Women Candidates, News Coverage

Women are underrepresented in the news. Women are rarely used as sources in news stories, and when women are quoted, they are more likely to represent private citizens than experts or authorities. On network news, for example, men are used as on-camera sources five times more often than women are. And, newsmakers receiving attention in newspapers, in news magazines, and on television news programs are much more likely to be men than women. When women are news-makers, they are much more likely to be entertainers and artists than government officials or activists.

The dominance of men as newsmakers is illustrated by Time magazine's choice of “man of the year.” Since 1928, when Time magazine began selecting “men of the year,” only three women have been recognized ...