a week that I realized why it seemed so dense: it never has any photographs. On that count at least, it cannot be charged with presenting a stereotyped image of women. No women, no men.
The reports, very often in-depth political analyses, inevitably deal more with men than women, since, after all, it is men who run world politics. M. Mitterand or M. Debre get more coverage than Simone Veil or Franoise Giraud. But then why not maybe they are more dashing and "newsworthy" {OK - then who defines what is newsworthy?). Maybe the men are doing "more important" things . However you look at it, there are considerably more male politicians than female ones, so we're off to a bad start from the very beginning.
Of the newspapers we studied, Le -Monde probably comes off best interns of language almost no derogatory comments about women. Mrs. Ghandhi, Mme Peron and Mme Saunier-Seite are treated in the same tone as M. Giscard d' Estaing (well, almost ). Articles on Ulrike Meinhoff, although perhaps accorded less space than Rudi Dutchke might have got, were totally straight. Simple news reports about women students arrested in South Korea, for instance have no special language either; Obviously it is easier in one Way in French, since genocide delineation does not over-emphasize ("un estudiante", "notre correspondante"). On the other hand, the general term "francis" or "travailleur" (unlike "fnglish people" or "worker") are actually masculine in form, so can very easily lead to a vision of a world peopled by men.
The student strike during the period under study, gave rise to a brief inset commentary called "les nanas" (very loosely translated as "birds") . I dived upon it, expecting a put-down . "Les nanas" is an ambiguous term which is sometimes taken as sexist, especially since originally it meant "mistres with overtones of "prostitute". however some . women in the MLF (mouvement de liberation des femnes) do designate themselves as "nanas". Le Monde was very fair, showing how "les mecs" (guys) were apparently deliberately supporting "les nanas" simply to try to recruit of them into their own political actions.
Apart from the very occasional ironies from Bruno Frappat and others (e.g. a review of a book by Judith Belladon. - "beau nom: trop beau pour tre le vrai?" - beautiful name: too beautiful to be real?), reporting about women, the descriptions and images, were totally straight. Almost full marks on that score, le Monde.
For all its fascinating and serious analysis, Le Monde does not apparent have much of a raised consciousness of women. In all 12 issues examined, on once was there an "article" entirely women, and this was a one .. column report within a nine-pages special features on .the "Nord-Pas-de-Calais" region of France. This was nonetheless an important analysis by Noelle Dawayr in the situation of women workers their political representation and their action for change why not more of these".
Otherwise, a brief report near the back on the Miss Europe contest in Andorra was likely mocking sufficiently to treat the thing as it deserves. Meetings of the Communist or Socialist party on the status of women or feminism and socialism were treated as simple news reports with absolutely no outward editorial standpoint. Again in another issue, a three-column article on the motivation for having cosmetic surgery, although stating some of the different reasons which men and women give, does nothing in terms of analyzing why. The author - Professor Jacques Depaulis of Bordeaux University - .even states "le fond psychologique de l'homme devant une telle demande chirurgicale est infiniment plus complexe que chez la femme" (the psychological basis for a man ·having such surgery ·is a thousand times more complex than that of women). IA woman's motives, he says, are simply based on the desire to make herself perpetually attractive to her man, especially after childbirth or when she gets older this may be true, but how disappointing to stop there, Professor Depaulis: have you never thought of asking why your wife thinks you might find it repugnant that she has stretch marks on her stomach after pregnancy?
Only once - in a nearly full-page comment on the new statute for childminders, did the. two writers (both men) take a strong standpoint on the importance of choice for women and the value of the work involved in reproduction.
In the final analysis, Le Monde is much more concerned with things - the New International Economic Order, Socialism, Strikes, the Political Situation Rhodesia, Petrol, the United States, etc.- than with people generally. It is not therefore surprising to find an average of 33 by-lines per issue , only 2 or 3 from women. And the se are
all on book/literature reviews, fashion, homes, tourism, and exceptionally, medicine.
The (London) Times was established in 1785. It runs between 24-32 pages. It reflects the views of the establishment and hence is rather conservative, with an upper middle class, professional, and business readership. It is a British paper, but is read internationally. It has a Business Section and tends to concentrate on political comment and features rather than on social affairs
A survey of five May issues of The Times revealed no startling departures from practices noted in other publications. There are usually a sparse 6 to 8 items or features written by women compared to 50 to '60 by men. Two women regularly contribute to the Business News pages on financial affairs, and once an article by a female journalist appeared on the front page .news section on the economy. The salesroom correspondent is a woman and women contribute · regularly on domestic and fashion subjects. Women are also employed to write special features, which appear regularly in the paper, e.g., on Amnesty International, on Jordan, and on the arts.
As the Times is sold as -a "serious" newspaper, it eschews sensationalism while nonetheless carefully calculates 'the use of its quotes for dynamic appeal. There are few articles of a social or sociological nature, and since the Women's Movement does not exist as. a formal political body, there are very few articles on women's affairs perse though two appeared in the issues under consideration and the reporting was . straight and very good. For example, an article on Portuguese women was headed, political dictatorship was beaten, but the female half of the country is still awaits another liberation... Portuguese women list their demands the story shows no frivolity it is factual, informative reporting and surprisingly shows a sympathetic grasp of the issues e.g. changing the law, however, will not necessarily change \a culture. Women are still patronized in Portuguese books and magazines and more generally. The Communist Party, in particular, has shamelessly used photographs of laughing women in their election posters. The article was written by a man. The second article dealt with the publication of a report by a radical group on equal pay for work of equal value. The reporting was accurate an presented the report well.
