Is NBC Finally Getting the Message???
December 21, 2008
by Amy Siskind
|25 Comments
I happened to walk by a television today and I saw the strangest thing: an all female panel.
Now you might say this – what’s the big deal? Well I’ll tell you what the big deal is. I have been so accustomed to seeing all male panels with the occasional female thrown in for good measure, that it truly caught my eye to FINALLY see a panel filled with accomplished women.
Sure David Gregory was the moderator, but the panel was composed of: Erin Burnett of CNBC, Andrea Mitchell of NBC, Michele Noris of NPR and Carol Marin of The Chicago Sun-Times. Well I say hats off to NBC.
Is the media finally getting the message?
Are you kidding? After extensive ‘news’ coverage of the Presidential campaign cycle replete with smarmy misogyny that likely swayed voters away from Clinton and toward Obama; MSNBC’s Meet the Press broadcast one show with an all-female panel and you are hopeful they have changed their tune. Not as long as Andrea Mitchell is on the panel…
link
I don’t even care tonight. I’m cropping off an inch on the right and going to bed with the beautiful image of an all female panel dancing in my head like sugar plums or something or other.
I am calling them on Monday and thanking them. Women are not represented nearly as much as men. We need to encourage every instance where the trend is reversed.
There is a great website:
http://www.whomakesthenews.org/
Here’s a quote from this study:
“The problem is no longer just a lack of representation of women’ point of view or perspectives, but that even when women are present in the media coverage, their representation is fraught with the biases and assumptions of those who define the public and
media agenda – a field mainly dominated by men. Although there are now more women in the media programs, this alone cannot achieve a wide scale social and political transformation of media content, which in turn will help redress gender inequality worldwide. These women have fragmentally not attained decision-making-level positions, nor do they seem to be on the boards and bodies that govern media policies.”
Amy,
I wouldn’t get my hopes up. The People at NBC are sexist pigs. They gave Maddow a show too, but we all know that having women spew sexism on behalf of their male masters is often more effective at furthering sexism, than having men spew it.
When women embrace sexist attitudes and propegate them, it envites men to mistreat us.
I am surprised that the New Agenda is praising NBC after they led the talking heads in their misogynystic banter this election season. Having a panel of women talking about who knows what, is nothing they should be praised for. The have a long road to walk before reaching redemption. Until then, women’s groups should NOT be praising them!!!
Good Find. It would helpful to have a follow up topic that reviews what topics were actually discussed. I wonder if the show is available from the NBC library?
http://www.DailyPUMA.com
I remain skeptical too but voices such as NA are being heard and time there will be a reckoning too.
I agree with KendallJ…and hearing that Andrea Mitchell was on this panel makes me even more suspicious. I don’t buy it. Now, if NBC takes steps to remove Chris Matthews…then I would begin to see hope. But until then…they’re just full of it.
I’m glad to hear this and hope it is a good portent. Hell still isn’t freezing over: Andrea Mitchell? Not optimistic even though she is of the female persuasion.
I wonder if NBC is having some ratings problems. MSNBC doesn’t have good ratings. We must help them with their ratings, by not watching MSNBC.
I’m with jbjd on this one. OK, so they had a panel comprised of 4 women moderated by a man. Let’s not jump the gun. They have dished out outrageous reporting all year. I see no reason to get excited about this. It feels like the way women can get so desperate and at the slightest thing that they/we take as a good sign, we jump for joy and go overboard with gratitutde and thanks. If we respond to the network with any acknowledgement it sends the message that we accept a crumb here or there quite happily. Sexism is systemic and only when I see systemic change will I feel truly joyful.
It’s like when someone sees a Dad out with the kids and fawns all over him like what a great Dad, while Mom’s juggle a zillion things with the kids all day long.
I’m not one to hold onto rage and anger, feeling spiteful and vengeful, so that’s not what this is about. This is simply about no way that I will take one program that had a panel that was comprised of a majority of women as a sign of anything other than that. No more and no less.
Let’s cool our jets and keep on working.
