Go
      to
      the
      front
      page
      of
     
     
      The
      Guelph
      Mercury,
      The
      Globe
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and.
      Mail,
      The
      New
      York
      Times.-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Look
      at
      any
      major
      newspaper.
      And
     
     
      count.
      Count
      the
      number
      of
      times
     
     
      that
      women
      are
      the
      subject
      of
      sto-
     
     
      ries.
      Count
      the
      number
      of
      times
     
     
      their
      names
      are
      mentioned.
      Count
     
     
      the
      number
      of
      times
      they
      appear
      in
     
     
      photographs.
     
    

    
     
      And
      then
      go
      back
      and
      count
     
     
      the
      number
      of
      times
      that
      men’s
     
     
      names
      and
      faces
      appear.
     
    

    
     
      What
      you
      will
      find
      is
      that
     
     
      women
      appear
      in
      only
      13%
      of
      the
     
     
      lead
      stories,
      accord-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      example,
      early
      last
      year,
      the
     
     
      American
      media
      feasted
      on
     
     
      Gennifer
      Flower’s
      disclosure
      of
      her
     
     
      12
      year
      affair
      with
      President-elect
     
     
      Bill
      Clinton.
      300
      different
      news
     
     
      sources
      attended
      a
      Star
      press
      con-
     
     
      ference
      that
      introduced
      Flower’s
     
     
      story
      to
      the
      public.
      Many
      of
      those
     
     
      in
      attendance
      were
      from
      the
      main-
     
     
      stream
      press,
      not
      the
      tabloids.
     
    

    
     
      In
      contrast,
      stories
      that
      deal
     
     
      with
      women’s
      achievements
      are
      of-
     
     
      tennotcovered
      by
      the
      popular
      press
     
     
      or
      placed
      underneath
      Dear
      Abby.
     
     
      For
      example,
      when
      a
      group
      of
      more
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      to
      arecentstudy
     
     
      by
      the
      University
      of
     
     
      Southem
      Califor-
     
     
      nia.
      If
      you
      check
     
     
      the
      Sports
      section,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      you
      will
      find
      that
      ©.
      DAVID
      CLARK,
      Chairman
      and
      Publisher
      ”
     
    

    
     
      WILLIAM
      THORSELL,
      Editor-in-chiel
      WILLIAM
      GREENHALGH,
      President
     
     
      out
      of
      100
      sports
      Jorn
      Managing
      Editor
      _-Proprietor—The
      Globe
      and
      Mail
      Division
     
     
      ;
      .
      MARGARET
      WENTE,
      Editor,
      Report
      on
      Business
      of
      Thomson
      Newspapers
      Company
      Limited
     
     
      stories,
      7
      are
      about
      EDWARD
      GREENSPON,
      Deputy
      Managing
      Editor
      444
      Front
      SLW.,
      Toronto
      MSV
      259
     
     
      women.
      Although
      Cn
      Cae.
      Cay
      eee
      eat
      eT
      or
     
    
   
   
    
     
      they
      make
      up
      more
     
     
      than
      half
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      GLOBE
      AND
      MAIL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CANADA’S
      NATIONAL
      NEWSPAPER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      subject
      who
      is
      truly
      loyal
      to
      the
      Chief
      Magistrate
     
     
      will
      neither
      advise
      nor
      submit
      to
      arbitrary
      measures.
      JUNIUS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Thursday,
      January
      7,
      1993
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      population,
      women
     
     
      are
      virtually
      absent
      from
      the
      front
     
     
      pages
      of
      our
      nation’s
      newspapers.
     
    

    
     
      Can
      the
      absence
      of
      women
      in
     
     
      the
      news
      be
      simply
      explained
      by
     
     
      the
      uneven
      distribution
      of
      women
     
     
      and
      men
      in
      our
      society’
      s
      positions
     
     
      of
      power?
      Are
      there
      no
      women
      out
     
     
      there
      worth
      more
      than
      a
      token
      men-
     
     
      tion
      now
      and
      again?
      Are
      wornen
     
     
      doing
      nothing
      worthy
      of
      recogni-
     
     
      tion?
     
