Many largest news organizations in the US are now being led by women. Following the recent CEO change at CNN television, two out of the top three executives are now women. In addition, a woman assumed the CEO position at The Washington Post after serving as the executive editor.
The Cable News Network (CNN), which was founded in 1980 as the world’s first 24-hour news channel and is now owned by the international media conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery, announced that its CEO and Chairman of the Board, Chris Licht, will be leaving the organization after a challenging year. Until Licht’s successor is determined, CNN will be led by executive vice presidents Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, and Eric Sherling, who are responsible for the network’s executive operations.
Entelis, who has been newly appointed to the executive management, was one of the most experienced figures in the organization and previously oversaw content and talent development for CNN International. Moseley managed the network’s broadcasting teams, while Sherling was responsible for overseeing programs specific to the United States.
Meanwhile, Fred Ryan, the beneficiary of The Washington Post, also stepped down from his position after nine years. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and owner of the newspaper, appointed Patty Stonesifer as the interim CEO. Stonesifer has previously held executive positions at Microsoft and the Gates Foundation.
The majority of the top-level management at CNN and The Washington Post being occupied by women reflects the growing trend in the US media industry in recent years.
The US, UK, and Finland are world leaders
Today, the chairpersons of the largest television channels in the United States are women: Kimberly Godwin (ABC News), Rashida Jones (MSNBC), Rebecca Blumenstein (NBC News), Wendy McMahon (CBS News), and Suzanne Scott (Fox News).
A similar situation can be observed in the largest American newspapers. We announced two years ago on Journo that The Washington Post made history in its 144-year existence by appointing Sally Buzbee, the Deputy President of Associated Press (AP), as its executive editor. Many well-known magazines such as McClatchy (Robyn Tomlin), the esteemed economic newspaper Wall Street Journal (Emma Tucker), and Fortune (Alyson Shontell) are also led by women.
In addition to the United States, the United Kingdom and Finland surpass the global average in terms of the number of women executives in news organizations.
Reuters appointed of a female executive editor (Alessandra Galloni) for the first time in its 170-year history, and Guardian returned to profitability for the first time in 20 years under the leadership of a woman (Katharine Viner). In March, Erja Yläjärvi was appointed as the executive editor of Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest newspaper.
Turkey is ranked among the lowest in terms of gender equality in media management
However, gender inequality in this field persists worldwide. According to a study published by Oxford University in March, only 22% of leading news organizations in 12 countries are managed by women, despite women making up 40% of the workforce in these organizations.
In a study published last year on Journo, it is found that out of 100 media organizations in Turkey, 89 were led by men. Therefore, Turkey ranks at the bottom globally in terms of female representation in media management, with only an 11% representation, trailing behind countries like Brazil, Japan, and Mexico.
Source: Journo