THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE U.S MEDIA 2015

WOMEN’S MEDIA CENTER
Media Matters said it examined only programs “substantially” devoted to exploring
U.S. foreign policy, foreign affairs and national security, key world events and human
rights. Its keyword searches included transcripts involving U.S. cabinet secretaries and
diplomats; Pope Francis; nations or regions including Venezuela, Brazil, Iraq, Libya,
Syria, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Crimea, Ukraine, Russia, China,
North Korea; the continent of Africa; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Central Investigation
Agency; whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden; drones; ISIS; Al Qaeda;
Boko Haram; the United Nations; and U.S. military branches.
Fox News sets a very low bar for diversity
Women barely featured on three largest outlets
Men
80%
Women
20%
Men
75%
Women
25%
Men
80%
Women
20%
Graphic produced by the Women’s Media Center
Source: Media Matters
88 men are on Talker magazine’s “Heavy Hundred” of general news
radio talk show hosts; there are only 12 women on the list
On Talker magazine’s 2015 “Heavy Hundred” list of general news talk radio shows—
where Rush Limbaugh retains the No. 1 slot—no female ranked in the top 10. SiriusXM
Satellite Radio’s “The Karen Hunter Show,” hosted by journalist and author Karen
Hunter, who is African American, slid into the No. 99 slot.
Hunter was the only woman of color among the 12 top females.
The top-ranking woman on the list was attorney Laura Ingraham. “The Laura Ingraham
Show,” ranked at No. 20. In 2012, Ingraham held the No. 10 slot and, in 2013, the No. 17
slot. Ingraham is also a regular contributor to Fox News. Talker did not issue a 2014 ranking.
Except for one woman, Elisha Krauss, whose talk team also consists of two men, all
the females were solo headliners for their shows. Former “Sean Hannity Show” intern,
Krauss, with her trio, came in at No. 82.
The ranking, its editors say, results from a combination of listenership and the magazine
editors’ assessment of hosts’ “courage, effort, impact, longevity, potential, ratings,
recognition, revenue, service, talent and uniqueness.”
These were the other top females on the 2015 list:
No. 24, Dana Loesch, moving up from No. 83 in the previous ranking.
No. 27, Dr. Joy Browne, moving up from No. 42 in the previous ranking.
No. 28, Stephanie Miller, who was not on the previous top 100 list.
The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2015 TOC womensmediacenter.com 29