Gender Checks

Gender check: 4/21/11 -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 1 p.m. (MST) Thursday, April 21, was titled “As hail falls, stories about softballs fly.” Its subject was reports on hail size from a recent storm.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, weather service meteorologist

Notes/analysis:


Website: St. Louis Beacon

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 1 p.m. (MST) Thursday, April 21, was titled “Survival jobs: A temporary strategy is becoming the new normal.” Its subject was about  those who were laid off from higher paying or more career-oriented jobs becoming underemployed so they aren’t unemployed.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, employed in a “survival job,” underemployed

2. Female, former chair of President’s Council of Economic Advisers (while on a panel)

3. Female, federal reserve economist, along with researcher (gender unverifiable) (from study report they wrote)

4. Male, labor analyst

Notes/analysis: It is interesting to note that the author chose a male source as the underemployed example in this story, since it adds to the “mancession” story of the Great Recession. The Gender Report has touched on that briefly in the most recent Week in Review, which noted that the overall unemployment rate is 1 percent higher for men than women over the age of 16, but single women were still hit the hardest by the rise in unemployment. It would be interesting to know what the stats show for this other category the article touches on — those in survival jobs.

Gender check: 4/19/11 – 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 1:30 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, April 19, was titled “Volunteer cleanup in parks seen by city union as threat.” Its subject was union officials for city parks-maintenance works raising concerns about offers of a local businessman for his company to do volunteer cleanup work.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, president trash-collection company

2. Male, attorney for union

3. Male, spokesman for mayor

4. Male, business agent for union

5. Female, chief of staff for mayor (via letter)

6. Male, acting HR director for transportation department (via letter)

7. Male, acting parks superintendent

Notes/analysis: The only female mentioned in this story is quoted from a letter that the union got a hold of that was sent to a male transportation director.


Website: Seattle P-I

On the Seattle P-I, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 1:30 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, April 19, was titled “Charge: Despondent Kent man pointed rifle at police before he was shot.” Its subject was charges against a man who was shot by police after being armed with an assault rifle and pointing it at one of the officers.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1.Male, detective

2. Female, senior deputy prosecuting attorney

Gender Check 4/20/11 – 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 8:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, April 20 was titled “Ohio County Losing Its Young to Painkillers’ Grip.” Its subject was a former industrial town that has been hit with deaths due to drug overdoses.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – state governor (from public statement)

2. Male – police chief

3. Female – nurse

4. Male – father

5. Female – mother

6. Male – counselor

7. Female – mother

8. Male – state assemblyman

9. Female – spokeswoman for the governor

Notes/analysis: The photo accompanying the story pictured three victims of drug overdosing, all male.

Website: ProPublica

On ProPublica, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 8:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, April 20 was titled “Fracking Chemicals Cited in Congressional Report Stay Underground.” Its subject was the injection of chemicals into the ground by gas drillers.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Female – policy analyst (from an earlier ProPublica story)

2. Male – spokesman (from an email)

Notes/Analysis: Most of this story came from the Congressional report as well as former coverage of the topic by ProPublica.

Gender Check 4/15/11 – 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 11 a.m. (EST) on Friday, April 15 was titled “How a Group of Cuban Exiles Set Up to Topple Fidel Casto.” Its subject was the first part in a series exploring Cuban History.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – commander in Bay of Pigs invasion (from historical records)

2. Male – army commander (from written comments)

3. Male – soldier

4. Male – soldier

5. Male – infantryman

6. Male – brigade member

7. Male – brigade pilot

8. Male – soldier

Notes/analysis: Since the story focused on accounts of soldiers from this historcial event 50 years ago, women would not have been involved in direct combat or the mission being discussed.

Website: Patch (Seminole Heights)

On Patch of Seminole Heights, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 11 a.m. (EST) on Friday, April 15 was titled “Hope, Love and Suds .” Its subject was a feature on a laundromat with services for the homeless.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – operator of organization

2. Male – visitor to business

3. Female – volunteer

Notes/analysis: The names of human sources appeared in bold in this story, which is not a usual style choice for this site.

Gender Check 4/13/11 – 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 10:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, April 13 was titled “Egyptian Prosecuters Order 15-Day Detention of Hosni Mubarak.” Its subject was the continuing struggle in Egypt for a accountability from its past leadership.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Authors: Male (dual byline)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – online news editor

Notes/analysis: This story was compiled mostly from press releases, AP reports, and government authorities who went unnamed.

Website: ProPublica

On ProPublica, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 10:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, April 13 was titled “Critical Shortage of Army Neurologists for U.S. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Its subject was policy changes in treatment requirements for soldiers suffering from brain injuries. It was co-published with NPR.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Authors: Male (dual byline)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Unknown – unnamed Army doctor

2. Male – Army general

3. Female – spokeswoman for Army Surgeon General

Notes/Analysis: This story was sparked by the release of a memo, from which much of the article’s information came.