From the NYT Public Editor’s column:
Does it really matter who writes the stories, and who makes the decisions about deploying resources and presenting news? Yes, I think it does.
Here’s one small example of why: Women who write are more likely, according to the study, to quote at least some women in their articles. That diversity of outlook and that range of voices are worth pursuing because it better reflects the world. Or how about the number of women in Times obituaries? The poet and feminist Lynn Melnick complained on Twitter last week that only seven of the past 66 obituaries were on women. (My count yielded similar numbers.) Obituaries are chosen on the basis of the newsworthiness of their subjects; but that is subjective. It’s not outrageous to wonder what might change if more women were involved in all aspects of their selection and presentation.
She links to this recent study: “The Status of Women in the U. S. Media 2014,” in which these charts appear:
