Essay Proposal & Preliminary Bibliography

So it goes - I'm reposting my essay summary and my bibliography. Just finished today and am already suffering withdrawal from my daily SMH readings. Using dial-up internet and trying to access the SMH website is ridiculously tedious.

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To what extent can ideas concerning gender and sexuality dictate or contribute to media coverage of news and current affairs? How can, if at all, the media impact upon the issue of gender and sexuality in regards to on equality and fairness?

The issue concerning the interconnectivity of gender and sexuality is universal in that it may affect the outcome of not only what can be regarded as news and current affairs, but also the way in which these stories are covered. In my essay, I will attempt to explore how news stories, depending on their medium, are affected by such concepts. I will be discussing how gender and sexuality may affect ideas of equality and fairness in the representation of particular elements of a news story.

Gender encompasses a variety of concepts, in particular stereotypes. By referring to Bascow’s text, I will be able to assess a general definition of the gender stereotype and how it can affect social attitudes and values. This will lead into Flanders view that women are generally a minority when it comes to the media, an issue that panders comfortably with my debate.

Sexuality is an important issue in that it has come to cater towards the ways in which media reaches it audience. I will be referring to the idea of the media using sexuality and sex in general in marketing their publications and programs toward a desired audience. By doing so, I will be using various websites as well as television programs local as well as international publications to assess the role of sexuality in not only a news story but the media as a market.

In discussing equality and fairness, I will be referring to its various definitions as well as the sensitive flaws in the accuracy of reporting in regards to gender and sexuality. The social attitudes toward gender and sexuality will also be discussed in relation to this topic as well as
how the media’s coverage of various issues can similarly dictate views on these issues.

Preliminary Bibliography

1. Flanders, L., 1997, Real Majority, Media Minority: The Cost of Sidelining Women in Reporting, Common Courage Press, Maine

This text looks into the many issues associated with the under-representation of women in the media. It focuses on painting women as prisoners in an information society with no real voice as well as the sexualities that are often discriminated against by the media.

2. Hurst, J., and White, S.A., 1994, Ethics and the Australian News Media, Macmillan Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd., South Yarra

This text assesses the role of ethics in the Australian Media and how it may affect the reporting of a particular news story. It tends to look into the nature of private and public life and how it may be balanced. Hurst and White also tackle the growing issue of market media and how it can affect the ethical and moral standards to which a news story can be reported upon.

3. Bascow, S.A., 1992, Gender: Stereotypes and Roles (Ed. 3), Brooks and Cole Publishing Company, California

Bascow’s text is helpful in that it addresses how gender is constructed in regards to familial values, education and the media. In particular it looks at the social construct, and not just the biological definitions of gender. Bascow also looks at sexualities in regards to gender and how it may also contribute to gender stereotyping.

4. Williams, T., 2000, ‘Gender, Media and Democracy’, The Round Table, London, Vol. 357, 1 October 2000

This journal article was unearthed from the online database, Taylor and Francis. It looks at the apparent reorganisation of the basic institutes of society into the market, the Government and the family. It looks at the media’s role in addressing the range of issues associated with the representation of each respective sector, in particular centring on the issue of equality.

5. Gamson, J., 2001, ‘Jessica Hahn, media whore: sex scandals and female publicity’, Critical Studies In Media and Communication, Routledge, London, Vol. 18, No. 2, June 2001

Gamson’s commentary on the impacts of the female presence in the media focuses on the case of Jessica Hahn and the ways in which sexuality is used to gain media coverage. In this case, he refers to the gendered stereotypes that have come to be associated with women in their portrayal within the media and attempts to deconstruct them as a result. This article serves as a valuable resource to my essay as it focuses heavily on not only gender, but also sexuality.

Essay Proposal Post

So it is - we have to post our carefully tailored question and brief essay summary on our blog. Obviously its lacking the five annotated sources, but I'll get to it soon enough. What bum sits at the uni library at 8PM at night to blog? *twiddles thumbs*

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To what extent can ideas concerning gender and sexuality dictate or contribute to media coverage of news and current affairs? How can, if at all, the media impact upon the issue of gender and sexuality in regards to on equality and fairness?

The issue concerning the interconnectivity of gender and sexuality is universal in that it may affect the outcome of not only what can be regarded as news and current affairs, but also the way in which these stories are covered. In my essay, I will attempt to explore how news stories, depending on their medium, are affected by such concepts. I will be discussing how gender and sexuality may affect ideas of equality and fairness in the representation of particular elements of a news story.