Also agree with Marchalle re: Chris Matthews. Acting on that and stating why would be substanative. Also, I hope we won’t become overly self-congratulatory about things we have no way of knowing the background on. Maybe TNA is having an impact in some areas. We can’t know. But let’s not ignore the fact that a lot of women (and some men) have been active all year regarding msm bias and sexism via a number of grassroots orgs (and whether you participated or not, or like their style or not, PUMApac has been front and center on this in terms of near daily actions, among others) as well as people who have acted on their own. If there are victories to be won, let’s make sure we acknowledge so many women who have been speaking out, all of who are part of a historical continuum of action for women’s rights.
One more point:
Amy, since you have stated that you only want to do live interviews so as not to risk having your interview edited and comments taken out of context (which I totally understand and respect, all-the-while realizing it limits exposure as the down side), contacting NBC with any compliments over this drop-in-thte-bucket (in my view) panel runs precisely the same risk you’re trying to avoid regarding interviews. Once you send them a letter, they can take your words out of context and use it in any way they see fit. I would strongly urge you and everyone at TNA to think about the interview logic and apply it here.
Anna et al,
We are not encouraging anyone to email NBC.
It’s just so rare to have anything positive to note as relates to the media that it might seem that way.
We were just stating the facts and asking our members to weigh in with opinions.
Amy – Yup. Got it. Went back and read the thread. Jumped to conclusions. Perhaps a prudent idea to add the words in your post to the thread just to make things clear. Or, it may just be me. I’ve been in action mode all year so I click into gear perhaps too quickly, to act or respond to (perceived) calls to act. Ugh. Sheesh. And, oy veh. Sorry.
Anna – This is stupid, but I looked at this one like a rainbow. It’s probably just an accident and I didn’t cause it but da** it’s a pretty site.
or sight I guess, I’m all googley-eyed today! I wonder if that was a Freudian slip?
Thia – Huh? and What? (Sorry if I’m being thick…I don’t get your last two posts.)
Anna- post 1 was about how I was enjoying the picture even though it probably doesn’t mean anything just because it’s nice to see all the women on the panel.
post 2 was me correcting the use of “site” instead of “sight” because I’m so anal about that kind of thing. I’ve had too much coffee, blogging while making gingerbread men, and I’m blabbering.
Please tell me the panel wasn’t debating shoes!
Just kidding. But I’m so cynical now, though, that’s the first thing I thought – ‘oh, right. they probably had a topic on shoes.’
Thia – “I’m cropping off an inch on the right ” – LOL !
I agree with KendallJ and Anna on this. Just because they have one show with an all-woman panel doesn’t mean NBC is pro-woman. In fact, they have proven over and over again that they are distinctly anti-woman. How could anyone have forgotten so easily or quickly?
What’s going on here?
Thia –
Post 1 – Got it!
Post 2 – Said the one anal blogger to the other: Also, got it!
Coffee and gingerbread sound great!
Love your “blabbering” any day?
And, I was just about to ask you about the “cropping off an inch on the right” when the lightbulb came on! Love it!
You should send a thank you letter for the table crumbs to ABC, they were first with an all woman, pro Obama gab fest. Oh and don’t forget to thank Oprah and every other female traitor in the media.
Yeah it is an interesting fact but MSNBC has no credibility and from what I have seen the women who get ahead in todays media merely ape the misogynist opinions of the men they work for. They are sort of abominations which is why women don’t respect them or watch them. Not too different from the female movie stars that can’t bring the female audience.
By the way what is “going on” here is NBCs ratings are in the sewer. That goes for NBC, MSNBC and Oxygen channel. If we had the OPTION of cable TV a la carte they would be out of business because no one would choose any of their channels. Except CNBC which is a very good channel. I would like to see TNA do an article on “women’s content channels and their viewership. because in the case of Oxygen which has few viewers I am willing to bet most viewers are men who think they have found the lingerie and body lotion advertising channels. Why are we forced to subsidize this garbage “Women’s content with our basic cable payment when men get channels they actually like such as all the sports channels, SPIKE and NBC.
Oxygen is on life support. Get it…(snicker snicker)
Got it Thia, Oxygen channel should be renamed Hydrogen sulfide. And women should not be forced to subsidize this type of garbage TV with women in it just because the corporate media call it women’s content.
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