Representing women? Leadership roles and women in Canadian broadcast news

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the representation of women in Canadian broadcast news coverage, exploring the notion of substantive representation as it relates to gender, leadership and framing. Design/methodology/approach Using computer-aided text analysis software, the authors analyzed the frequency of women appearing in on-air roles, the way in which they are framed, as well as technical and expressive details, such as how they are featured. In total, the authors analyzed representation of 2,031 individuals in the four suppertime local news broadcasts from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Framed in an ecological model of complex social change, this paper focuses on understanding how women are presented in Canadian broadcast media. Findings This study finds that women are under-represented in Canadian broadcast media. Furthermore, it finds that women are less likely to be framed as leaders or experts and are less likely to hold news host or anchor positions. For all major news broadcasters analyzed, women are less likely to be portrayed positively or in leadership/expert positions and are more often represented as victims. They are less likely to appear on screen and are more likely to be referred to off-screen, paraphrased and cited rather than speaking for themselves. Research limitations/implications By framing this study in an (critical) ecological, this study moved beyond required descriptive benchmarking to examine the degree of substantive representation of women. However, the sample of the study is only a snapshot of Canada’s largest city, and, therefore, more research involving further a comparative analysis of cities, a variety of print sources and online media outlets is needed. Future research might include more qualitative analysis of the representation, the type of representation and the factors affecting levels of representation. For example, such research might explore the practices in broadcast organizations, the way in which stories are framed and how guests selected. Also of interest is the relationship between women’s representation at the decision-making table, as an input, and the representation of women in on-air roles, as an outcome. Practical implications The implications of this article are important for understanding the complex factors affecting female leadership across sectors, particularly, the Canadian broadcast industry, the barriers they face and the strategies that may lead to their advancement. Originality/value This study moved beyond descriptive benchmarking to examine the degree of substantive representation of women by coding the frames, roles and means of quotation experienced by women on broadcast news.

Gender in local television news presentation: An analysis of TV news markets in the US Northwest

“…Past research has discovered males to be the most prominent gender shown as news talent in television news (Cann & Mohr, 2001;"New Research," 2014;Cukier et al, 2016). However, research from 2010 in the Northeast region of the United States found no significant difference between males and females as news talent (Desmond & Danilewicz).…”

“…However, Armstrong et al, (2006) discovered male and female news talent, anchors and reporters, were displayed virtually equally in local newscasts in Wisconsin, however, females were not as apparent in network television newscasts. According to (Irvin, 2013;"New Research," 2014;Cukier et al, 2016) males are still the common face on the television news screen as anchors and reporters.…”

“…Not only did the study find female journalists to be underrepresented, but they were also found to be more likely to produce and report stories targeting lifestyle, culture, and health, compared to the men who were found more likely to cover politics, crime, sports, and technology ("New Research," 2014). Cukier, Jackson, Elmi, Roach, and Cyr (2016) coded for frequency of female presentation. Out of 2,031 individuals identified, females were less likely to appear on screen as overall news talent compared to males.…”

“…However, even though female news talent is more noticeable on the small screen, they are not yet as equally represented compared to males ("New Research," 2014). Research has found the television news industry has not displayed visible, equal presentation between males and females (Cann & Mohr, 2001;Chambers, Steiner & Fleming, 2004;Irvin, 2013;"New Research," 2014;North, 2014;Cukier et al, 2016).…”

“…TV news anchors and reporters are employed by news executives to represent each television news station. Research has discovered the prominent face in the news industry as anchors and reporters today are males (Irvin, 2013;"New Research," 2014;Cukier et al, 2016).…”