Women’s Media Center Study: Men Overwhelmingly Report the News in 2021 - Online News Most Equitable

Click here for the “WMC Divided 2021: The Media Gender Gap” report.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gender inequality in America’s newsrooms continues across all media platforms as men overall receive 57% of news bylines and credits and women 41%, according to the Women’s Media Center’s latest report, “Divided 2021: The Media Gender Gap.” Two percent were not ascertained.

WMC researchers analyzed 80,668 pieces of content from January 1 through March 31 for 30 news outlets across four platforms: print newspaper, online news, broadcast network and cable TV news, and wire services in the United States.

Online news was the most equitable, while the wires were the least, according to the research:

• 52% of online news is written by men; 45% by women. Two percent were not ascertained.

• 57% of anchors and correspondents on TV prime-time weekday evening news broadcasts (cable and network) are men; 43% are women.
• 58% of print news is written by men; 39% is written by women. Three percent were not ascertained.
• 64% of news wire bylines (AP and Reuters) are snagged by men; 36% by women.
• PBS’s “NewsHour,” where Judy Woodruff is anchor and managing editor: 56% women, 44% men.
• MSNBC’s “The ReidOut,” with host Joy Reid: 49% women, 51% men.
• CBS’s “Evening News,” where Norah O’Donnell is the anchor and managing editor: 45% women, 55% men.
• CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront,” 44% women, 56% men.
• ABC’s “World News Tonight,” anchored by David Muir, 38% women; 62% men.
• Fox’s “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” 32% women; 68% men.

“The Women’s Media Center found that, during this moment of newsroom reckoning, men still dominate when reporting the news,” said Julie Burton, President and CEO of the Women’s Media Center. “Women are more than half of the population, yet it’s men who are telling most of the stories. As a result, the news media is missing out on major stories, readers, and viewers and important perspectives. The gender gap is real. We hope that the industry will take heed and implement meaningful change.”

Among the seven internet news sites examined, the widest gender gap was at MSNBC, where men wrote 88% of articles and women wrote 12%. The narrowest gap was at Vox, where women wrote 50%, men 47%, and nonbinary journalists wrote 3% of articles. Women had more bylines than men at CNN.com, HuffPost, and Vox.

On average, men reported the majority of stories on prime-time TV weekday evening news broadcasts, although women reported a solid majority of the stories at “PBS NewsHour.” MSNBC’s “The ReidOut” came close to reaching parity. Fox had the lowest percentage of women as anchors/hosts, correspondents, and reporters.

“There is so much work that needs to be done if we are to achieve true equality and inclusion in media,” stated WMC Board Chair Janet Dewart Bell. “Everyone wins when media executives expand opportunities to include women as sources, anchors, hosts, correspondents, and in all news positions.”

“News organizations must be held accountable for the persistent disparities and inequities in media,” said WMC Co-Founder Gloria Steinem.“Women must be visible and powerful in all aspects of media if American society is ever to be a real democracy.”

WMC’s analysis also found that, in the print sector, The Arizona Republic was the only outlet that had a majority of stories reported by women. The widest gender gaps were at The New York Post, Newsday (New York), and The Dallas Morning News. In addition to The Arizona Republic, the narrowest gaps were at The New York Times and The Washington Post.

During an extraordinary year of news and news coverage — about COVID-19, race, politics, media, and other critical concerns — men dominated in election coverage and international politics while women reported more stories than men about education, health, lifestyle and leisure, religion, racial justice, social justice, COVID-19, and science and environment. Health stories did not include coverage of COVID-19. All COVID-19 stories were included in a separate category. An overwhelming majority of weather, obituary, and sports stories were reported by men.

“Divided 2021: The Media Gender Gap” research was conducted by WMC Media Lab and Lake Research Partners. For the first time, cable TV news was included in this regular WMC analysis. WMC, which has produced the “Divided” report for six years, changed its research period from September 1 to November 30 of the previous year to the start of the research release year. It also adjusted the list of print newspapers to reflect shifts in circulation numbers, and to include newsrooms in regions of the country not previously examined in “Divided” reports. Content included articles of at least 500 words and TV news transcripts. For full methodology, click here.

The Women’s Media Center, co-founded by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem, is an inclusive feminist organization that works to raise the visibility, viability, and decision-making power of women and girls in media to ensure that their stories get told and their voices are heard. We do this by researching media through the WMC Media Lab; creating and modeling original online and on-air journalism; training women and girls to be effective in media; and promoting women experts in all fields through WMC SheSource.

WMC online and on-air journalism channels include the award-winning podcast and radio show WMC Live with Robin Morgan, WMC Features, WMC Women Under Siege, WMC FBomb, WMC IDAR/E, WMC Climate, and WMC Speech Project.

Click here for the “WMC Divided 2021: The Media Gender Gap” report.

For more information, contact Cristal Williams Chancellor, Director of Communications, at cristal@womensmediacenter.com or 202-270-8539.

Updated July 2022