Year: 2011

Gender Check 3/30/11- Northeast

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 New York Times

On The New York Times, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 9:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 30 was titled “C.I.A Agents in Lybia Aid Airstrikes and Meet Rebels.” Its subject was reports that American spies are on the ground in Lybia collecting information on the rebel forces.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Authors: Male (dual byline)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – American general

2. Male – White House press secretary

3. Male – U.S. congressman

4. Male – American general

Notes/analysis: A significant amount of information cited in the story came from anonymous government sources or official released statements with no direct human source.

Website: ProPublica

On ProPublica, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 9:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 30 was titled “Pennsylvania Limits Authority of Oil and Gas Inspectors.” Its subject was a new requirement regulating fines for oil drilling companies.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – head of state Department of Environmental Protection

2. Female – DEP spokeswoman


Gender check: 3/29/11 – 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 1 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, March 29, was titled “Seattle area sees fewer apartment vacancies, higher rents.” Its subject was the details of two recent report that showed that the number of apartment vacancies was declining while rent prices have been going up.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, with one of the research firms that did report

2. Male, president of other apartment research firm

3. Male, owner of real estate business

4. Female, spokeswoman for a developer (Not named)

5. Male, president of developer

Notes/analysis: It’s interesting to note that the only woman mentioned between the two articles in this week’s Gender Check is not identified by name.


Website: Seattle P-I

On the Seattle P-I, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 1 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, March 29, was titled “FBI: Seattle speakeasy ring leader smuggled guns to Mexican rebels.” Its subject was a man who was a leader of a Seattle gambling ring that was not charged along with his confederates. He had as it turned out already been convicted for federal charges from selling cocaine to an undercover police officer and smuggling guns to rebels in southern Mexico.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, vice unit sergeant

2. Male, special agent

3. Male, defense attorney

4. Male, U.S. district court judge

Notes/analysis: All of the individuals mentioned in this article were male.

Gender Check 3/25/11 – 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 7 p.m. (EST) on Friday, March 25 was titled “State Prosecutor Drops Charges Against Sansom. ” Its subject was a case against the state’s former speaker of the house for alleged theft and conspiracy surrounding a state budget.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – state attorney

2. Male – former state speaker of the house

Notes/analysis: Most of the story was a history of the case, compiled from court documents and former coverage.

Website: Patch (Seminole Heights)

On Patch of Seminole Heights, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 7 p.m. (EST) on Friday, March 25 was titled “Bullied No More: Young Robbery Victim Speaks Out.” Its subject was a

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – student bullies

2. Male – victim of robbery

3. Female – mother of victim

4. Male – police commander

5. Male – police detective

Notes/analysis:

Gender check: 3/24/11 – 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 5:30 p.m. (MST) March 24, was titled “Tiny Missouri town is perfectly centered.” Its subject was a town being names the U.S.’s new population center.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, chairman of city’s board

2. Male, director of the Census Bureau

Website: St. Louis Beacon

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 5:30 p.m. (MST) March 24, was titled “Federal regulators say Midwest BankCentre’s fair lending record ‘needs to improve.’” Its subject was was the release of a fair lending performance review report that showed that a bank “needs to improve.”

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, chairman of the bank

2. Female, assistant director of equal housing opportunity council

Notes/analysis: The article quotes mainly from the report.

Gender Check – 3/23/11 Northeast

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 New York Times

On The New York Times, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 7 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 23 was titled “Tokyo Says Radiation In Water Puts Infants At Risk.” Its subject was the growing anxiety about contamination from Japan’s damaged nuclear power plants.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Authors: Male and Female (dual byline)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – Japanese official

2. Male – Japanese prime minister

3. Male – Japanese official

4. unknown- anonymous Western source

5. Male – clerk in Tokyo store

6. Male – Japanese resident

Notes/analysis: As the disaster in Japan continues to unfold, it is interesting to keep tracking the gender balance of victims portrayed and who is given official voice in the crisis.

Website: ProPublica

On ProPublica, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 7 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 23 was titled “Aftershock: The Blast That Shook Psycho Platoon.” Its subject was the effects of blast concussions sustained during combat and the psychological treatment options. The story was a co-investigation with a reporter from NPR.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Authors: Male (dual byline)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – Iraqi veteran

2. Female – police officer

3. Male – staff army sergeant

4. Male – staff army sergeant

5. Male – soldier

6. Male – soldier

7. Male – army neuropsychologist

8. Female – doctor

9. Female – professor

10. Female – army doctor

11. Male – army officer

12. Male – father of a soldier

13. Male – friend of a soldier

14. Female – sister of soldier

15. Male – retired colonel

16. Male – director of veteran’s trauma center

17. Male – PTSD expert

18. Female – wife of soldier

19. Female – daughter of soldier

20. Female – wife of soldier

Notes/analysis: In a story focusing on the traumatic effects of war, all the soldiers featured were male, and with the exception of one father, all the family members interviewed were female.