Trend: Male Exodus from the Newsroom (MSM Navel-Gazing)

Washington Post ^ | 2006/07/23 | Paul Farhi

[balk]

Women account for more than half of TV reporters (58 percent) and such middle managers as executive producers (55 percent), news producers (66 percent) and news writers (56 percent).

"Young men are just not interested," says Allen, who runs the broadcast news program at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. "There's been almost an evacuation of men from this field."

News managers look on these numbers with a mixture of pride and mild alarm. Pride because decades of equal-opportunity employment rules, inclusive hiring policies and viewer acceptance of diversity have opened up what had once been a preserve of men, and primarily white men. But concern, too, since the male exodus threatens the traditional anchor model, in which a male-female duo is sitting at the head of a symbolic nuclear family. There is also some debate about whether the "feminization" of the newsroom has led to a more female-oriented news agenda.

[N. Theknow]

MSM is viewed, read by and listened to by the aged, infirm (no remote and can't get up to change the channel), morning Mom and afternoon Oprah Show holdover viewers.

Mainly done for women and by women with each media outlet having the same stories in the same time frame and ending with an "Awwww" puff piece about Little Mary or Johnny, or good old Ethel or fiesty old Joe doing something heroic, out of the ordinary or record-setting or a tender animal story.

All of which is preceeded by a newsperson in rolled up sleeves telling us about the stories "They are working on" as if they just put down a shovel, wrench, sledge hammer, etc.

[Gingersnap]

It's very seldom that I will ever watch TV news. Maybe if there's a big blizzard or something like that. I get my news off the Internet like all the other normal people.

On the rare occasions when I do watch it, I am frustrated by having to listen to two or three meaningless human-interest stories, sports, and a lame shot at business news before getting to the weather, which is the only useful part.

[3niner]

Ah, but you can read. Many in the TV audience can't.

[oldbill]

What real man would want to join a profession? populated by the likes of prissy David Gregory or Anderson Cooper or Keith Olberman?

[Mark Felton]

Yes it is indicative of the brainwashing that has been underway since the late 60's. We have an entire generation now that has been indoctrinated into the new tyranny.

Imagine, we have come to an age when men cannot speak freely for fear of being demonized by the "politically correct" elite culture minders. We have "hate speech" laws and more severe penalities for physical crimes based on the thoughts of the perpetrator.

“I have sworn... eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man” -- Thomas Jefferson

This indeed is a form of tyranny over the mind of man.

[BJClinton]

That other 10%.

[ThanhPhero]

It is an indication of the declining importance of TV news.

[HIDEK6]

That's because the audience is mostly female.

Most men have moved beyond TV.