Title: Are Women Really Portrayed Negatively in the Media? - Opinion Front
Headings: Are Women Really Portrayed Negatively in the Media?
Are Women Really Portrayed Negatively in the Media?
Can you get dumber than this…
As Sexual Objects
Impact
Women as Stereotypes
Impact
In Passive, Incompetent Roles
Impact
Women in News and Sports
Impact
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Content: Apart from being underrepresented in hard news, the presence of women professionals in news media was also very less. According to the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), although 57% of news presenters were female, only 29% of the news stories were written by women. In sports news, the figures are even more dismal with only two percent of the airtime occupied by women. Margaret Carlisle Duncan and Michael Messner came up with a report that stated commentators, most of whom were men, used the words “big,” “strong,” “brilliant,” “gutsy” and “aggressive,” to describe male athletes and “weary”, “fatigued,” “frustrated,” “panicked,” “vulnerable” and “choking” to describe female athletes. Impact
The trivialization of women, and the lack of representation in news and sports, has created an unconscious bias in society towards women. Somehow their problems or achievements do not seem to hold the same importance as that of their male counterparts. The media is a powerful tool of change and to bring about a positive change, we have to take certain initiatives. Like any business, media also caters to its viewers and tries to match up to the viewers expectations. If something is offensive then feedback to the editors or online comments can let them know of viewers opinions. With simple steps like these, we can influence a positive change and correct the representation of women.