Women in the newsroom: still some way to go

We live in a golden age of women in journalism, don’t we? Four editors of national newspapers are women. The challenges that groups like Women in Journalism were set up to address have surely all been addressed. They can disband now, can’t they?

Err, no.

An excellent article by Jem Collins, to be published in the upcoming Jan/Feb issue of InPublishing magazine pours a bucket of cold water over such thoughts. She canvasses the views of leading campaigners to assess the state of play now.

Without wanting to totally steal her thunder, here are some snippets from her article:

There are at least two male editors-in-chief for every woman in the position in the UK.
Women of colour face “extraordinarily dire” situations and are “locked out of top editorial jobs”.
Women from working-class backgrounds, disabled journalists, LGBTQ+ writers, and those from other marginalised backgrounds also face additional barriers.
It simply isn’t enough in 2023 to just be tracking the number of women you have in your newsroom. Who are they? How many are white, middle-class, non-disabled, straight women who went to good schools and maybe even have a family member in media?
Equity for women in newsrooms encompasses all parts of the employment journey, from the moment you think about hiring someone to their very last second working for the company.
Research shows three-quarters of women journalists find the industry’s culture “macho and intimidating”, with 70 percent saying senior roles are dominated by men.
Eighty-three per cent of respondents to a Women in Journalism research project said they felt women were more likely to go freelance due to the inflexible and antisocial demands of the job.

Also in the Jan/Feb issue, Ray Snoddy talks to Mary Ann Sieghart about her life in journalism and about her bestselling book, ‘The Authority Gap: Why women are still taken less seriously than men, and what we can do about it’.

Clearly, there’s work still to be done…

(Not on the mailing list for InPublishing magazine? Then register here.)

James Evelegh

Editor

THANK YOU TO THIS WEEK'S SPONSOR - LINEUP

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In this week's newsletter ...

Publishing Futures: 5 minutes with… Julian Agostini by MD of Mash Media, organisers of the upcoming Publishing Show
In the news this week
Liz Gerard’s Notebook Liz looks at how Fleet Street has covered Zahawi and something-for-nothing Brits
The latest jobs (3 vacancies listed)
Publishing Services Directory
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Publishing Futures: 5 minutes with… Julian Agostini

Ahead of The Publishing Show, which takes place at ExCeL London on 1-2 March, we grab five minutes with Julian Agostini, MD of event organiser Mash Media, to get his take on the publishing sector.

Q: What are the main priorities for publishers in 2023?

A: I can only speak from my point of view, but there is a lot of noise in the industry and everyone thinks they are a publisher these days. There is so much content, particularly with social platforms as everyone can publish content. This noise makes it harder for people to identify quality reads. When people read content that isn’t good quality they switch off, which can make it harder to re-engage them.

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In the news this week ...

Adnami appoints Joffrey Cabau and Tom Dolling

Adnami has announced the appointment of senior executives in French and German speaking markets.

The Guardian appoints Charlotte Edwardes

Charlotte Edwardes will join Guardian Saturday magazine as a new interviewer.

The Sunday Times announces two new appointments

The Sunday Times has announced the appointment of Ben Taylor as editor, while Krissi Murison is named deputy editor.

M&S partners with Future

M&S has announced a partnership with Future to bring their golden quarter homes campaign to life.

Informa plc issues full year trading update

Informa closes 2022 with a strong performance and begins 2023 with continuing momentum.

IPA releases latest Bellwether Report

Total UK marketing budgets continue to grow despite looming UK recession.

National World acquires The Newry Reporter

National World Plc has announced the acquisition of The Newry Reporter, a traditional community based paid weekly newspaper and e-edition.

Scroll down for more news…

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LEIPA appoints Samantha Fullagar

Samantha Fullagar has been named new business development executive at Leipa UK.

The HistoryExtra podcast celebrates milestone

The HistoryExtra podcast has announced that it celebrated 200 million downloads as December 2022 drew to a close.

Immediate Media appoints Cath Waller

Immediate Media has announced the appointment of Cath Waller as managing director of advertising.

Definite Article Media launches new title

New HR title Benefits Expert has been launched by Definite Article Media, designed to meet the new era needs of the employee benefits, reward and pensions sector.

Newsworks bolsters team with new appointments

Newsworks has announced a number of new appointments as it looks to highlight the importance of news brands and showcase more opportunities for investment in 2023.

Newsworks unveils new hub

The portal celebrates campaigning journalism and highlights publishers’ recent work fighting for causes that matter to readers and wider society.

NMA responds to DCMS Committee

The NMA has responded to a DCMS Committee report on the sustainability of local journalism.

BMJ announces Comorbidities Manager available in Wales

The BMJ Best Practice Comorbidities Manager is now available across NHS Wales.

Frontiers announces new partnership with WEF

Frontiers, an open access publisher, says they will join the WEF as a platform partner, formalizing a longstanding collaborative relationship between the two organizations.

News UK appoints Emma Humphreys

News UK has confirmed the appointment of Emma Humphreys as chief financial officer.

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger Medien chooses Zephr

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger Medien has selected Zephr as their paywall provider.

National World launches new ad manager platform

National World has announced the launch of a new ad manager platform, powered by DanAds, empowering businesses to take control of their advertising.

FORTNIGHTLY COLUMN

Liz Gerard’s Notebook

How Fleet Street approached the growing storm around Nadhim Zahawi and Richard Sharp, the Daily Mail laments the rise of 'something for nothing' Britain and front page of the fortnight.

Zahawi & Sharp: Fleet Street’s differing approaches to gathering storm

Well, well! The BBC has woken up. Monday’s main television news bulletin not only led on Nadhim Zahawi’s tax tangles, but followed it up with concerns about the appointment of Richard Sharp as the corporation’s chairman.

In both cases, there had been a concrete development in stories that had been rumbling for days: Rishi Sunak calling for an ethics inquiry into Zahawi’s finances and another official investigation into whether the public appointments commission had had all the facts – most particularly whether Sharp facilitated an £800,000 loan for Boris Johnson – when it gave Sharp the BBC job.

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This week: Software - Paper Management

Believe it or not, many publishers still use paper – lots of it!

This paper needs… err… managing. How much do you have in stock, how much will you need in the short and medium term, what type of paper is it, what’s the cost of it, where is it?

You can try and keep track of these, and other related questions, on the back of an envelope, or you can use dedicated software…