I found few a irrelevant descriptions of women and adjectives used to described them roughly compared to those employed to describe men, though this is generally in keeping with the times editorial policy. The use of (Miss or Mrs) is however, still retain. There was one short news item on the first appointment of a woman to state Central Bank in West Germany without any further comment on her capabilities. There were only one or two of the the usual sexist standbys that we have come generally to expect from the media e.g. there are no dial to confuse housewives, just a single button for it's wash. or she is a pretty, blue eyed, blonde daughter of a building "developer" in article written by a woman, or "it is" particularly interesting that this is not the result of a belligerent women's lib. Campaign, but the realization by men that Jordanian women are now "needed"... the last quote, again taken from an article by a woman, appeared in a future of a special Report on Jordan. Women often contribute to this special report, but the same to be merely laudatory exercises and the journalistic standards are not as high as in the rest of the paper.
The questions that study of the times pose for the treatment of women of the press are subtle and complicated. Most importantly, thus the newspaper very few references to women accurately reflect the world that concerns the times? After all, there are very few women ministers, politicians, company directors, city financiers and the like or are they merely ignoring women's contribution in this fields and others simply because there's and the worlds view is that there isn't such a contribution? on the other hand, the use of the pronoun "him" in the following quote, even if thus accurately reflect the situation, encourages attitudes to remain entrenched: "Internal" training is frequently so brief... that it neither provides an intellectual framework for a managers development, nor exposes him adequately to new "ideas" . (Emphasis mine).
There is some evidence that some reporters do simply ignore women although many, whether by design or accident, manage to write articles without gender (reference), e.g. by then someone in the top 10 % of income earners, instead of being 60 % better off than the men in the middle, as he - was in 1970... or the petitioner... can conduct his on "case" or "after" all, a solicitor has expertise but he does have other clients". with this sort of evidence one begins to wonder if the following sort of statement is true: "Has been lead by Phillip's men themselves or by their son's- in- law since its foundation". (Emphasis mine)
However, it is too simple to merely say that women should be specifically mention or simple merge into neutral reference. A report on a plane hijack stated that there were "8" dead, including three women". This sort of singling out of women places us squarely in the sort of pedestal- type position we are trying to escape. While a news item quoted and artists wife saying her husband died in fire at his home and that there was another "women painter" who died with him. these has a scandalous note to it an acknowledges that in general consciousness all painters are men.
I simply don't know what the answer to this problem is, except to suggest that perhaps it should be pointed out that women are an could be doing all the things that it is assume only men do, but the phrasing an context of there inclusion should be very carefully manage.
The daily mirror usually has 32 pages, although it is sometimes a little shorter. It claims to have "Europe's biggest daily sales" but it's appeal is meanly to a British working class readership an although a family newspaper, it is famous for its pin-ups. The mirror usually support the labour party an aims to defend the underdog against authority but otherwise lacks a coherent policy. It's critics often claim that it can be read by anybody with the I.Q.. of the average 10- Year-old.
I took eleven copies of "They Mirror" between May 12th and May 25th, 1976. in this editions there were 135 by-lines written by men and 21 written by women. The Women reporters dealt with fashion, pop music, gardening, social policy and home economics. Women reporters covered interviews with women in the news Jane Fonda were dismissed with the headline "Red under the Beds". Shirley Mc Laines ideas were domesticated being described in the context of the slimmers: she had cut down on eating since she discovered "China" Yoga and her lover". Another women with interesting ideas, Clair Francis, the yacht women was also described on this page.
Other women were presented in various different ways. Rose Davi's work to have her husband released from prison was described with admiration, as was Miss Wellesley-Colley's campaign to get cycles admitted to the Royal Parks. Anna Laska, an escort girl, was dismissed as providing "tea and crumpet" there was a straight reporting of a woman's petition against juveniles being keep an adult jails.
Women's rights were defended in two reports. One were woman was granted a divorce because of her husband "hen-pecking." another quoted a judge on the serious problem of wife battering. A man reported on new legislation Raechel Hebditch reported on the English royal visit to Finland. the two social policy subjects were both mirror exposes of failures of the welfare state. These were continued for several days and in this it's a woman reporter was paired with a man.
There were no regular subjects assigned specially to women reporters. For example, an interview with Golday Hawn was by a male reporter. However, it was noticeable that women did not deal with foreign policy. I was not conscious of any difference and emphasize between the report of men and women.
The Mirror does not same to have any real consciousness of feminists issues or any consistent presentation of women. Sue Barker, the tenseness player mention the impossibility of being successful sports woman while remaining gentle and submissive, but there was no development of this idea. Shirley Mc Laine views were described with sympathy without analysis. Vanessa Red Grave an which entitles pregnant women to keep their jobs . But a crime report claimed that one man's most serious mistake was " to let his wife go out to work".
My impression is that the mirror's men aim is catch the readers attention and will do this by any stereotype with which it's readers are likely to feel comfortable, e.g. such portraits as the "indomitable" upper class lady, "Ms. Colley and the loyal" working class, Rose Davis. It same accidental that we were encouraged to admire Shirley Mc Laine but not Jane Fonda.
The Mirror lacks consistency but is a good deal less sexiest than a quick glance through its pin-ups would suggest. It deals with news items which are important to women and it depends individual women against the authorities. The impression remains, though, of manipulative reporting with only one real concern- - to provide quick, easy reading.
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