National Initiative Launched to Break Glass Ceiling for Women Experts in News Media
Male experts still outnumber women nearly 9-to-1 says new study; Groups launch SheSource.Org as a tool for journalists.
New York, NY, October 11, 2005—Whether tuning into “Meet the Press,” or “This Week,” or “FOX News Sunday,” viewers of the five Sunday morning talk shows are nine times more likely to observe a man appearing as a guest than a woman, according to a new study released today by The White House Project. A new media initiative, SheSource.org, will work towards achieving gender balance in the media on these shows and within other news outlets, such as newspapers, news magazines and radio.
According to The White House Project report “Who’s Talking Now,” over half the Sunday morning talk show episodes (56 percent) over an eight month period had no women guests at all. The report states that when women leaders and experts are identified, they are significantly less likely to make repeat appearances and they are more likely to be guests during later, less important segments of the show. While there was a slight increase in women’s appearances on these programs since the White House Project’s 2001 report, “Who’s Talking,” the number of appearance by men still greatly outnumbers appearances by women.
In response to the staggering lack of women experts in the media, The White House Project, The Women’s Funding Network and Fenton Communications have launched SheSource.org, a database of women experts and leaders in a variety of fields including politics, foreign affairs and national security who are available for interviews.
“The White House Project conducted our initial Who’s Talking report in 2000 and 2001 and discovered that women’s representation on these authority-setting shows was only 11%; since then women’s appearances have grown to 14%. Women’s inclusion on these shows is imperative for enhancing the perception of women as leaders,” said Marie C. Wilson, President of The White House Project. “Producers and bookers have told us that they would gladly book more qualified women experts if they knew how to locate them. Now with SheSource they’ll know exactly where to look.”
SheSource.org experts include women in areas where they are often overlooked, such as national security, the economy and international affairs. SheSource.org will allow journalists to conduct online database searches for experts in major issue areas. Additionally, SheSource.org will have publicists pitching and placing women commentators to respond to breaking news and top news stories of the day. In its first year, SheSource.org will operate as a pilot program in which the journalists who use it can provide feedback to ensure that SheSource is best serving the needs of the media.
SheSource experts include:
- Former Assistant Surgeon General Dr. Susan Blumenthal
- Syndicated columnist Julianne Malveaux
- Lt. General (ret) Claudia Kennedy
- Senior Program Officer at the UN Foundation, Johanna Mendelson
- Nationally recognized health expert Dr. Hilda Hutcherson,
- Nationally recognized crime expert Linda Fairstein
- Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Maria Echaveste
“Bookers have told us that they are looking for diverse voices and viewpoints for their programs,” said Lisa Witter, General Manager of Fenton Communications. “We recognize that they are often working under tight deadlines, and the news cycle may dictate scheduling interviews with guests who are already in their rolodex. SheSource will simply expand their rolodex and make it easy for them to book qualified guests from a more diverse pool of candidates.”
“We created SheSource to help level the playing field so half the population – women – can have their voices including in the national discussion,” said Chris Grumm, President & CEO of the Women’s Funding Network, which specializes in programs for women and girls. “We forget sometimes what a powerful impact the media has on our lives. There may be a young woman out there who decides she wants to become a general someday because she sees Lt. General Claudia Kennedy on CNN and decides that she can do it. That’s the impact we hope to make with SheSource.”
Criticism of women’s representation of women in the news has not been limited to The White House Project’s studies. Earlier this year, Susan Estrich and other women criticized the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and the Washington Post for the absence of women on their op-ed pages. Women write less than 25 percent of syndicated columns in U.S. newspapers.
For more information, visit www.shesource.org.
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