Papers by Maurine Beasley
Although Eleanor Roosevelt's career as a magazine journalist has been all but forgotten, it was a... more Although Eleanor Roosevelt's career as a magazine journalist has been all but forgotten, it was an important part of her public activity while she was First Lady from 1933 to 1945. In contrast to ideas then current, Mrs. Roosevelt insisted on her right to earn money from her magazine work while in the White House. There is also evidence that her'magazine career was based more on her status than on the substance of her output. An analysis of the more than 60 articles she placed in general-interest magazines with national circulation was based on two criteria: (1) the degree to which they served as political propaganda for the administration of her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and (2) the kind of advice and guidance they offered American women as they sought to cope with social change. Her articles contained an important political dimension either through obvious partisan advocacy or by humanizing her husband's administration through use of human interest material. Her advice to women was conservative by today's standards--chiefly to define themselves in terms of their families. Yet she served as a liberating force for women by upholding the right of married women to engage in paid work and by popularizing the right of women to speak out on current issues, in contrast to the previous ideology that upper class women should remain apart from public life.
A 1995 UNESCO-commissioned survey of Chinese women journalists revealed that women only comprised... more A 1995 UNESCO-commissioned survey of Chinese women journalists revealed that women only comprised 8.5% of high-level leadership positions in the Chinese media. Taking the survey as its springboard, this study set out to explore women's leadership experiences in the Chinese media, as embodied in Guangzhou City, the hive of media reform in China. Twenty-two women media leaders and nine men media professionals in Guangzhou were interviewed. Statistical data of the overall distribution of women leaders in the Guangzhou media were also obtained. Media leadership in Guangzhou was divided into two tiers. Women leaders are still very much the minority, with their presence in second-tier (similar to mid-level) leadership higher than that of first-tier (high-level) leadership. It was found that first-tier women media leaders followed a different promotion pattern from those in the second tier, corresponding to the political function and industrial structure of the Guangzhou media. The distribution of women in first-tier leadership is uneven among different media sectors with the highest percentage in radio stations followed by newspaper groups and then TV stations, likely a result of the lower industrial and social status of the radio sector. Women's distribution in second-tier leadership is uneven among different media organizations, likely a result of these organizations' different institutional cultures and promotion mechanisms. This study identified a range of reasons that have contributed to the underrepresentation of women in leadership in the Chinese media, which were then compared to the reasons as suggested by the 1995 survey. Women's leadership advantages and disadvantages and their experiences of balancing work and family were discussed. The women media leaders have vividly witnessed, actively participated in, and in some cases successfully propelled the transformation of the Chinese media in Guangzhou. Their
Since enrollment in journalism programs has become predominantly female, the field could benefit ... more Since enrollment in journalism programs has become predominantly female, the field could benefit from an infusion of feminist theory that would change the way courses are taught. Female journalism students need to find suitable role models, acquire basic skills in writing, consider new ways of combining family life with their careers, and learn how to market their skills so they can compete with men. Feminist thinking in journalism education would raise the consciousness of women and enable them to insist on fair pay. More women faculty members are needed to help women students develop a professional identity. Women who possess basic English skills may find the language of newswriting foreign because it is based on male values of assertiveness, conflict, and controversy. Finally, women students must be able to cope with the competitive job market; some women must adjust to returning to work after a pregnancy. One solution might be workshops and short courses to facilitate this return. A better solution would be to develop a greater commitment in women to their careers and to devising means to eliminate long career interruptions. Journalism curricula need examination to determine what structures for career preparation exist and to what degree content pertaining specifically to women should be incorporated. (SRT)
Broadcast news has undergone monumental changes since 1980. Longstanding rules regarding ownershi... more Broadcast news has undergone monumental changes since 1980. Longstanding rules regarding ownership and practices began to be loosened at this time, forever changing the practice of local broadcast television news. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 stimulated groundbreaking changes as rules of ownership were significantly relaxed. The result was a buying frenzy of television stations by major corporations in some places where small group and local ownership once dominated. The way broadcast news operated was changed dramatically in the years following these changes in policy. The purpose of this research was to gain qualitative knowledge regarding the effects of changes in FCC deregulation policy on practitioners of local broadcast television news during a time of great technological change and audience fragmentation. I examined what effects took place as a result of expanded corporate ownership and policies during this time of an already shifting landscape. To complete this research, which was conducted from 2007 to 2009, broadcast news professionals who had been in the business a minimum of fifteen years were interviewed. I interviewed a total of ten news professionals in three separate large broadcast markets,
Journalism Quarterly, Jun 1, 1984
Eleanor Roosevelt was the first president’s wife to attempt to influence the newsmaking process b... more Eleanor Roosevelt was the first president’s wife to attempt to influence the newsmaking process by holding White House press conferences, scheduling more than 300 meetings with women reporters in the 12 years of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency. 1 These conferences exemplified what Daniel Boorstin has called one of the most striking developments of the 20th century-the conscious construction of news through creation of a “pseudoevent”-an activity designed to make an idea, policy or act seem important.2 In this case the conferences served to enhance the status of the first lady and to make her ideas important. Thus they illustrated the importance of the “pseudo-event’’ as a form of communication aimed at a group of persons not previously included in the political communication process-the nation’s women. For years it has been difficult to assess Mrs. Roosevelt’s press conferences in detail because no verbatim record of them was known. Winfield analyzed the administrative organization of the conferences but had no access to material describing what took place.3 Now the author of this paper has located transcripts for all or part of 87 conferences. They make possible a case study of the conferences as a“pseudoevent,” showing how Mrs. Roosevelt pre-
First Amendment Studies, 1994
SAGE Publications, Inc. eBooks, May 15, 2012
American Journalism, 1990
This article reviews material, both old and new, on the history of women in journalism to see whe... more This article reviews material, both old and new, on the history of women in journalism to see where it fits, if at all, within the general framework of journalism historiography set forth by William David Sloan, former editor of American Journalism. His work was selected because he has done more than any other scholar to provide an historiographical structure for the field.
