Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Web, women and sports journalism

The Internet has put increasing pressure on sports columnists to write before they think -- in response to "fanatical" sports fans who demand knee-jerk responses to sports controversies. During a panel at the annual AWSM convention, columnists Jemele Hill, Christine Brennan, Jenni Carlson and Jill Painter talked about ways the Web has also enabled them to present themselves in "3-D" -- in text, audio and video, becoming more familiar to sports fans.
The panel was one of a number for women in sports journalism and information over the weekend in Miami. Attendance at the convention was among the highest in the organization's history, signaling AWSM's growth and visibility. But the employment of women in the industry remains low, especially in online media. A top editor with Yahoo!Sports told the group on Saturday that no women are in key roles with sports at Yahoo.

1 comment:

Jason Clinkscales said...

I found this blog through the feeder and this topic has always intrigued me. Though I've been freelancing here in NYC, I have always noticed the small numbers of women in sports journalism. There are many reasons for it, but as you are presenting, one would be lead to believe that with the increased options for media types to present themselves that there would be a more diverse press corp.

I have always wondered what roles folks have in mind for women in sports media. There are a lot of talented women in media, but at times, I wonder if some are being put on the sidelines to do their jobs or for something other than covering the games (read: sex appeal). Maybe I'm off about this.

Take care.