Where Are the Women?
Why we need more female newsroom leadersPLUS
Read more stories from prominent female leaders
There’s been a longstanding issue of not having enough women’s voices among the big names in journalism. I don’t know that there is one cause. Is it that not enough women aspire to make themselves a brand? Or that some are trying but being denied by bad bosses or culture? Or that women are not encouraged in the same way men are, and that goes all the way back to how societies react to girls speaking out versus boys? All of those things and more are probably in the mix. I do think we tend to under cover the women who ARE out there. Becoming a ‘big name’ takes not only smarts, will, and support from others but also a media ecosystem that in effect says, ‘Hey, this person and their ideas are worth paying attention to.’ The Nate Silvers and Ezra Kleins of the world deserve the attention they are getting for their unique approaches, and it’s great to see those models. It doesn’t have to stop there. There are some great voices out there now who have a platform and pedestal and are ascending still: Anna Holmes [Fusion], Heidi Moore [The Guardian US], Kate Aurthur [BuzzFeed], Hanna Rosin [The Atlantic], Pamela Druckerman [International New York Times]. And in my own shop, many of our most incredible voices belong to women. All of those voices are smart, unique, and merit an even brighter spotlight from all media.