EXPERT WOMEN Expert Women CAMPAIGN

TAX BREAK CAMPAIGN beginning are not necessarily the pro- grammes we are measuring now. But Expert Women challenging the myths if you crunch all the numbers over two Women still without a voice years, it’s hard to get excited about the Since the campaign began, the BBC advertised its training big picture. broadcasters have challenged us days for women, 2,000 applied ‘David Cameron Two years after the launch of our campaign, more women experts are appearing on TV Take the figures for January and with two arguments: that they are for 30 places. This would indicate has achieved a February this year. On a selection of merely reflecting society, as men that women want to appear, but better ratio than – but broadcasters must do more if we are to see real, lasting change, says Lis Howell evening hours, Sky News’ ratio stood outnumber women as authority lack confidence, and therefore at 4:1 in January and 5:1 in February. figures in the real world; and want training. Channel 4 News and Channel 4 News was 4:1 in January that in any case, women don’t I suspect it is not the training BBC News At Ten in nternational but an appalling 7:1 in February. And want to appear. they want but the affirmation. ‘Two years Caroline Criado-Perez: launched the past month’ on, the Women’s Day on these are the two channels that As part of my academic Appearing on TV is very different I 8 March marks The Women’s Room; below: C4 pledged to try to reach 3:1. research, I have been trying to to appearing in court or the lec- average rate two years since we News presenter Cathy Newman Sky News argues that surveying its ascertain if this is true. The cam- ture theatre as you are displaying brave enough to revisit – or even of expert launched the Expert bulletins across 24 hours makes its paign acknowledges that in the your authority to the public. just reflect on, their news values, Women campaign. ratio much better. But we are not real world, more authority figures Television has enormous we might see a huge difference. men to expert When we started measuring breakfast or lunchtime are male than female. But is the power. To be on TV is to display For example, do we have to women is still monitoring the ratio of male to female shows at the moment, and on a com- number comparable? No. On TV oneself in a unique and powerful have so much football? Or blasts 4:1. It’s hard experts on news programmes, Radio 4’s parative basis for evening news, it and radio news, the ratio is 4:1 – way. Of course, many people from the Westminster Bugle? Or Today programme regularly went doesn’t score as well. 80% male and 20% female. But say that women won’t go on TV business news that is more to get excited more than an hour without airing a Channel 4 News is erratic. In the in society, the figure is probably because they are worried about about the corporate world than about the female voice, never mind that of a week in January that we monitored, it more like 70% to 30%. how they look. But in question- the consumer? big picture’ female authority figure. interviewed 79 experts (an average of Of course, you cannot come naires I sent out to female This is one of the reasons We started the campaign with a 15 a night) and in the February week it up with an absolute figure. experts, the main issue was why the Expert Women page is pledge for broadcasters, asking them interviewed 60 (12 a night). It has a But two agencies I have about being thought of going to look different from now to commit to improving the ratio of much more varied format than the spoken to that as ‘pushy’. The fear on. We want to talk to the news male to female experts. We then set up other programmes we measured. provide expert of being criticised, editors to find out what they a petition to gain public support, led by witnesses for 2,000 ridiculed, trolled, honestly feel about the campaign students from City University London. Equal interest courts said they The number of or challenged by to use more women experts. Is it Channel 4 News and Sky News Other programmes show better provide 70% male women who applied colleagues is a big fair to these editors? Are they signed this pledge, promising to figures.ITV News At Ten’s 4.5:1 ratio in and 30% female for 30 places on barrier. Journalists being asked to do something BBC training days improve the ratio from nearly 5:1 to January was disappointing, but in Feb- experts, and are tell me that men cosmetic that’s just another pres- 3:1. Within three months, thousands When we started, it was a bit ad hoc ruary it was 3.5:1. BBC News At Ten is seeing more expert invited onto pro- sure? Do they really have a duty of people had signed the petition. and there was some stray data – we Male/female ratio another erratic performer. In January it women witnesses in grammes do not seem to to represent women as authority Since then, 164 women have tended to monitor any programme we achieved a ratio of 2.5:1, but in Febru- court cases. feel this to the same extent. So figures, or