There are some things I just don't get.
Lately it's been why women on the local news have become overly sex-y-fied?
Has anyone else noticed that on some stations women who are delivering the news or the morning traffic reports are dressed in a low-cut or extremely form-fitting outfit that's not a business suit? It usually sticks out more because the men are dressed in a regular suit or shirt and tie. I've also noticed lots of long, flowing hair and intense make-up that is usually seen on women in music videos. It seems to be on just particular channels. And I'm guessing they think that we want to hear about shootings, scandals and lay-offs from young, or those who appear young, sexy vixens.
This week, The Laurel highlighted an article that appeared in the Baltimore Sun regarding Marianne Banister, a 51 year old experienced television anchor who was let go from her position allegedly for economic reasons. She was the third female anchor in the past year and half to be let go from a local Baltimore station.
A local reader commented:
"Discrimination against women employed in television media is well-documented, and I hope that this isn't the case regarding Marianne. ...I often wonder why media critics still shy away from examining hiring and contract differences with female anchors, newsreaders, employees. Perhaps because many media critics still fit the middle-aged male demographic, and they see women on air which automatically means there are no problems, right?"
Hmmmmm.
Back in 2009, Connecticut political reporter Shelly Sindland filed an employment complaint against her then employer, Fox 61. Her complaint describes a hostile work environment where station management remarked that Friday newscasts looked like "Big Boob Fridays" because of a female reporter wearing a tighter t-shirt on Fridays and resulted in increased ratings; at a photo shoot, the female reporters were encouraged to look more "sexy"; photographs of a station reporter in a bikini were passed around to male employees by station management. In addition to other examples of discrimination, Sindland also alleged in her complaint that despite being a seasoned, experienced reporter, she was passed over to cover a high profile news story for a less experienced, younger reporter.
Her attorney had this to say about the complaint:
"As her complaint affadavit alleges, Fox 61 actively encourages younger women to 'be sexy,' and favors younger women and men of all ages over older, more experienced female on-air news professionals."
You can read a good general overview of the complaint, here. And for a good legal break-down and analysis of her complaint, click here. It appears that the complaint will be going away as earlier this year, it was reported Sindland was close to settling with her former employer.
Prior to the wide publicity of Sindland's claim, The Laurel suggested that long-time Fox 61 anchor Susan Christensen was pushed out of her position because of her age. You can read that here.
I'm also wondering that as these anchors age, do they feel there is a target on their back and do things to enhance their image. Or are they being "encouraged" to do this by management? Some perform burlesque routines at radio station events to promote their "sexiness." I'm not kidding. Check out a news anchor's performance at a public event here.
Perhaps changing the gender imbalance in the management of these stations would bring back a sense of professional journalism to local news media. In its Global Report on the Status of Women in News Media, the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) found that 73% of the top management jobs are occupied by men compared to 27% occupied by women.
At a panel discussion during IWMF's International Conference of Women Leaders in March of this year, its moderator, Katty Kay of BBC World News America, noted "We all know having women at the top changes the situation all the way down the pipeline."
As with everything related to women's standing in the world, having women in leadership positions leads to change for women in all positions.
Have you been noticing what I've been noticing?
If not, I shall leave you with links to the websites of Connecticut's newsteams. Check out the women's photos and bios. For one newsteam in particular, there are slideshows of photos- be sure to check them all out and compare. Curious to hear what you think!
No comments:
Post a Comment