The challenge

In 2016, WiM partnered with Isentia to conduct an analysis of media to determine the visibility of female journalists and the topics they cover, as well as how women are represented, to complement a survey of women working in the media. The project is used to support WiM’s ongoing calls for “greater representation, profile and power for women in the industry”.

Our approach

Isentia conducted a large-scale analysis of over 9,000 Australian news reports and provided stark evidence of gender imbalance in the media. This research was then presented to WiM with some key findings.

Isentia analysed over 9,000 Australian news reports to help WiM to prove that gender disparity exists in Australian media, and to lobby for change.

Outcomes

The research uncovered:

• Despite almost equal proportions of men and women in the workforce, female journalists were named or acknowledged as journalists in less than one-third of media coverage;
• Under a quarter of all sources quoted in the news were female; and that
• About one-quarter of experts quoted were female.

We also found that the disproportion between female and male journalists, sources and experts was particularly accentuated incoverage ofcertain topics, notably sport and politics.