Northeast

These are Gender Checks of two news sites from the Northeast — The New York Times and ProPublica.

Gender Check – 3/23/11 Northeast

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*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.

Gender Check 3/16/11 – 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 8 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 16 was titled “U.S. Calls Radiation ‘Extremely High’ And Urges Deeper Caution In Japan.” Its subject was the developments with Japan’s damaged nuclear reactors.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Authors: Male (three bylines)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

2. Male – spokesman for Tokyo Electric

3. Male – spokesman for NRC

4. Female – U.S. senator

5. Male – U.S. energy secretary

Notes/analysis: As much of the news will be dominated by the developing crisis and recovery in Japan, a study of the photographs is particularly interesting from a gender breakdown. Are women more prominent in photos of the surviving victims?

Website: ProPublica

On ProPublica, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 8:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 16 was titled “Army Plans New Guidelines To Resolve Denials Of Purple Hearts to Brain-Injured Soldiers.” Its subject was a possible change in guidelines to accept brain injuries as legitimate combat injuries, making those soldiers eligible for the distinguished honor. 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 – Army general

2. Male – senior medical officer

3. Male – Army director of soldier programs and services

4. Male – U.S. congressman

5. Female – Army wife and founder of related organization

6. Male – retired army sergeant

Notes/analysis:

Gender Check 3/9/11 – 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 7:30 p.m. EST on March 9 was titled “A Glow In The Desert.” Its subject was a feature on a Texas homestead.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Authors: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – man living on the homestead

Notes/analysis: The story is a balance of direct interviews and quotes from the subject’s blog.

Website: ProPublica

On ProPublica, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 7:30 p.m. EST on March 9 was titled “Former Bush EPA Official Says Fracking Exemption Went Too Far; Congress Should Revisit.” Its subject was a process used to filter water that the former official says is not actually safe without regulation.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – former EPA official

2. Male – Congressman

3. Female – Congresswoman

4. Male – government agency committee member

5. Male – former administrator with EPA

Notes/analysis: This story was published as a Q&A, and as such the other sources mentioned are all references by the story’s subject himself, not the reporter.

Gender Check 3/2/11 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 8 p.m. EST on March 2 was titled “Justices Rule For Protestors At Military Funerals. ” Its subject was the Supreme Court’s decision 8-1 in favor of the Westboro Baptist church’s right to free speech under the First Amendment.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Authors: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – chief justice of the Supreme Court (as quoted from the majority opinion)

2. Male – justice of the Supreme Court (as quoted from the dissent)

3. Male – justice of the Supreme Court (as quoted from the concurring opinion)

Notes/analysis: None of the quotes used in the story came from interviews, but rather the written rulings in the case. Currently three of the nine justices are women.

Website: ProPublica

On ProPublica, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 8 p.m. EST on March 2 was titled “A Test Where The Banks Had The Questions And The Answers.” Its subject was the upcoming tests for banks by the Federal Reserve and possible problems with the current way banks are evaluated.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – national bank executive

2. Male -national bank executive

3. Male – wealthy citizen

4. Male – financial analyst

5. Male – member of Congressional oversight panel

6. Male – law professor

Notes/analysis: It’s not surprising that a story focusing on financial systems and banking executives is dominated, exclusively, by male sources.

Gender Check: 2/23/11 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 4 p.m. EST on Feb. 23 was titled “U.S., In Shift, Sees Marriage Act as Violation of Gay Rights.” Its subject was the U.S. Justice’s Department announcement that they see discrimination against gay and lesbian people in all cases as presumptively unconstitutional.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Authors: Male and Female (shared byline)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – attorney general (as paraphrased from a letter to Congress)

2. Male – law professor

3. Male – president (as paraphrased from previous statements)

Notes/analysis: Most of the story is based on the letter written by the attorney general as well as past court cases and background information.

Website: ProPublica

On ProPublica, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 4:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 23 was titled “Cheat Sheet: What’s Really Going On With Wisconsin’s Budget.” Its subject was the ongoing standoff in the Wisconsin government over budget deficits and the future of union rights.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – state governor (as quoted from public statements)

2. Male – director of the Fiscal Bureau

Notes/analysis: This story took more of an analysis approach than original reporting, and as such relied on the commentary and reporting of several other news outlets.