*Gender Checks are quick examinations of gender representation in individual news articles for the purpose of discovering trends over time. Click here to read more.
Website: The New York Times
On The New York Times, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 12:15 p.m. EST on Jan. 26 was titled “Protesters in Egypt Defy Ban as Government Cracks Down.” Its subject was the continuing protests in Cairo after the Egyptian government outlawed any public gatherings.
Here is its gender breakdown:
–Author: Male and Female (dual byline)
–Human sources (listed in order mentioned):
1. Assumed Male – Official Interior Ministry statement. Minister is male.
2. Female – U.S. ambassador to Egypt
3. Female – U.S. secretary of state
4. Male – human rights advocate
5. Male – researcher director at the Carnegie Middle East Center
6. Male – Egyptian protestor
7. Female – Egyptian protestor
8. Female – mother of Egyptian protestor
9. Female – doctor who participated in the protests
Notes/analysis: A well-balanced representation of the story in terms of gender. Both male and female Egyptians participated in the protests and that is reflected in the story. The lead photo with the story appears to only picture male protestors confronting police but gender identification is not clear.
Website: ProPublica
On ProPublica, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 12:30 p.m. EST on Jan. 26 was titled “Climate Benefits of Natural Gas May be Overstated.” tIts subject was the EPA’s new analysis of the effects of natural gas as a primary energy source in the United States.
Here is its gender breakdown:
–Author: Male
–Human sources (listed in order mentioned):
1. Female – energy expert and professor at Carnegie Mellon University (cited her study, not directly quoted)
2. Male – CEO of a large energy company
3. Male – environmental biology professor at Cornell University (cited his research and comments)
4. Male – policy analyst
5. Male – president of a large energy company
Notes/analysis: A large portion of the information for the article comes from studies or comments and research from organizations or unnamed researchers.
The Gender Report 