Gender encompasses a variety of concepts, in particular stereotypes. By referring to Bascow’s text, I will be able to assess a general definition of the gender stereotype and how it can affect social attitudes and values. This will lead into Flanders view that women are generally a minority when it comes to the media, an issue that panders comfortably with my debate.

Sexuality is an important issue in that it has come to cater towards the ways in which media reaches it audience. I will be referring to the idea of the media using sexuality and sex in general in marketing their publications and programs toward a desired audience. By doing so, I will be using various websites as well as television programs local as well as international publications to assess the role of sexuality in not only a news story but the media as a market.

In discussing equality and fairness, I will be referring to its various definitions as well as the sensitive flaws in the accuracy of reporting in regards to gender and sexuality. The social attitudes toward gender and sexuality will also be discussed in relation to this topic as well as how the media’s coverage of various issues can similarly dictate views on these issues.

Chile's First Female President

The SMH has reported the election of Chile's first female president with former political prisoner, Michelle Bachelet securing a 53.2% majority over businessman Sebastian Pinera. It is a surprise outcome despite Bachelet, according to The Guardian being the favourite to win. She will be only the third woman to be directly elected president of a Latin American country.

According to a UK BBC News article, 'Chilean society is often portrayed as ultra-conservative dominated by men and the Roman Catholic Church. Only 4% of senators are women and divorce was only introduced last year', thereby showing that the role of women in Chilien society is yet to reach its full potential. With the election of Bachelet into presidency, it seems that things are set to change. A self-proclaimed socialist who 'wears many hats', and considered one of the most radical candidates in the electoral campaign, The Guardian reports that Bachelet's election 'reflects Latin America's increasingly leftward tilt'. Is this an implication towards the political inclinations of our genders with the male tendencies to be more right wing and the female tendencies to represent left wing ideologies?

Interestingly enough, according to the SMH, Bachelet is one of the only known female presidents who did not follow a politically prominent husband into power. A look into all the female presidents such as Ireland's Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, around the world, it seems that it rings true in that Michelle Bachelet is possibly the only femlae president not to have followed her presidential husband into power - Bachelet is a separated mother of three. One cannot help but wonder if this will affect her popular image in a patriarchical society. Bachelet herself states that it was not a problem when she was a minister and it should not be an issue if she becomes president. That said, it seems that she is willing to devote all her energy towards championing a better Chile, stating that 'I hope there will come a time when I have time for my children, for my family, and if a boyfriend, better, but otherwise I can live.'

On the topic of gender, the New York Times makes an interesting comment, stating that 'the tally this time suggested that class may have trumped gender', referring to an election six years ago, where Bachelet lost the electoral vote to Ricardo Lagos. It seemed that 'doubts had been expressed about whether Chilean men would be willing to vote for a woman', but the result of her marginal win is greater than that of her predecessor, Lagos. This article, in particular, makes special reference on the gendered aspects of the election as well as touching on the economic inclined voting that was likely to affect the outcome.

At the time of this particular story, numerous news sites have reported similar informative articles with many of the tabloid sites (namely, News Limited and the UK Times) appealing to the scandalous nature of her win through her status and 'colourful past'.

Abortions Target Girls

Its an controversial issue when it comes to abortion and the SMH has just reported the new findings of researchers, sourcing British journal The Lancet, with the claim that girls in India are the main target. These researchers have taken to estimating the loss of the birth of half a million girls in India each year as a result of the familial values of having a boy to carry on the family name. It also draws on the fact 'many people in India regard daughters as a liability because... the custom of paying dowry to the groom's family forces many families into debt'. So it seems that this issue is not just centred around medical and traditional gender issues, but also finance and education.

The ABC website also reported this story, publishing a transcript of a discussion on their radio station. It is a much more comprehensive report in comparision to the SMH, as it draws on additional personal stories and activists in the face of abortion. It appears that it is a ridicule not to have a son and that the social implications beset by the birth of one is enormous. Interestingly, the story touched on a point suggesting that 'the practive of sex selection is both illegal and widespread'.

It was difficult to dig up many articles on this particular issue - News Limited, once again lacking anything to do with something so 'irrelevant' - but Yahoo! News Australia has an article regarding this sex selection debacle. It's written in a similar tabloid nature to that of the Daily Telegraph, but makes mention of the source of the story - the United Nations Population Fund - unlike the other articles. The information is more or less similar to the other articles, although included are much more 'controversial' quotes, such as '"I will kill other children if they are born girls," by a woman living in poverty.

