Association for Journalism Education

Promoting excellence in education, teaching and research

Call for papersConferences

Call for Papers – AJE Spring Seminar – January 9, 2015.

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Journalism and sexism will be the topic for the AJE Spring Seminar – January 9, 2015, in London. [IMAGE: Flickr /Eric E Castro] 

 

Details:

  • January 9, 2015
  • London campus of Sunderland University in Canary Wharf
  • 10am till 4pm (tbc).
  • Keynote speakers (tbc).

 

Journalism and sexism

There can be little doubt that the journalism we read offers rich source of material for anyone who seeks evidence that sexism still flourishes in 2014. Newspapers and magazines and their related websites are all guilty. The same is true of the journalism profession. Even though working conditions have improved for women journalists over the past 30 or so years few could argue that they and their ideas are treated in the same way as men.

In this Spring seminar we hope to look at some of the evidence for this assertion and to think about why it should still be the case while considering what we, as journalism educators, can do to improve the situation. What should we tell our students? What effect have the internet and social media had on the way women are presented?

 

Some themes that might be addressed include but are not limited to:

From the perspective of journalists:

  • The current lively backlash against sexism in the media – new websites such as Vagenda and Everyday Sexism as well as the magazine Feminist Times.
  • How far are commercial pressures used as an excuse or reason for the sexist attitudes displayed in journalism content?
  • Can journalists resist the pressure to be sexist and what happens when they do?
  • Are men ever the victims of sexist assumptions by journalists?
  • Why do women’s magazines carry so much sexist editorial?

 

From the perspective of readers:

  • Why do women readers accept sexist editorial content in newspapers and magazines?

 

From the perspective of journalism educators:

  • Should we educate our students about sexism and if so how?

 

From the perspective of journalism students:

  • Is sexism in journalism and the media something journalism students have to accept if they want to get on in their careers? Are the regulations or the law of any help?

 

From the perspective of feminists:

  • How can we challenge what seem still to be journalistic norms in the treatment of women and men.

 

Suggestions for panels or presentations should be sent by Friday October 31 as abstracts of no more than 150 words to:

Jenny McKay  –   jenny.mckay@sunderland.ac.uk  

Deirdre O’Neill  –  D.O’Neill@hud.ac.uk and Deirdre-oneill@talktalk.net 

(Please cc to all the above email accounts)