Journalism Quarterly, Jun 1, 1980
Newspaper Research Journal, 1994
American Journalism, 1994
Interviews. with .ten reportersand editors for community newspapers, all winners of Pulitzer 'Pri... more Interviews. with .ten reportersand editors for community newspapers, all winners of Pulitzer 'Prizes for articles . that dealt with nonelite groups, 'formed the basis for the information presented in this, paper. Among, the topics diScussed are problems caused by the close proximity. of the community preds to .its -readers; the economic and physicl perils faced by Southern iaurnali'sts,who;,:: have taken unpopular racial positions during_times of civil rights strife; problems faced by community press reporters "due to insufficient resources for adequately covering the news; social and -economic pressure on the community press to uphold the status quo, and the -consequent-tendency of the community press to refrain from reporting on controversial subjects--such.as the social conditions Of -nonelite groups--until.suCh time as they result in a-confrontation situation; and the potential power of the community newspaper in reducing violence, and curbing tensions when conflicts do occur.' It is concluded that the community press only occasionally speaks up courageously in coverage of nonelite groups. (GT)
Mary Abigail Dodge; a Washington, D.C., correspondentbefore and after the 'United States Civil Wa... more Mary Abigail Dodge; a Washington, D.C., correspondentbefore and after the 'United States Civil War, was one 4 the most acelaimed, women journalists of the, nineteenth century. Unknown oday, Dodge wrote on Politics '' religion, and Con tempofa ry issues for. :.. newspapers and magazine; and commented prolifically on the role of women in society. After ,femini0 leanings as a young woman, she becnme increasingly iconservativisL as she grew -older. Her most celebrated articles. appeare0 in the New, York "Tribunet in 1877 And . 1878 .and-attacked t he 1 efforts at civil service reform attempted under the administration pf President 'Rutherford 8. Hayes. Throughout her 40-year career, 'Dodge insisted' on writing under the pseuddnym; Gail Hamilton 'Dividing her lite into two totally, different spheres, she remained "Abbill to her, family and refused to acktiowledge in, public that sike was also ',Gansu-the famous literary figure. Well-known as a' brilliant and wi ty con4ersationalist, she had' mide-ranging contacts in. literary end o it ica 1 circles. her. gareer illustrates that' an 1. able Woman could .ca ve r a place fo herself in victprianf journalism*, .4 but it .also illuminates the self -doubts`Ahd .insecurities of : a woman _..., trying to funciidn in a manfs occupation. (Author) io
Thagazines--"CollPer's," "Cosmopolitan," "McClure's,6 "Everybody's," and the "Arena"--reveals tha... more Thagazines--"CollPer's," "Cosmopolitan," "McClure's,6 "Everybody's," and the "Arena"--reveals that while addressing many other social ills, muckraking journalists failed to take a strong standPagainst one of the most glaring evils 9f their day--the lynching of blacks. Both before and dudng the muckraking period, columns in "Collier's" argued both sides of the issue, sometimes opposing and sometimes favoring the lynching of blacks. "Cosmopolitan" and "Everybody's" paid'almost no attention to lynching. Ray Stannard Baker wrpte two articles on lynching for "McClure's" and coirtinued to explore racial, "McClure's" lost interest in lynching.'The more radical "Arena': issues at "The American Magazine." After Baker's depaFture, opposed lynching during.the premucktaking petiod, butAmade little of the issue during the period itself. The progressive movement blind sppt to lynching and race issues was caused by its feeling that . immigrants and blacks did not fit in with.their ideas of participatory democracy.' Even Baker shared the racist perspective of Ais time. The muckraker's faith that-"facts" themselves would lead to ,--- .reform was justified4only when the prevailing consensus Allowed the "facts" to emerge, not in the,case of the lynching of blacks. (JL) ltb /
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Oct 1, 2001
Focusing on mass communication, this work provides a gender perspective that is also informed by ... more Focusing on mass communication, this work provides a gender perspective that is also informed by the intersections of race, class, and sexual orientation. Its goal is to challenge professionals to think differently about their own communication contributions to society.
Coverage of Mamie Eisenhower as First Lady illustrates difficulties that the media have in projec... more Coverage of Mamie Eisenhower as First Lady illustrates difficulties that the media have in projecting images of women. Like many women in the news, she•was noteworthy because of her satellite status in relation to a man. Exercising some control over her public portrayal--if only to refuse to see the press to the extent it desired--she deliberately chose to present herself within the framework of sex-role stereotyping instead of presenting herself as a flesh-and-blood human being. The degree to which the press joined with her to present her in stereotypical terms raises the question of whether it was held captive by its own assumptions concerning the role of women. (Author/CRH) Mamie Eisenhower as First Lady: Media Coverage of a Silent Partner
The Journal of American History, Mar 1, 1995
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Papers by Maurine Beasley