Regardless of what you think about Hillary Clinton as a politician or a person, her campaign has had one very cool side effect for female journalists: For the first time ever, a candidate’s press corps for a presidential campaign is majority female. But Clinton’s block takes it one step further: It’s almost entirely female.
This is a stark contrast to even Clinton’s 2008 presidential run, where her press corps was still majority male. And despite the fact that these female journalist are just as critical as ever of Clinton’s campaign, many have said that there’s a different vibe to Clinton’s press corps than before, and she’s been more open with these women than she has been with other journalists. Also, while her press corps lacks racial diversity (most of the reporters are white), there’s hope that this is a step in the right direction. You can read the full POLITICO story here.
Why is it important that more women are covering the campaign? To date, women have been largely underrepresented in journalism compared to their male counterparts. In 2014, the Women’s Media Center’s Status of Women in the U.S. Media reported that 63% of bylines and on-camera appearances were from men, compared to just 36.1% by women. More specifically, when it came to publications, men still held the majority of bylines at every major newspaper in the country, from USA TODAY to The New York Times. And specifically in coverage of U.S. politics, 64% of articles were written by men and only 36% by women, a number that only increases when looking at world politics and business/economics verticals.
One thing’s for sure: We can’t wait to see the impressive and informative reporting that will no doubt arise from these inspiring female journalists.
Cover image courtesy of POLITICO.
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