Vol. 36, No. 2, Spring 2008

No Oscar for Gender Balance
In Academy Award ‘Best Pictures’

A study released in February by a USC Annenberg School for Communication research team found there has been no improvement in gender balance in Academy Award-nominated films during the past 30 years in the “best picture” category.

The data show there are almost three speaking males for every one female, and more than four white speaking characters for every one non-white character. The researchers separated the sample into three blocks of time by release date (1977-1986; 1987-1996; 1997-2006). No meaningful difference emerged in the percentage of single-speaking females over time.

Results from this study may be found online at annenberg.usc.edu.

Creation of Center for the Study of Women
In Television and Film Announced

The School of Theatre, Television and Film at San Diego State University in April announced the creation of a major new Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film.

The Center’s activities focus on the employment of women working as directors, writers, producers, cinematographers, and editors in television and film. Dr. Martha Lauzen, the Center’s director, has conducted annual studies of women’s representation in these important storytelling roles for more than a decade. For more information about the Center and its activities, contact Lauzen at (619) 594-6301.

Internews Profiles Women Who Are
Changing the Face of Journalism

In newsrooms around the world, and especially in developing countries, the editorial decisions about what to cover and how to cover it are still primarily made by men. This means that issues of vital importance to women -- girls' education, forced marriage, rape -- may be underreported or trivialized.

For International Women's Day on March 8, Internews spotlighted 10 countries where women are playing a key role in their local media. You can learn about these women by visiting www.internews.org/bulletin/monthlynews/lb_2008_03_women.html. This e-newsletter focuses on Internews’ work helping women as producers and the subjects of media.

Desperate Housewives: 60 Years of
BBC Radio’s Woman’s Hour

This article by Sally Feldman, dean, School of Media, Arts and Design, University of Westminster, England, first appeared in Feminist Media Studies in September 2007. As a tribute to this enduring women’s radio program, surely one of the longest-running if not the longest-running continuing program in the world (its first broadcast was in October 1946), we are reprinting it here with her permission. Sally Feldman was deputy editor of Woman’s Hour from 1987 to 1991, and joint editor from 1991 to 1997.

Research in Depth: Maybe It’s Not A “Generational Thing”:
Values and Beliefs of Aspiring Sports Journalists About Race and Gender by Marie Hardin and Erin Whiteside

Research in Depth: How Women Make Meaning of Their Shared Involvement With Bioterrorism News Spokespersons by Jennifer Vardeman and Linda Aldoory

Commentary: Women Political Bloggers Provide Inspiration As Well As Information by Sheila Gibbons

Plus News Briefs!

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