IWM News Room Diversity Study Finds Gap In Expectations, Results for Women of Color

A large cultural and communication gap seems to threaten the advancement of diversity goals and career advancement for journalists and journalism organizations, says a study released in July 1999 by the International Women's Media Foundation. A majority of women of color who responded to a mail survey are likely to say the progress of their careers is hampered by lingering racial stereotypes and subtle discrimination.

Media Report to Women Founder Donna Allen Dies at 78

Allen, director of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press, wrote in the first issue of Media Report to Women, published in June 1972, "According to the First Amendment, freedom othehe press belongs to everyone, not just those who own the media. We must find ways for all Americans to have equal access to their fellow citizens -- so people can get to know each other as they really are, not as interpreted by others, so the the public can hear and benefit from the contributions of all of us." Allen was tireless in her activism on behalf of improved media access for women.

'Celebrate the Process for A Second -- Then Keep Agitating,' Editor Says

Delivering the second annual address of the Nancy J. Woodhull Forum on Diversity and Media July 27, 1999, USA TODAY Editor Karen Jurgensen said "hiring people who don't look like you" is good for journalism and good for business. She acknowledged that she had been a beneficiary of that philosophy throughout her own career and vowed to do her part to make diversity in news staffing as much of a given as the classicappearancee of the national newspaper itself.

Children's TV: Improvements Noted But Negative Public Opinion Persists

The quality of children's television has begun to improve but parents and children alike still have a very low opinion of children's television and problems of violence and dubious "educational" claims persists. One in five so-called educational/informational programs was found to have little or no educational value. This according to the Annenberg Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Soap Operas Evolve: Merchandising, Internet Exposure on Rise

Program-sponsored Internet web sites complement daytime soap opera viewing, inspiring chats and e-mail commentary with instant viewer reaction. Viewers can also purchase merchandise seen in the programs, creating brand extensions for the show itself.

Sexually Explicit Advertising Rose Over 10-Year-Period

University researchers found a significant rise in the proportion of sexually oriented advertising in magazines between 1983 and 1993. Both men and women were portrayed more explicitly and in more sexually intimate situations in 1993. "In the past, both women and men have gazed at the female body in advertising," the researchers wrote. "Now they both are gazing more often at male bodies, too." The study also appeared in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Spring 1999.

Roundup of AEJMC Research on Women and Media

A compilation of abstracts of research presented at the annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, with special emphasis on research on women and media.

Plus News Briefs, People, Book Reviews and Commentary

Media Report to Women has hard copies of back issues dating to its founding in 1972. Indispensable for research!