Gender check

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 4/13/11 – 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.

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 – 3/23/11 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.

Gender check: 3/17/11 – 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 p.m. (MST) Thursday, March 17, was titled “Death penalty supporters advance bills in Illinois House.” Its subject was efforts to reinstate the death penalty in the state of Illinois.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, executive director of the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

2. Male, state representative


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) Thursday, March 17, was titled “Missouri House debate on Prop B reveals deep rural-urban split.” Its subject was a debate on regulations around dog breeding currently in the Missouri House.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, state representative

2. Male, state representative

3. Male, state senator

4. Male, president of the Humane Society of the United States

5. Male, state representative

6. Male, state representative

7. Male, state senator

8. Female, state senator

9. Female, state representative

10. Male, state representative

11. Male, state representative

12. Male, political science professor

13. Male, governor

14. Male, state House speaker

Notes/analysis: A lot of male voices dominated this story, but, as discussed in earlier Gender Checks, they also make up the majority of legislators in Missouri’s state government. However, the House has more of a balance than the Senate. Women make up more than 40 percent of the state House, while constituting only 23 percent of the state Senate.