The faces of local TV news in America: youth, whiteness, and gender disparities in station publicity photos. Issue 3 (4th May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bock, Mary Angela; Cueva Chacón, Lourdes Miriam; Jung, Hyeri; Sturm, Heloisa Aruth; Figueroa, Ever J.
• Is Part Of: Feminist media studies. Volume 18:Issue 3(2018)
• Page Start: 440
• Page End: 457
• Publication Date: 2018-05-04
• Subjects: Gender -- race -- broadcast journalists -- TV news -- content analysis; Feminism -- Periodicals; Women in mass media -- Periodicals; Mass media and women -- Periodicals; Feminist criticism -- Periodicals; Mass media and sex -- Periodicals; 302.23082
• DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2017.1415950
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1468-0777

Abstract

Abstract: TV news is a visual medium that requires its on-air journalists to look good, but a history of lawsuits and survey research suggests that this burden is spread unevenly. Critics charge that women are expected to look younger and sexier, and minority broadcasters are held to a White standard of beauty. This project investigated the reality behind those complaints by examining the faces of on-air journalists working for local stations in the US according to race, gender, and attractiveness. The resulting content analysis of more than 400 online publicity photos suggests that a certain look dominates for men and for women and that the range of appearance standards is wider for men than women.