Spotlighting women scientists in the press: tokenism in science journalism

Abstract

Science and its practitioners have been extensively covered in the media, and research has analyzed this coverage. Yet relatively few studies have analyzed news coverage of science and scientists in a social context. This project concerns itself with the question of cultural power in the context of gendered media representation. In this study, I borrow on the concept of social tokenism and argue for its broader application for investigating journalistic discourse. In particular, I address the treatment of female scientists by science journalists as an illustration of the use of tokenistic rhetoric routines in the press. Before examining conceptualization and methodology, I provide a brief review of the portrayal of scientists as anchors in stories involved in the presentation of the scientific enterprise, including the depiction of female scientists in the news media.