Gender check

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: 3/15/11 – 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 3 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, March 15, was titled “Prosecutors to seek death penalty in corrections officer’s slaying.” Its subject was prosecutors announcing they would be requesting the death penalty in the case of a male inmate who strangled to death a female correctional officer.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, prosecuting attorney

2. Male, superintendent of the corrections facility

3. Male, suspect and inmate (according to probable cause statement)

Notes/analysis: There is one photo with the story. It features four males. This case has been one that’s cropped up before during an earlier Gender Check post in February. That lengthier article on the concerns for correctional officers had more balance in its sources with five females out of 12 sources. The article was also had a shared byline by both a male and a female writer.


Website: Seattle P-I

On the Seattle P-I, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 3 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, March 15, was titled “Charge: Seattle-area conman nets $2.3 mil in inheritance scheme.” Its subject was a man being charged with four counts of first-degree theft for conning $2.3 million from a business man as well as roughly $171,000 from a second man.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, detective

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.