It's a complex issue regardless of which way you look at it, drawing many of its ideas from gender and moral boundaries. Its probably no surprise that boys are favoured over girls, as socially, they are on much more higher ground in this patriarchical society. Furthermore, it seems that in underdeveloped countries such as India, the social stance of being a girl is of greater difficulty as they are expected to submit to traditional ideas of their gender and are therefore more of a liability to the family involved.

Nudity Invalidated

So it seems that nudity during intercourse automatically annuls a marriage between two people. Have you ever heard of anything more bizarre?

The SMH has posted a brief article reporting on an Egyptian cleric's comments regarding consummation of a marriage. It's amusing to see that it became a televised debate and front page news seeing as it is an Islamic, and therefore religious claim.

I took the liberty of looking it up via Google and found some interesting articles commenting on the role of sex in marriage and the religion of Islam itself. Islam Online states that 'Islam considers sex as one of the essential human needs that must be properly satisfied' and 'Islam does not treat it as a distasteful, filthy, or heinous act of man', which is interesting to note considering the social view that women are subjected to oppressive sexual and gender-defined measures by the Islamic religion. It also comments on the idea of marriage and its necessity in a fulfilling life.

Wikipedia's articles on this topic run on a similar line to the above, where Sexuality in Islam, it seems follows a similar belief system to Christianity. Although, interestingly, this article states that Islam apparently sees the issue of abortion as eligible only if it is done within the first three months of conception.

The Muslim Women's League offers their own extensive perspective on sexuality in Islam, thereby showing that this issue clearly has a place in both genders. This article isn't bias in its opinion on sex in marriage and follows the same argument that 'sexual relations assume a prominent role in the overall well-being of the marriage'. It appears that adultery is a condemnation in Islam as it is in a majority of religions. The issue of abortion is discussed in modern perspectives, where abortion is accepted in the case of incest or rape. Contraception is not condemned, but is limited to the socially unreliable withdrawal method and the husband's consent in the use of contraception pills and condoms. This article also discusses the issues of puberty and growth in addition to the usual ideas concerning this topic. A more basic version of this essay can be found at ZAWAJ.Com.

Its a very interesting topic, and one that opens up a variety of other issues - the main one being religion and its stance toward sexuality. And considering the social controversy over Islam, its bound to stir some opinions on a number of fronts. Personally, I think its rather odd if you're not naked (that was the main topic lol) during sex.

Update on 'Packer Matriarch'

Just stumbled across this article on the Ros Packer whilst doing my rounds of the online newspapers. Its pretty much focused on the opening of the Sydney Festival - but the fact that the event is dedicated to the late Kerry Packer makes it an interesting headline. The article makes little comment on the situation with Ros Packer, its merely making a statement saying 'look, her first public appearance'.

I hit up the News Limited website just then and there aren't many updates on the Packers - there're just a collection of old articles published soonafter his death. It's interesting, seeing as one of the only publications - the SMH - Packer failed to 'own' continues to publish regular articles on him or those associated with him.

Sexy Visas

People are using other methods to get VISAs and not your usual run-of-the-mill forging of documents.

The Guardian makes a comprehensive report on the British investigation into their immigration officers' 'visa-for-sex' scams, a follow-up on The Sun's extremely short report on the same incident (or maybe, its just the online version that's short). It looks into the women's consent to sleep with officials in order to get a Visa, much to the distress of their families and partners. The paper published Jeffery's article yesterday revealing the scandal, and a follow-up today with Gillian's report. Oddly enough, unlike the Guardian, The Sun makes no follow-up article. The BBC website also gives a similar report, much on the same informative tone as The Guardian and much more comprehensive with all perspectives such as the immigration officer who exposed the issue and the Home Office Minister.

The SMH has picked up on this, stating that 'brazilian girls would be given permission to stay in the country longer than their boyfriends for no valid immigration reason'.

Its interesting to note the The Sun news website is totally, utterly sexed up (thanks to Alice for bringing this issue to light - I can't comment on your blog for some reason! YarGH). It features regular articles that are easily related to sex, as well as numerous dating advertisements accompanied by scantily clad women, so much so that I think it's starting to border on soft-porn. You'd think that an article of this related issue would have a little more priority, or at least a slightly more informative report. Interestingly, also - a search of 'visa AND sex' on the Australian News Limited site in regards to this scandalous incident failed to bring up any results. But of course, much like The Sun, being a tabloid newspaper, one tends to focus more on the personal issues rather than immigration affairs. Tsk tsk, poor reporting..