Mass Media and the Women's Movement: 1900-1977

Abstract

News coverage of women is strongly related to the women's movement. The quantity of coverage was measured from 1900 to 1977 for the New York Times and the periodicals in the Reader's Guide. Television coverage of the women's movement and newspaper reporting of the civil rights movement were also examined. Coverage of women was highest when the women's movement was strong; however, there was little media coverage of the early stages of the current women's movement and civil rights movement. A content analysis showed that the quality of news coverage also varies with the strength of the movement.