The Numbers Don’t Lie: White Men Still Dominate the Media

[sufrommich]

When media consumers read an op-ed shaming rape victims, when fans follow fictional narratives that exaggerate the risks of abortion, when viewers encounter no women of color on TV screens or elided depictions of queer sexuality in films, when articles about and interviews with transgender individuals treat their lives as salacious rather than sensitive material, when readers flip through the pages of glossy magazines and see only tiny, thin, white bodies—in all these instances, they are consuming the choices of media makers.

So much of this damaging media content comes from creators who are not women. Women are more absent than they should be in positions of power for nearly every form of media imaginable, from sports reporting to op-ed pages to Hollywood meeting rooms. The annual VIDA Count came out Monday, revealing a male-dominated “byline count” in major “thought leader” publications that, with the exception of a few places, has barely budged. Meanwhile, last week, the Women’s Media Center released its annual report, The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2014, and despite some prominent gains, the numbers are downright dismal in category after category.

As a writer with one foot in the media world and another in the activism world, I sometimes wonder if I overhype the sexism in the former, or have too critical an eye. But the numbers don’t lie. When feminists raise havoc and draw attention to these kinds of omissions, we are confronting a male-dominated industry that favors its own status quo.

All of us who love creating and consuming media, from TV shows to podcasts to newspapers, have a stake in solving this problem. Diversity shouldn’t just be encouraged for equality’s sake, but also for the sake of quality: The whiter and more male the reporters, staff, and executives are, the more likely audiences are to encounter stereotypes and cliches, monochrome casts, and stale content.


http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2014/02/24/numbers-dont-lie-white-men-still-dominate-media/

[riqster]

1. Kick and Rec.

This is important, and needs reading.

[sufrommich]

2. Thank you,there is a dominant culture

created by white men in this country that is easy to ignore if one doesn't want to see.

[thucythucy]

3. The state of "punditry" in this country

is pathetic. So much of what I read and see and hear is produced by people who seem clueless as to how millions upon millions of people actually live their lives.

Thanks for posting this. important information for every progressive to ponder.

[sufrommich]

5. I would add that the vast majority

of pundits on our televisions have another thing in common,they make way more money than the average American.

[oldandhappy]

4. I click mute if I see a fat white man on the screen.

Finished with 'em.

[RBStevens]

6. "and stale content."

I was glad to see that. Stale content is almost the definition of *status quo* when it comes to media.

I simply cannot understand how (primarily) white men can find the repetition and rehashing of the same old stuff in any way interesting, fun or exciting.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

7. Great post! Here's my worry though (and call me crazy if you think I am)...

When women join the corporate world, it's according to the corporate rules designed by males. They have to fit in according to the standards set by males, and they have to function according to those rules and standards.

Am I crazy to say this, or does it make sense? I think women might design corporations to run differently, if there weren't already written and unspoken rules in place for the corporate and business environments.

Granted, that if that's the only system that exists, women have to join the existing system, and I do understand that part. Perhaps over time women can modify it in the long run?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

9. yes, I understand what you are saying, I think

How do we break the vicious cycle?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

10. I wish I knew? Maybe just wait and see if it changes? nt

[ismnotwasm]

8. Sadly true