St. Louis Beacon

Gender check: 7/28/11 – 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)

“Missing inmate went through unlocked gate, scaled fence to escape St. Louis jail,” Stltoday.com, 7/28/2011

On Stltoday.com, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 8:45 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, July 28, was titled “Missing inmate went through unlocked gate, scaled fence to escape St. Louis jail.” Its subject was a man who escaped the city jail.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, city hall operations director

Notes/analysis: Photos with this story were by a male photographer.


Website: St. Louis Beacon

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 8:45 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, July 28, was titled “Congress lurches toward endgame compromise if competing plans fail.” Its subject was the status and opinion on the two competing plans regarding the “debt ceiling crisis.”

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, U.S. senator (D)
  2. Female, U.S. representative (R)
  3. Male, U.S. representative (R)
  4. Female, U.S. senator (D)
  5. Male, U.S. senator (R)
  6. Male, U.S. senator (D)

Notes/analysis: The story includes four mug shots — two of females and two of males.

Gender check: 7/21/11 – 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 11:10 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, July 21, was titled “5-year-old fatally shot by brother, 10, in Belleville.” Its subject was the death of a 5-year-old boy by gunshots, the third fatal shooting involving a child recently in the area (all accidental).

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, police chief
  2. Male, police captain
  3. Female, grandmother of the boys
  4. Male, neighbor

Notes/analysis: The boys’ mother declined to comment.


Website: St. Louis Beacon

St. Louis Beacon, 7/21/11

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 1:10 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, July 21, was titled “Republican legislators announce deal that could affect China hub effort.” Its subject was a deal reached on economic development that also affects the state’s tax credit programs.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, spokesman (unnamed) for governor
  2. Male, state House speaker
  3. Male, state representative
  4. Male, chief executive of chamber of commerce and industry
  5. Male, chief executive of regional chamber and growth association

Notes/analysis: The article contains two mug shots, both of males. It also has an image from a press conference where the majority visible are male. As we’ve pointed out before, the majority of those in leadership in the Missouri Legislature are male. At last count, the state’s House of Representatives had 23 women and 34 men. Eight of the 34 members of the state’s Senate were female.

Gender Check: 7/14/11 – 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 8 a.m. (PST) Thursday, July 14, was titled “Federal agents seize 2,300 pounds of pot from truck near Pacific.” Its subject was marijuana in a secret compartment of a tractor trailer parked on the side of the interstate.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, spokesman with U.S. Immigration and Customs agency

Notes/analysis: This was a developing story.

Website: St. Louis Beacon

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 8 a.m. (PST) Thursday, July 14, was titled “Crack cocaine offenders may get early release; neighborhoods hope to avoid reentry problems.” Its subject was a plan to ease sentences of some inmates with crack cocaine sentences.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, professor
  2. Female, district judge
  3. Male, chief probation officer
  4. Female, associate professor
  5. Male, resident
  6. Male, alderman
  7. Female, resident
  8. Male, federal parole officer

Notes/analysis: The article also contains several of mug shots of sources — two of women and one of a man.

Gender check: 7/7/11 – 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 9:30 a.m. (PST) Thursday, July 7, was titled “St. Louis closes 18th Street bridge for emergency repairs.” Its subject was closures as a result of repairs to a bridge.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, traffic commissioner

Notes/analysis: The story was only five graphs long and simply detailed expected closures, delays and alternative routes.

Website: St. Louis Beacon

St. Louis Beacon, 7/7/11

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 9:30 a.m. (PST) July 7, was titled “As anti-terrorism funding shrinks, controversy grows over how to spend it.” Its subject was cuts to funding bringing about debates in how the security funds should be used.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Female, Department of Homeland secretary
  2. Male, U.S. representative
  3. Male, U.S. representative
  4. Male, public safety administrator
  5. Female, director of emergency services and homeland security
  6. Male, task force member
  7. Male, research fellow
  8. Male, U.S. senator
  9. Male, spokesman for male U.S. representative
  10. Female, spokeswoman for female U.S. senator
  11. Male, U.S. representative
  12. Male, spokesman for male U.S. senator

Notes/analysis: The article also contains a number of mug shots of sources — four of men and one of a woman.

Gender check: 6/30/11 – 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)

Stltoday.com, 6/30/2011

On Stltoday.com, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 8:45 a.m. (PST) Thursday, June 30, was titled “Former Brentwood official admits stealing $30,000 for gambling.” Its subject was a former city administrator admits to embezzling.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, mayor
  2. Males (2), defense lawyers (together said)
  3. Male, former city administrator, suspect

Website: St. Louis Beacon

St. Louis Beacon, 6/30/11

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 8:45 a.m. (PST) June 30, was titled “In Morehouse, people are recovering from flood, one step at a time.” Its subject was a look at how the people of one community are dealing with the after-effects of flooding.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Female, resident
  2. Male, mayor
  3. Male, resident
  4. Male, FEMA spokesperson
  5. Female, Hoopa group (helping)
  6. Male, reverend
  7. Female, resident

Notes/analysis: The article also contains a photo slideshow. Those images with human figures feature a single person. There were five with males (two of the mayor) and four with females.