Seattle P-I

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: 3/1/11 – 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 2:30 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, March 1, was titled “State’s monthly job results good, as unemployment drops.” Its subject was the drop in unemployment and strongest monthly job picture in three years.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, chief economist

2. Male, spokesman

Notes/analysis: The article was mostly recently released numbers from the Employment Security Department.


Website: Seattle P-I

On the Seattle P-I, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 2:30 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, March 1, was titled “Report: Early warnings kept from Seattle School Board.” Its subject was a look at who had knowledge of a report that warned of a billing scandal in a small business contracting program for the school district based on information revealed through internal documents that were recently released.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, former director of facilities (from note)

2. Female, former prosecutor (from report she prepared)

3. Male, accountant

4. Male, former employee, subject of issue (in e-mail)

Notes/analysis: Most sources were referenced from documents they had written that were recently released such as a report, e-mails and notes. At the center of the issue are a male employee and a male supervisor of that employee. Also now in question is the female schools superintendent.

Gender check: 2/22/11 – 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 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, Feb. 22, was titled “U.S: Seattle couple, 2 other Americans killed by pirates.” Its subject was the deaths of four Americans (two male and two female) who were taken hostage and killed by pirates while sailing on their yacht off the coast of East Africa.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: AP and Seattle Times staff (with a male and a female contributor mentioned at the end)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Female, niece of the one of the female victims

2. Female, victim (via an e-mail sent before Valentine’s Day)

3. Male, animal shelter director who worked with one of the male victims

4. Male, monsignor (speaking of couple)

5. Male, professor, friend of one of the male victims

6. Male, general of U.S. Central Command

7. Male, pirate

8. Male, head of Dryad Maritime Intelligence

Notes/analysis: Sources speak on three of the four people killed as individuals. One of the females is only referenced as part of a couple with her husband whose background is described. She is named twice — with a different first name each time (Jean vs. Jane). Based on other news sources, her name appears to be Jean.


Website: Seattle P-I

On the Seattle P-I, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 2 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, Feb. 22, was titled “Up to 6 inches of snow possible by Thursday.” Its subject was a winter storm watch issued for the Seattle area and a large part of Western Washington.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male (with a male contributor)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, department of transportation spokesman

2. Male, meteorologist (via his weather blog)

Gender check: 2/15/11 – West

Jasmine R. Linabary1 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 12:30 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, Feb. 15, was titled “Data center may be too big for state needs.” Its subject was the cost of a complex being built to consolidate roughly three dozen state data centers.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Female, spokeswoman, Department of Information Services

2. Male, representative to state legislature (Republican)

3. Male, representative (Democrat)

4. Female, development manager

5. Male, OFM deputy director

Notes/analysis: Both women mentioned are with the department that will operate the center.


Website: Seattle P-I

On the Seattle P-I, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 12:30 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, Feb. 15, was titled “Teen kicked by Seattle cop wants $450,000 from city.” Its subject subject was a case of alleged police abuse during a drug bust as well as a roundup of recent cases of police abuse caught on video.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, attorney

2. Male, deputy chief

3. Male, officers guild president

4. Male, prosecutor

5. Male, city attorney

Notes/analysis: Most sources were paraphrased. Most of the individuals mentioned in the story are male, with the exception of two teenage girls (one of which was punched in the face by an officer) and U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan, who with others will meet to respond to requests to investigate the department.

Gender check: 2/8/11 – 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 3:15 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, Feb. 8, was titled “Kemper Freeman quits Bellevue business group his father founded.” Its subject was the departure of a key figure from a business association over differences in opinion, including over an endorsement of light rail.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, developer (main subject)

2. Female, president of the business association

3. Male, chair of the board

4. Male, mayor

5. Male, former association president

Notes/analysis: See below notes.


Website: Seattle P-I

On the Seattle P-I, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 3:15 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, Feb. 8, was titled “Man accused in threats against Seattle Democrat Jim McDermott pleads not guilty.” Its subject was the plea of a California man who made threatening phone calls to a Congressman’s office.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male, suspect charged

2. Male, special agent

3. Female, U.S. attorney

Notes/analysis: The headlines on both articles this week included mentions of at least two male subjects, one by name in each. These men were then the focal points of the articles. Prior studies, such as the 2010 Global Media Monitoring Project, have shown that less than 15 percent of news items focus on women or female subjects.