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Women's Media Center & the Public Sphere

Overview

The media is well recognized as a powerful tool of public influence. From the billions of dollars spent each year for 30 second advertising blips during the Super Bowl to the millions shelled out for campaign commercials during election years, we can see quite clearly that marketing agencies value the media and its influence. The Women's Media Center (WMC) understands the power media has over not only public decision making, but perceptions of competency and worth. The organization is concerned about the effect that under-representation of women in the media and sexist media portrayals of females can have on public understanding of the worth of women in society. The WMC, rather than passively complain about the issues they see, uses the media and internet to spread its own message and to point out sexism in order to promote discussion and spark social and political change.

History

Gloria Steinem - one of the founders of WMC

WMC was founded in 2005 by the writers/activists Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, and Robin Morgan. The non-profit organization strives to be connected and engaged with the media at all levels. The organization monitors media outlets for sexism and will often launch their own media campaigns in response to try to mitigate some of the damage done to public perception. The WMC also does advocacy work, creates their own content for the gender equality movement, and holds leadership training for women and girls to encourage active media participation .

Mission/Purpose

The mission of WMC is to make women more visible and powerful in the media. Although women are 51% of the population, they are significantly underrepresented in media-centered jobs and in the media's construction of reality. What women are on film or in the news often does not correlate with what women are in real life. This issue of not only under-representing women but misrepresenting women ranges from the rampant use of Photoshop to manipulate the bodies of women to the portrayal of whiny, incompetent women appearing on sitcom x. The WMC targets the media in particular, because its operators recognize the significant role that media lays in shaping the public's understanding of the world. The value of women and their competency as human beings is something that can be shifted by the media, if it is left unchecked. The WMC finds great significance in who the media allows to talk, what shapes debates that make it on air, who writes for media outlets, and what issues are deemed worthy of reporting. Not everything can make the evening news, but WMC finds significance in the type of stories and issues which are consistently overlooked. By drawing attention to women's issues and sexist representations, WMC intends to make the issues of women a public concern, rather than allowing them to be swept under the rug or ignored by media and news outlets

Web Presence

A fair amount of WMC's activism and awareness efforts are now posted online on their website's blog. Andrew Sullivan (2008) describes blogging as the extreme sports of writing, an opportunity for writers to write as facts emerge in a more free-form, alive way . The writing on WMC does have some “shoot from the hip” qualities in that they often post quickly when events happen, such as when legislation which harms women is passed, in order to keep the site relevant. These rapid posts often link to other sources in order to support or substantiate claims or to provide access to the original, offensive material. Including hyperlinks to other sources is something that Sullivan (2008) claims has a significant influence on both the credibility and functionality of blogging . Being credible and accurate are two things that make WMC's blogging an effective method of providing an alternative view to damaging mainstream media and political ads.

Two Way Dialogue

Aside from accuracy and providing a plethora of information for their viewers, what makes WMC successful at changing the public sphere for the better is their encouragement of reader participation. WMC goes out of their way to inspire dialogue, discussion, and get the perspective of their readership. The tagline for their website is “Amplifying women's voices, changing the conversation”, and that seems to be what they are doing. At the end of every blog post or article, there is an invitation for the reader to post their own comments or contribute on the topic. In the side bar there are links to sign petitions and report sexist media that the reader has observed. Through the WMC's “Name it. Change it” campaign which is also linked through their site, readers are encouraged to contribute their thoughts on reported incidents of sexist language used towards political candidates, but also are invited to contribute their own experiences. This is something that Sullivan describes as customary when working in the blogosphere . Conversation and communication with one's readership is how a blog maintains success.

In his book, The Assault on Reason, Al Gore (2007) refers to the public sphere as a marketplace of ideas . This is something the WMC recognizes, and is trying to use for the benefit of women everywhere. Gore (2007) suggests in his book that one of the problems with the current media set up is the way it lacks voter participation . Our current democratic system, thanks to media, leaves much to be desired because the public is merely fed information. They are expected to accept this passively, and they often do. Television and the internet often only offer one way communication and do not inspire dialogue between readers, or between readers and the author. By encouraging women to get involved and report violations of gender equality rules in the media and in politics, WMC hopes to counteract some of the damage done by the current powers who control the public sphere.

Gore has also attempted to create a similar atmosphere for conversation and debate among the public viewership with his television channel “Current TV”. The website for the program invites users to comment after viewing videos, reading blog posts, or reading articles in a way that resembles WMC's website . The way to get through to the public, based on Gore's efforts and those of the WMC, appears to be to use the media's tools against itself. You should play videos, but let people respond. You should write articles, but invite open discussion in response. Make people aware of things they wouldn't be able to see by looking at Fox News or other mainstream outlets. Open the eyes of the public, and they may just start using their voices.

Conclusion

WMC understands the power that media holds and the damage it can do if that power is left unchecked. By way of their blog, media campaigns, and encouraging dialogue about media representations and political WMC is doing their best to use the media's tools to raise awareness of issues the media creates or will not acknowledge. By raising awareness and encouraging readers to find their own voices, sign petitions against legislation, and share their own thoughts and experiences WMC calls readers to action for the benefit of the public sphere. By giving the public an opportunity to raise their voices, and to actually have a say in the government or what the media is releasing is necessary to return the public sphere to a marketplace of ideas where everyone has a say.