DPHU1001 Chap.10 Gender in the Media
Gender in the Media
The final workshop examines the power journalists have to shape attitudes to gender roles and stereotypes, and how news stories influence perceptions. It asks how news influences views on gender issues and how the principle of representativeness applies to gender.
The main activity analyses coverage of the Geoffrey Rush case, which arose from allegations about his behaviour during a stage production, led to Daily Telegraph articles in November 2017, and ended with a Federal Court ruling in his favour.
This chapter reads the four article headlines set for the activity as a group.
Each reports something said accurately, but which quotation leads is an editorial choice, and half the set put a challenge to the complainant's credibility first. A Media Watch episode on the so-called TERF war raises questions about new media, community attitudes, balance and neutrality.
The workshop also finalises Podcast 2, so the chapter closes by asking whether gender issues run through the stories in your own episode.
Because this workshop runs alongside the final Podcast 2 session, use it as a last review: test each item in your set for gender framing, then check that your own episode describes the people in those items with the same care you expect from the outlets you are critiquing.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Gender framing: how coverage positions people according to gender roles and expectations
- 02
Headline selection: the choice of which quotation or fact leads a story
- 03
#MeToo: the movement in which people publicly reported sexual harassment and abuse
- 04
Complainant: the person who made an allegation, whose portrayal shapes audience views
- 05
New media: online and social platforms that shape attitudes alongside traditional outlets
- 06
Neutrality: reporting without taking sides, tested when identity is treated as a debate
Worked example · free
Analysing a headline set for framing
- +1Check accuracy: each headline may report the hearing correctly on the day it appeared.
- +1Read the set: four of five lead with one side, so a headline reader meets the complainant mainly through challenges.
- +1Judge and propose: note that hearings follow the evidence of the day, then ask whether a fairer selection was available.
Key terms
- Gender stereotype
- A fixed assumption about how people of a given gender behave or what roles they hold.
- #MeToo movement
- A movement in which people publicly reported experiences of sexual harassment and assault.
- Complainant
- A person who makes an allegation or complaint that is being examined.
- Framing
- The selection and emphasis that shape how an audience interprets a story.
- TERF
- An acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist, used in debates about gender identity.
- Headline framing
- The impression a story creates through the fact or quotation its headline puts first.
Gender in the Media FAQ
How can news coverage influence attitudes to gender?
Through who is quoted as an expert, how people are described, which details lead a story and which roles people appear in. Repeated patterns, such as describing women by appearance or family first, teach audiences what is normal.
What did the Rush coverage activity ask students to analyse?
Teams were given a selection of articles and asked how each portrayed the actor and the allegations, and how the coverage might influence public perception of the case and of the #MeToo movement.
Can accurate headlines still be unfair?
Yes. Each headline can report something said accurately, but if the same side's claims lead day after day, a reader who skims headlines receives a one-sided picture. Fairness is judged across the selection, not only line by line.
Should my Podcast 2 discuss gender if my topic is not about gender?
Check before deciding. Count who is quoted and in what roles across your items. If a gender pattern appears, it is a finding worth airtime; if not, you can say you checked and move on.
What does the TERF war episode of Media Watch ask students to consider?
The workshop asks what the dispute discussed in the program is, what the episode shows about how new media shape community attitudes, and how it relates to other course issues, particularly balance and neutrality.
Assessment move
Choose one recent story and collect its headlines across several days and outlets. Mark which person or claim leads each headline and note how women and men are described in the first paragraph. Compare with a story from a different section, such as business or sport, to see whether the pattern recurs. Use the results as a quick gender check on every item in your Podcast 2 set.
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