    

    
     
      Ironically,
      when
      their
      stories
     
     
      do
      make
      the
      front
      page,
      women
     
     
      often
      grab
      the
      headlines
      because
      of
     
     
      their
      connection
      to
      powerful
      men.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Would
      a
      more
      appropriate
      name
      beTHE
      GLOBE
      AND
      MALE?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      than
      800
      women
      won
      the
      largest
     
     
      sex-discrimination
      court
      award
      in
     
     
      U.S.
      history
      in
      April
      1992,
      most
     
     
      newspapers
      paid
      little
      more
      than
     
     
      cursory
      attention
      to
      this
      historical
     
     
      moment.
      The
      Edmonton
      Journal,
      a
     
     
      highly
      respected
      newspaper,
      Cov-
     
     
      ered
      the
      story
      in
      a
      50
      word
      blurb.
     
     
      Who
      decides
      whether
      it
      is
     
     
      Flower’s
      story
      that
      makes
      the
      front
     
     
      page
      orthe
      sex-discrimination
      case?
     
     
      Who
      decides
      how
      much
      attention
      a
     
     
      story
      deserves?
      Whois
      in
      control
      of
     
     
      the
      nation’s
      news
      rooms?
      Who
     
     
      makes
      the
      editorial
      board
      decisions?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      If
      you
      guessed
      men,
      you'd
      be
      right.
     
     
      Four
      years
      ago,
      Southam
      (one
     
     
      of
      Canada’s
      major
      media
      conglom-
     
     
      erates)
      organized
      a
      task
      force
      that
     
     
      found
      only
      six
      of
      Southam’s
      120
     
     
      senior
      executives
      were
      women.
      In
     
     
      1992,
      the
      number
      had
      risen
      to
      a
     
     
      mere
      eight
      out
      of
      120.
      In
      Canada’s
      _
     
     
      broadcast
      media,
      women
      occupy
     
    
   
   
    
     
      15
      per
      cent
      of
      the
      positions
      in
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      public
      sector
      (CBC
      and
      educational:
     
     
      networks),
      but
      in
      the
      private
      sector
     
     
      this
      number
      dwindles
      to
      a
      meager
     
     
      one
      per
      cent
      of
      the
      positions.
     
     
      Because
      they
      control
      most
      of
     
     
      the
      editorial
      power,
      men
      define
      the
     
     
      news
      in
      Canada.
      Not
      only
      do
      they
     
     
      decide
      which
      stories
      to
      place
      on
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      first
      page,
      but
      they
      also
      define
      which
     
    
   
   
    
     
      stories
      are
      “newsworthy”
      and
      how
     
     
      they
      should
      be
      reported.
      Unfortu-
     
     
      nately,
      their
      choices
      reinforce
      the
     
     
      male-dominated,
      conservative
     
     
      agenda
      that
      controls
      Canadian
      me-
     
     
      dia,
      and
      the
      results
      are
      often
      insult-
     
     
      ing
      and
      harmful
      to
      women.
     
    

    
     
      For
      example,
      a
      nation-wide
      ©
     
     
      Canadian
      Press
      story
      was
      circulated
     
     
      to
      national
      newspapers
      on
      the
      De-
     
     
      cember
      1991
      acquittal
      of
      Queen’s
     
     
      University
      student,
      Robert
     
     
      VanOostrom.
      VanOostrom
      was
     
     
      charged
      with
      sexually
      assaulting
     
     
      three
      Kingston
      women.
      In
      the
      story,
     
     
      the
      reporterclaims
      that
      VanOostrom
     
     
      was
      “chased
      from
      the
      courthouse”
     
     
      by
      a
      “mob”
      of
      feminists
      from
      —
     
     
      Queen’s,
      “a
      hotbed
      of
      radical
      femi-
     
     
      nism.”
      Not
      only
      does
      the
      reporter
     
     
      not
      bother
      to
      inform
      his
      readers
     
     
      how
      many
      women
      he
      considers
      to
     
     
      be
      mob,
      but
      his
      use
      of
      loaded
      de-
     
     
      scriptive
      words
      like
      “mob”
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      above
      story
      is
      taken
      directly
      from
      the
      University
      of
      Guelph's
      Peak.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      10