Gender Checks

Gender Check 3/11/11 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 3 p.m. (EST) on Friday, March 11 was titled “South Dade Gets Mini-Arsht Center.” Its subject was the announcement of $51 million contract for a new performing arts center to open in the Culter Bay area next month.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – managing director of facility

2. Male – mayor of Cutler Bay

3. Male – director of cultural affairs for Miami-Dade County

4. Male – vice mayor of Cutler Bay

Notes/analysis:

 

Website: Patch (Seminole Heights)

On Patch of Seminole Heights, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 3 p.m. (EST) on Friday, March 11 was titled “City’s Review Of New Garden Regulations Pushed Back.” Its subject was the city council’s decision to hold off on a proposal to change fees for neighborhood garden plots.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Female- organizer in support of the fee change

Notes/analysis: Several groups are mentioned but not by individual members.

Gender check: 3/10/11 – 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 3:50 p.m. (MST) Thursday, March 10, was titled “Funeral service set for slain U.S. deputy marshal.” Its subject was a funeral service set in the death of a deputy U.S. marshal killed during an attempt to apprehend a fugitive.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female (2 males and 1 female also contributed to the report)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, commander of the city’s violent offender unit

2. Female, suspect’s mother (in a letter)

3. Male, founder of a site that tracks police deaths

4. Male, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association

5. Male, a U.S. marshal

Notes/analysis: Those involved in the incident appear to be male, specifically the the shooter as well as the person killed and two others who were injured. The article includes mention of an increase in violence toward law enforcement officials over the past year. The Officer Down Memorial Page, which was mentioned via its founder in the article, shows that so far in 2011 approximately 38 officers have been killed — five of them were women.


Website: St. Louis Beacon

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 3:50 p.m. (MST) Thursday, March 10, was titled “With April election looming, St. Louis County assessor’s race heats up.” Its subject
was details of the race between the final two candidates to become St. Louis County’s first elected assessor for the April 5 election.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, county executive (paraphrased)

2. Female, constituent

3. Female, U.S. Senate candidate

4. Male, Republican candidate

5. Democratic candidate

Notes/analysis: Despite the fact that the race features two male candidates, the article still had a balance of both male and female sources. The article mentions that the two candidates have their final face off tonight — moderated by the League of Women Voters at the University of Missouri St. Louis. The League, which has chapters throughout the United States, was formed shortly before the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. Originally, the organization, which works on encouraging informed participation in government, was for women only, but that was changed in 1973 when men were allowed to join.

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: 3/8/11 – 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 2:15 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, March 8, was titled “UW basketball standout Overton charged with furnishing alcohol to minor.” Its subject was a University of Washington basketball player who is facing a misdemeanor charge for allegedly provided alcohol to two teenage girls. He also, according to a police report, had sex with both of them but is not facing charges related to those allegations.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, detective (in a report)

2. Female, deputy prosecutor (in a memo)

Notes/analysis: I think the explanation of the alleged sex part of the story is particularly noteworthy. The girls were both 16, which is the legal age of consent in Washington. One of the girls said “she felt like she had to have sex with (the player) because of who he was.” Regarding the decision not to press charges related to one of the girl’s claims of being coerced into the sex act, the deputy prosecutor said state law “places the burden on the victim to clearly communicate a lack of consent to the suspect, which she did not do so,” according to witness statements, including the basketball player in question. The deputy prosecutor calls the case “highly problematic” because the girls participated in the sex under “situational pressure.”


Website: Seattle P-I

On the Seattle P-I, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 2:15 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, March 8, was titled “Solved: Guilty plea in slaying of Seattle gang leader.” Its subject was a guilty plea by the male suspect in a 2007 gang-related killing (of a male) on the eve of the trial.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, defense attorney

2. Male, victim (according to witness)

3. Male, co-defendant (when speaking to investigators)

4. Male, senior deputy prosecutor

5. Male, detective (quotes from video)

Gender Check: 3/4/11 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 4 p.m. (EST) on Friday, March 4 was titled “Scott To Fund Port Of Miami Project ” Its subject was the announcement of $77 million to deep dredge the Port of Miami to allow larger ships to travel there.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – Governor of Florida (from public announcement)

Notes/analysis: The accompanying multimedia story pictured an interview with the director of the Port of Miami (who is male) by another female staff member from the Herald.

Website: Patch (Seminole Heights)

On Patch of Seminole Heights, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 4 p.m. (EST) on March 4 was titled “Childcare Center Under Investigation For Neglect.” Its subject was a 3-year-old boy who was left for several hours in the center’s van.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Female- Tampa police spokeswoman

2. Male – local law enforcement (mentioned as choosing to not comment)

3. Male – figure connected to one of the childcare center’s employees

4. Female – mother of a child at the center

Notes/analysis: