St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Gender check: 8/25/11 – 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)

"Man found dead in car was shot outside Moline Acres market" - Stltoday, 8/25/11

On Stltoday.com, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 8:15 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, Aug. 25, was titled “Man found dead in car was shot outside Moline Acres market.” Its subject was findings related to a man discovered dead in a car.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, detective sgt.


Website: St. Louis Beacon

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 8:15 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, Aug. 25, was titled “Water tower down: Icon’s demise breaks ex-Chrysler worker’s link to past.” Its subject was a feature on the impact and life of a former longtime employee of a now closed and demolished Chrysler plant.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, former longtime employee

Notes/analysis: The article also includes a photo and multimedia about the man featured by a male photographer.

Gender check: 8/18/11 – 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 hereto read more.

Website: St. Louis Post-Dispatch(stltoday.com)

On Stltoday.com, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 6:30 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, Aug. 18, was titled “St. Charles house fire claims fourth victim, an 8-year-old boy.” Its subject was deaths in a house fire that killed all but an 11-year-old son in a family of five.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Female, spokeswoman for hospital
  2. Female, spokeswoman for hospital (different than first)
  3. Male, fire captain


Website: St. Louis Beacon

St. Louis Beacon, 8/18/2011

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 6:30 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, Aug. 18, was titled “Del Taco developer to prepare designs for restoration.” Its subject was efforts to restore a “flying saucer” building.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male (intern)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, developer and owner of the former Del Taco building
  2. Female, alderman
  3. Male, local business owner

Notes/analysis: Two photos accompany the story. One is a file photo by a male photographer and another is a file photo by a female intern.

Gender check: 8/11/11 – 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)

"Congressional pages from St. Louis area lament passing of the program" - Stltoday.com, 8/11/2011

On Stltoday.com, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 10:15 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, Aug. 11, was titled “Congressional pages from St. Louis area lament passing of the program.” Its subject was the end of the U.S. House of Representatives’ page program.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Male, house page
  2. Female, widow of former U.S. representative (later noted then she succeeded him)
  3. Male, U.S. representative
  4. Male, first appointed African-American page
  5. Female, former page (college junior)
  6. Female, page (high school junior)
  7. Male, page (high school senior)


Website: St. Louis Beacon

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 10:15 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, Aug. 11, was titled “A year out, political attacks focus on image — not issues.” Its subject was election campaigns and attacks on the images of candidate and incumbents.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Female

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Unknown, top local party official
  2. Male, political science professor
  3. Female, U.S. senator
  4. Male, U.S. representative
  5. Male, unnamed spokesman for lieutenant governor
  6. Male, unnamed spokesman for St. Louis business man (potential candidate)

Notes/analysis: The story also included quotes from releases from political groups.

Gender check: 8/4/11 – 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 10:30 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, Aug. 4, was titled “Justice Department files MSD settlement.” Its subject was a settlement requiring the sewer district to make “extensive” improvements.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Female, spokeswoman for attorney general

Notes/analysis: The article also cites two spokesmen who declined to comment.

Website: St. Louis Beacon

St. Louis Beacon, 8/4/2011

On the St. Louis Beacon, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 10:30 a.m. (PDT) Thursday, Aug. 4, was titled “Students make gains in MAP scores, but schools still fall far short of leaving no child behind.” Its subject was education officials responses to test results.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male

–Human sources (listed in order mentioned):

  1. Female, assistant commissioner for the office of quality schools
  2. Male, U.S. Education Secretary
  3. Female, a school district’s executive director of assessment
  4. Male, superintendent
  5. Male, coordinator for grants

Notes/analysis: The article includes two mugshots — one of a male and one of a female source.

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.