Journalism is a field dominated by men. While there are more women studying journalism, this gender representation doesn’t always translate to the workroom. According to Poynter, men still receive the majority of bylines (62%!) in print, online, TV, and wire news, as of 2017. Despite unequal representation in the workroom, there have been and currently are still many influential women in the journalism field. Here are a few of many inspiring, influential women journalists.
- Elizabeth Timothy (June 30, 1702 – April 3, 1757): America’s first woman editor and publisher
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Elizabeth Timothy and her family resided in Philadelphia, where her husband, Louis Timothy, was a printer at Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette. Later on, Louis took over and revamped the South Carolina Gazette in 1733; however, he died of fever in 1738. Since his son was still too young to handle his duties, Elizabeth took over and became the first editor-publisher in the United States. Although, her son was listed as the official publisher, as women weren’t allowed to be publishers at this time. She assumed this role for seven years and had the support of Benjamin Franklin, as he truly believed she was a hard worker (not that she really needed a man’s support anyway!) Go Elizabeth!
- Dorothy Thompson (July 9, 1893 – January 30, 1961): international journalist and radio personality, named second most influential woman, behind Eleanor Roosevelt by Time magazine!
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This female journalist and radio personality was known for her willingness to take great risks in her work and moved to Europe to get the inside scoop. She worked for the New York Evening Posts as their European bureau chief and took on many international assignments. Perhaps what she is most known for would be her insight into the political climate in Germany during the rise of Hitler. At one point, she was even invited to interview Hitler for Cosmopolitan magazine before he was appointed German chancellor. After enraging Hitler, she also became the first female journalist to be kicked out of Nazi Germany; however, she continued her anti-Nazi work from the United States and was a very influential figure, touring the country and lecturing about the situation in Europe. Brave woman!
- Marlene Sanders (January 10, 1931 – July 14, 2015): first woman to achieve many “firsts” in a male dominated field of television news
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Marlene Sanders was surrounded by men in the television workrooms but filled in for a couple of her male coworkers as a news anchor as needed, which shocked the public! She also was the first female newswoman to report from Vietnam in 1966. In fact, many give Marlene Sanders credit for paving the way for future women journalists as she worked her way to the top, becoming the first woman to reach a management position at ABC in 1976. It’s here where she produced documentaries on the women’s movement. Eventually, she moved to CBS and won three Emmy’s. She pushed for people to stop using the term “newsman” and start using the term “news broadcaster” and never gave up trying to push for more women in management within news companies.
While I only listed 3 fantastic women who were greatly influential in the journalism field, there are so many more! For more wonderful female journalist’s stories, check out The Atlantic’s article listing for some of the most groundbreaking women journalists from the past 100 years!