Sexism in the Media -- You Bet!

Wow ... if a major newspaper is going to publish an article on sexism in the media, is THIS really the image that should accompany it? Note the photo above of Sen. Hillary Clinton. Her head is missing, and the camera seems to be is focused on her chest ... and some people wonder if there is sexism in the media? Good grief!!

The New York Times has a report on sexism titled: Critics and News Executives Split Over Sexism in Clinton Coverage

No shit.

I'm not sure how this can even be described as a "split." The one woman with the courage to speak up -- Katie Couric -- is being lambasted by the dozens of men so entrenched in their own misogyny they can't see just how bad their behavior actually is!

Taking aim from the inside, though, was Ms. Couric, who herself has faced harsh criticism as the first woman to be the solo anchor of an evening news broadcast. Ms. Couric posted a video on the CBS Web site on Wednesday about the coverage of Mrs. Clinton.

“Like her or not, one of the great lessons of that campaign is the continued — and accepted — role of sexism in American life, particularly in the media,” Ms. Couric said.

She went on to lament the silence of those who did not speak up against it.

The group that really takes the cake is MSNBC -- or as I like to call them the Misogynist Sexist Network Boys Club. Their spokesperson, Keith 'don't-tell-anyone-I'm-a-sexist' Olbermann had this to say:

"... while there were “individual, sexist, mistakes,” there was no overall sexism. ... there was “constant reflection and analysis at MSNBC, and I must say there was constant good faith in trying to make certain Senator Clinton was not treated unfairly.”

Bullshit.

Olbermann, and his buddy Chris Matthews, were co-presidents of the 'no-girls-allowed' club. Their daily rants are a major reason anyone is even examining the issue. After all, it was Olbermann who suggested a party official needed to take Sen. Clinton in a room, and "only he comes back out."

Cable television has come under the most criticism. Chris Matthews, a host on MSNBC, called Mrs. Clinton a “she-devil” and said she had gotten as far as she had only because her husband had “messed around.”

Mike Barnicle, a panelist on MSNBC, said that Mrs. Clinton was “looking like everyone’s first wife standing outside a probate court.” Tucker Carlson, also on MSNBC, said, “When she comes on television, I involuntarily cross my legs.”

The establishment news media were faulted too. The New York Times wrote about Mrs. Clinton’s “cackle” and The Washington Post wrote about her cleavage.

Ken Rudin, an editor at National Public Radio, appeared on CNN, where he equated Mrs. Clinton with the actress Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction.” “She’s going to keep coming back, and they’re not going to stop her," Mr. Rudin said. He later apologized.

The article does mention Howard Dean's to-little-to-late comment on sexism, as Sen. Clinton was ending her campaign.

Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic Party, who says he was slow to pick up on charges of sexism because he is not a regular viewer of cable television, is taking up the cause after hearing an outcry from what he described as a cross-section of women, from individual voters to powerful politicians and chief executives.

“The media took a very sexist approach to Senator Clinton’s campaign,” Mr. Dean said in a recent interview.

“It’s pretty appalling,” he said, adding that the issue resonates because Mrs. Clinton “got treated the way a lot of women got treated their whole lives.”

Mr. Dean and others are now calling for a “national discussion” of sexism.

Gee, thanks Howard.

“We’re certainly not going to take this lying down,” said Ellen Malcolm, the president of Emily’s List. She said her hope was for a national discussion to focus on “what is fair in the new political world of Internet, cable and traditional news coverage.”

I would second that. Not only do we need to examine MSM, but also the so-called progressive blogosphere as well. That is a discussion I would welcome.

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