Conference Call Presents Election Media Coverage Analysis of Women Candidates with Krystal Ball
10.29.2010– FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RSVP to: rsvp@womensmediacenter.com
Yana Walton: yana@womensmediacenter.com 212.563.0680
Rebecca Freedholm: rebecca@wcfonline.org 202-393-8164
Conference Call Presents Election Media Coverage Analysis of Women Candidates with Krystal Ball
Call In Thurs, Nov 4 at 11am EST to 866-901-2585 or 404-835-7099 & Follow Live on Twitter #NameThatSexism
NEW YORK: Media misogyny has reached a fever pitch in the closing days of the midterm election season, underscoring that one of the biggest barriers to elective democracy is the way women candidates are portrayed in the press. The Name It. Change It. Campaign, a partnership between the Women’s Campaign Forum Foundation, Women’s Media Center, and Political Parity, has chronicled these instances of sexism throughout the campaign season and activated a supporter-based rapid response network to hold outlets accountable for contributing to a misogynistic media landscape. On Thursday, Nov. 4th at 11am EST, leaders of the campaign and candidate Krystal Ball will release an analysis of the media coverage of the 2010 midterm elections, present the ‘Would You Say That to Your Mother?’ Awards, and take questions from press via a teleconference.
Women’s Media Center President Julie Burton says, “Since the launch of this campaign in September, we’ve responded to over 20 incidents of media sexism from late night shows, to magazines, radio stations, and of course – blogs. We’ve responded to outlets on nearly daily basis to ensure that our media landscape doesn’t contribute to what is already a sexist campaign environment. By raising awareness of an issue that used to slip under the radar, Name It. Change It. created new standards and is the largest media accountability and public education vehicle on sexism in the media, and its impact on women candidates.”
On Thursday’s call, Name It. Change It. will be awarding the ‘Would You Say That To Your Mother?’ Awards to the worst media offenders. One of the most egregious and most publicized instances of sexism this election season was the release of sexually suggestive photos of Virginia congressional candidate Krystal Ball. WCF President/CEO Siobhan “Sam” Bennett says “I became founding partner of Name It. Change It. after I experienced similar hostile media treatment when I ran for congress in 2008, and was told to ignore it. But now we’re making history, and we’re able to assist young women leaders such as Krystal in fighting for a fair landscape.” Ball will be on Thursday’s call, and Bennett says “It was wonderful to watch media shift from coverage of sensationalistic incidents to create a platform for women to address the inequity in sexist coverage.”
Celinda Lake, of Lake Research Associates, spearheaded research measuring how gender-based attacks negatively affect voter perception of female candidates. However, Ball’s experience provided a valuable lesson. Lake explains, “Up until this research was conducted, I often advised women to ignore toxic media sexism. But now, women candidates are equipped with evidence that shows they can recover voter confidence from sexist media coverage by directly addressing it, and standing up for all current and future women leaders.” Lake will join Bennett and Burton on Thursday’s call to analyze how 2010’s media misogyny affected perception of female candidates, the overall political narrative.
What: “Would You Say That to Your Mother” Awards on NAME IT CHANGE IT’s Post Election Press Conference Call
When: Thurs November 4th at 11a EASTERN
Call in: 866-901-2585 or 404-835-7099
RSVP: rsvp@womensmediacenter.com to ensure an opportunity to ask questions
Online: www.nameitchangeit.org
Twitter: @nameitchangeit and #namethatsexism
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Published by Kate McCarthy on 11/02/2010