PressEthic

In a recent column published in the [Minneapolis] Star Tribune, writer Amiee Blanchette made note of the dramatic decrease in the number of male news reporters found on television as of late. Though men are the faces of our national news, she says, women dominate local news broadcasts, representing 57 percent of all anchors. The trend, Blanchette reports, started about a decade ago, and it’s future is reflected in the make up of collage journalism classes today.

“The male disappearing act starts in the classroom. At the University of Minnesota this fall, women outnumber men 227 to 125 in the professional journalism major, which includes broadcasting. Ken Stone, a broadcast journalism professor who spent 20 years working in radio and TV news, has 10 women and six men in his advanced reporting class; he said that's as balanced as it gets.”

Apparently this is good news for guys majoring in broadcast. According to one source for Blanchette’s article, he received over eight offers right after graduation, which is far better off than any other recent grad that I’ve ever known, regardless of major.

Though the ease in which guys are able to simply find paying jobs after graduation is enough to make any young female journalist a little envious, there’s something else to get angry about. Though women my dominate screen time, there aren’t many calling behind the scene shots.

“Despite their growing numbers in the newsroom, women have yet to reach parity as top-level executives. Although 55 percent of executive producers are women, only 21 percent of news directors are.”

Even more disturbing is the idea that the flood of young women into the world of broadcast has some how glamorized (and as a result, trivialized) the serious task of news reporting.

"Twenty-five years ago, whoever was the best at delivering the news got the job, and I think today it's more glamorized," said University of Minnesota senior Adam Somers, who is focusing on a career in radio. "They're pretty much making stars out of their anchors, and that doesn't interest me."

The idea of women making more of a presence in ol’boys club of journalism sounds like good news, especially when considering that since the change in diversity is still in it’s early stages, in the future there maybe more women working higher up positions in the industry. But if it’s at the price of furthering the concept of sexy “info-tainment,” (or as one old roommate of mine used to call it, “Foxy News”), then I’m concerned. Yes, television news is a business that has to fight for ratings, but at time when consumers are fed up with a untrustworthy media, young journalists need to prove that they can just stick to the facts.