Posts Tagged ‘media’
Who Do You Nominate for the Bum Steer Award?
They say you can always tell a Texan, but you can’t tell them very much. Or at least some have said that about me.
Though I’ve been away from the state of my birth for almost as many years as I lived there, I have continued to subscribe to the Texas Monthly wherever life has taken me. It’s a great magazine in general, but I especially look forward to their annual “Bum Steer” awards, in which they skewer the high, the low, and the absurd. The intro to the just published 2010 awards reads, in TM’s typically diffident (and alphabetical) fashion:
Read MoreIt was a year of accomplice apes, bedraggled Bugattis, Christlike Cheetos, dim-witted deli-owning Democrats, egregious errata, fatal foreplay, gun-toting golfers, heartless high school hoopsters, ignoble implants, jackass judges, killer Kims, laughingstock legislators…shameless Stanford, territorial T-Boone, useful urine, vituperative vixens…and zero tolerance zealots.
Keep ‘Em Honest: The Media and Sotomayor
The Women’s Media Center has released a new video, “Media Justice for Sotomayor.” It documents some of the racist and sexist comments already delivered on high profile television programs, radio, print and online outlets.
As Judge Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings approach on July 13th, The Women’s Media Center expects and encourages vigorous debate of Sotomayor’s qualifications & abilities. But we call on the media to refrain from allowing sexist and racist remarks to go unchecked.
You can help the WMC campaign for fair media coverage for Judge Sotomayor:
1. Sign on to the WMC statement supporting Media Justice for Sotomayor.
2. Pass this video on to friends, family, and members of the media through Tell-A-Friend.
3. If you are a journalist, contact the WMC for sources and experts on Sotomayor from our Progressive Women’s Voices program or SheSource.org.
4. If you see examples of sexism, racism or classicism against Sotomayor in the media’s coverage of her confirmation hearings, please send them to the WMC.
And Now a Word From the Media
I wanted to write a long and erudite post today about the history of women in the media and the media on women. But the hour is late and the task far larger than I can do with full justice. For the bigger picture, let me refer you to:
- the Women’s Media Center for stats that will knock your socks off and so will their programs to fix the imbalances,
- WIMN for Jenn Pozner’s smart and specific media criticism and a lively group blog
- Media Matters excellent reporting on media treatment of women
- FAIR’s Women’s Desk
- This website that has documented both sung and (mostly) unsung media women through history
In 1970, Time Magazine published this article entitled “Liberating Women”.
Read MoreThe Glass Ceiling in Media
Pink Magazine, which covers career and lifestyle issues for women had an interesting article on why there is still a glass ceiling in media by Tekla Szymanski. An excerpt:
According to Catalyst, women make up about 38 percent of journalists in the United States; however, they often feel that they need to work twice as hard to get ahead. “One reason the glass ceiling remains strong in broadcast and newspapers is media consolidation, which squeezes out positions at the top and in mid-management, where women might have been in the pipeline to advance,” explains Gloria Feldt, an author and activist for women’s rights. “When resources are scarce, the old boys’ network closes ranks and chooses leaders it feels most comfortable with – those most like themselves.”
Read MoreMoose, Mousse, and Spalinism by Robin Morgan
Guest posting again! This was just too good not to share, especially with some folks who have been commenting on Heartfeldt. recently. Award winning author of 21 books, and feminist leader Robin Morgan takes laser-beam aim at a few “feminists” who have taken to the blogways lately to support John McCain and Sarah Palin. You…
Read MorePowell Endorses Obama: What Does It Mean?
I imagine just about every reader of Heartfeldt Politics watched Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama on today’s Meet the Press; you can listen to the key points on this podcast. I often find Powell too wishy washy for my taste, but then he is a diplomat by disposition and profession. And in this case,…
Read MoreWhy Appearances Matter–and Corrupt
In response to comments both pro and con on my previous post here, I have been thinking a lot about why it matters that Sarah Palin uses her looks, her cutesy down-home phrases, her flirty moves. All politicians use whatever it is they’ve got to appeal to voters, after all. In fact, each and every…
Read MoreTightrope!
You can find just about anything on the web these days. These 14 pointers on how to walk a tightrope ought to be required reading for political candidates, especially candidates who are any sort of historic “first”. The key instruction is: “Don’t look down”. That’s less about technique than about having the courage to keep…
Read MoreMcCain’s Rovian Lipstick Diversion
I rarely agree with journalist Andrew Sullivan, but this time he nailed it. Here’s an excerpt from his blogpost on John McCain’s Rovian diversionary tactical ruse to get the media’s scrutiny off of the McCain/Palin ticket and the important issues facing the country. Sullivan is unequivocal in his condemnation of McCain. So it’s come to…
Read MoreNO WAY, NO HOW, NO McCAIN: HILLARY, THE DESIGNATED ADULT
Her orange pantsuit might be a Glamour magazine “don’t”, but like every word Hillary spoke last night during her moment at the Democratic National Convention, it was so right, so Hillary.
Her once-ridiculed pantsuit is part of the Hillary brand now, like Barry Goldwater’s thick-rimmed black glasses, Winston Churchill’s smelly cigars, Joe Biden’s train tickets.
Standing sharp against the cobalt blue DNC backdrop in the organgest pantsuit I ever saw, Clinton paid tribute to her “sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits”. It was a moment of feminist humor and a nod to the fact that she was today truly, completely, and finally ceding the Democratic nomination to her former chief rival, Barack Obama.
Read More