Year: 2011

Gender check: 5/19/11 – Midwest

Jasmine R. LinabaryLeave a comment

*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: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (stltoday.com)

On Stltoday.com, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of noon (PST) Thursday, May 19, was titled “Man shoots wife, kills teen girl and shoots self in St. Louis domestic dispute.” Its subject was a man shooting his wife, her teen daughter and then himself. The girl died of her wounds while her mother and the man are still in critical condition.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male and female, dual byline

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, police lt.

2. Female, neighbor

Notes/analysis: The incident is a breaking news situation that is still developing. The story notes that a young boy is also a member of the household but was at school at the time. It’s unclear whether the man was the girl’s father or step-father.


Website: St. Louis Beacon

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of noon (PST) Thursday, May 19, was titled “MSD rates are set to go up, one way or another.” Its subject was upcoming rate increases from the sewer district.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, executive director

Notes/analysis: The story mostly cites “officials” with the MSD or just the district as the source.

Gender check: 5/17/11 – West

Jasmine R. LinabaryLeave a comment

*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: Seattle Times

On the Seattle Times, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 6 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, May 17, was titled “Enfield reverses decision to fire Ingraham High principal.” Its subject was the Seattle Schools interim superintendent announcing she would give a male principal another year to prove himself rather than terminating him.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Female, interim superintendent


Website: Seattle P-I

On the Seattle P-I, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 6 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, May 17, was titled “Starbucks sued for firing barista with dwarfism.” Its subject was the federal government suing Starbucks for firing a woman who asked to use a stool or stepladder when preparing drinks.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, trial lawyer

2. Female, company spokeswoman

Notes/analysis: The article only included voices speaking on behalf of others.


*This post was created May 19, but information was gathered at 6 p.m. May 17.*

Getting back on track

Jasmine R. LinabaryLeave a comment

Our regular readers may have noticed the absence of usually posts on certain days in the past month. We apologize.

Due to life changes, moves, lack of Internet access and final projects, our schedules have been a bit off. We should be slipping back into our regularly scheduled posting routine moving forward.

With lots going on this week with the coverage of women in political scandals, expect to see some coverage of that in upcoming posts as well as getting back into our regular Gender Checks and news feed updates. (See today’s New York Times story for a snapshot – “Harsh Light on Two Men, but Glare Falls on Women.”)

Feel free to contact us with any questions or post ideas in the comment section or by emailing genderreport@gmail.com. Happy reading.

Gender Check 5/13/11 – South

Joy BaconLeave a comment
*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 Miami Herald

On the Miami Herald, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 5 p.m. (EST) on Friday, May 13 was titled “Rising Food and Gas Costs Push Up Consumer Prices.” Its subject was the rate of inflation and predictions for summer gas costs.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – economist

2. Male – economist

Website: Patch (Seminole Heights)

On Patch of Seminole Heights, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 5 p.m. (EST) on Friday, May 13 was titled “Central Tampa Beer Lovers Unite!.” Its subject was the upcoming celebration of American Craft Brew Week.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – brewery owner

2. Female – pub owner

3. Male – brewery owner

Gender check: 5/12/11 – Midwest

Jasmine R. LinabaryLeave a comment
*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: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (stltoday.com)

On Stltoday.com, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 2:30 p.m. MST May 12 was titled “Gunman who caused Rolla campus lockdown captured.” Its subject was the capture of a gunman.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author:
Female and male, dual byline

–Human sources (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, police chief

2. Female, secretary of freshmen engineering department


Website: St. Louis Beacon

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 2 p.m. (MST) May 12 was titled “With veto-proof majorities, legislature passes new abortion restrictions.” Its subject was the Missouri Legislature passing restrictions that would make it a felony to perform an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy unless two physicians determined the woman’s life or bodily function is endangered or the fetus is non-viable.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author:
Male and female, dual byline

–Human sources (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, head of anti-abortion lobbying group

2. Female, Planned Parenthood’s vp for public policy

3. Male, House majority leader

4. Male, state representative

5. Female, state representative

6. Female, state representative

Notes/analysis: Though the split is even for both genders in authorship and sources, it is interesting to note that regarding an issue that directly affects women the sources are divided by gender — the male sources speak on the anti-abortion side of the debate and all the female sources opposing the restrictions.