Since reality TV is product-placement driven, it’s no surprise that the genre routinely attempts to manufacture a vision of “reality” which — though bearing little resemblance to real life — methodically mirrors the deeply sexist ideology of Madison Avenue. In the world of advertising, women are always “hot girls,” never self-actualized adults; we’re always available […]

Women In Media & News has since our inception worked to impress upon the media that war, and peace, are women’s issues and can be reported as such. Unfortunately, even when journalists attempt to produce in-depth stories that take a gendered lens to the topic of military conflict, institutional sexism often compromises the end […]

It’s not often that a cable news journalist actually shows much interest in, oh, say, the news anymore. But when MNSBC’s Mika Brzezinski’s producer insisted that Paris Hilton be her lead story on “Morning Joe” on a day when Republican Senator Richard Lugar made a major anti-war speech to the Senate, she objected. Her producer […]

Forget Yankees vs. Red Sox: let’s fight over who’s more pro-gay!
Whenever New Yorkers ask me where I’m from, and I say “Massachusetts,” many say something like “Oh, so you’re a RED SOX fan” in the tone reserved for statements like “Oh, SO YOU’VE GOT A TERMINAL ILLNESS.” Thing is, I’m not an anything fan. The […]

(Note: I wrote this yesterday, so the language says “today” throughout… apologies!)
Were I still an employee of the Wall Street Journal, I might not have shown up for work this morning, thanks to Rupert Murdoch’s insane quest to dominate the world with right-wing wingnut faux news crap.
Even long-time readers might be surprised to hear that […]

All you closet Klansmen out there, you would-be Bull O’Connors and George Wallaces, listen up: it is officially time to party! Get out your balloons and confetti, and iron your best white robes, because the Bush Supreme Court has officially declared that racial integration and diversity DON’T MATTER AT ALL. The Bush court says that […]

So, last night, CNN’s Larry King Live was supposed to have aired a full hour conversation with documentarian Michael Moore, pegged to his new film, Sicko, and focused on the often life-and-death issue of health care reform in America. Instead, they bumped Moore and reschedule the segment for Friday, in order to air a much […]

If you get past the unfortunate headline (“Cougars Vs. Kittens: Claws Come Out Again on Reality TV“) to the promising subhead (”Critics See Nothing Redeeming in the ‘Social Experiment’ of Pitting Older and Younger Women Against One Another”), you’ll find that ABC News.com writer Jonann Brady offers a stronger critique of reality TV dating shows […]

On the heels of Afghan feminist parliamentarian Malalia Joya’s being suspended from the Afghan parliament and targeted with death threats, as WIMN’s Voices blogger Sonali Kolhatkar wrote last month, the Associated Press reported yesterday that Afghan women journalists are also facing threats of violence and murder.
In an article headlined, “Afghan women journalists targeted,” the […]

Last week, I noticed The Catholic League’s scurrilous ad attacking Barbara Walters in the New York Times. Since I have often had to go up against the organization’s garrulously sexist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic president, William Donohue, in the media, I was moved to drop Barbara a note of support. She responded to it warmly.
Imagine, […]