Less than 4 percent of editorial cartoonists on major syndicates are female. That would almost be laughable, says Sheila Gibbons, if it didn’t reflect such a sad and serious sidelining of women’s wit and wisdom.
After a hospital stay deepened her appreciation of nurses, Sheila Gibbons looked into their low standing on popular TV shows and their absence as sources for news. Unless that changes, the nursing shortage, she says, will only worsen.
After Martha Stewart’s prison-reform appeal, Sheila Gibbons wondered if journalists were neglecting the story of the rapid rise in female prisoners. Instead, she found great work–mostly by female journalists.
In “The Swan” and “Extreme Makeover,” women undergo plastic surgery and public humiliation on TV in a supposed effort to feel better about themselves. Sheila Gibbons calls it the merchandising of self-worth and a big prime-time lie.
Science reporting on sex differences comes out differently in conservative and liberal newspapers. So depending on which you read, gender stereotypes may be getting confirmed or challenged.
Amid the avalanche of press attention to mythical security moms and “Sex and the City” singles, Sheila Gibbons is grateful for the coverage that did not treat women–the majority of the electorate–as a small and newly discovered special-interest group.
Campaign coverage is largely ignoring the issues that matter most to women. To correct that, Sheila Gibbons offers reporters a look at what women want from a president and advice on chasing down the story between now and Election Day.
After the Vatican released its anti-feminist letter, news organizations covered the dismayed and scoffing public reaction. But our commentator could find very few who linked it to the Holy See’s comprehensive campaign to limit women’s life choices.
Candidates’ wives are given very little chance to air their thoughts about the campaign and its underlying issues. Treated as potential and decorative liabilities, coverage of them bespeaks of discomfort with women ascending to power.
Coverage of the San Francisco ruling earlier this month on the abortion ban shows how the political polarization surrounding reproductive rights has invaded the supposedly impartial territory of journalism.
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