is it okay to lag slightly Today received media training under a BBC fancied. Now the analysis is more 3.7:1 ary it went back to its old ways at 7:1. The ratio of male to female perhaps we need to acknowledge behind the societal norm Academy initiative. Radio 4’s The robust and, at present, we are monitor- ITV News At 10 3.75:1 The main stories in January and MPs is 3.4:1, and even in the that we are in a transitional because it’s the best they can do Media Show dedicated an edition to the ing the same five programmes in the Sky News 4.5:1 February were the UK floods, Syria, Cabinet it’s 4.5:1. So David phase, where women have to be and, anyway, the situation isn’t campaign and another of the station’s same week every month. the ivory trade, redundancies at Cameron has achieved a better persuaded to appear. that bad – look at Shami Chakra- shows, Feedback, used Expert Women BBC News At Ten 4.7:1 Barclays, the death of Shirley Temple, male/female ratio than both Finally, there is the problem barti (below), she’s always on TV… stats to support Caroline Criado-Perez, Who is the expert? C4 News 5:1 the trials of Joanna Dennehy and Channel 4 News and BBC News of news values. The evidence That’s another problem. When who criticised Today and went on to We’ve also been challenged about the Dave Lee Travis, Scotland and the At Ten in the past two months. points to journalists believing women do appear, they get start The Women’s Room, a website set definition of an expert. Our criterion is Period covers January and February 2014 pound, Northern Ireland, Lizzy The Shadow cabinet has a that evening news programmes, noticed. So the impression is that up to help women experts get on TV. simple: an expert is any interviewee Yarnold winning gold in the winter ratio of 1.5:1. If you combine with a larger proportion (but rarely there are more of them than the Since then we have seen the rise of used for her or his knowledge, exper- Olympics, and Helen Mirren becom- the Cabinet and the Shadow a majority) of male viewers are figures confirm. It all comes back Sound Women (a network of more tise or achievement, but not if it is a the ratio of male to female experts on ing a Bafta fellow. More than half Cabinet, arguably Britain’s top the ‘serious’ programmes with to the figures. Without them, all than 1,000 women working in audio) ‘one-off ’ personal experience or they TV and radio news across the first the stories on the 10 days monitored politicians, the ratio is 2.3:1 – the ‘real’ news values. This is this is opinion. But the figures and the launch of other training initi- are a generic example. We include pol- three months was 4.5 expert men to were of equal interest to both genders, exactly the figure quoted by nonsense – news values are have made the case. atives. More commercial agencies iticians as experts unless they are every expert woman interviewed. or featured a strong female interest the expert witness agencies. relative. But the evening shows We’re also looking at rolling sympathetic to women have also talking about a scandal in their per- Since then, we have amassed data on or protagonist. On the boards of companies have more male reporters, more out this sort of monitoring to cover launched, such as Kerry Hopkins’ sonal lives, which sometimes causes at least 13 different programmes and If the Expert Women campaign has, and in the world of top sport, male experts and inter- ethnic diversity. Of course, the Broadcast Ready. problems (is Andrew Mitchell MP an 231 editions. Some data has been lost in a small way, helped to achieved the ratio of men to women viewees, and more argument there is different. The strength of the campaign is expert or a victim in the Plebgate because students failed to deliver, but anything, it is the improvement at is obviously greater than late-night sport Women are not part of the diver- the data, and the transparent way it story?). But we categorise people as we have clear, robust records of every- Today. We measured the 6am to 7am 3:1, but that could be results. Their whole sity debate. Women are a majority. is collected: students from City experts where there is doubt, so we thing on spreadsheets. hour, and in January it achieved a equalled out by areas ethos is male. The real problem is not the University London’s post- can’t be accused of stacking the cards I’m now on a sabbatical crunching male-female expert ratio of 3.9:1, such as HR and communi- There is no reason lack of women and ethnic minori- graduate broadcast jour- against women. numbers and writing (hopefully) which isn’t great. But in February it cations, where the ratio for this except ties on TV and radio news but nalism courses count the We don’t class case study or vox pop erudite academic articles. The Expert achieved 3.5:1, which means that of women is higher. So tradition and the overwhelming dominance of number of women experts contributors as experts. Nor do we Women campaign has reached the overall it is the best of the pro- why are TV and radio macho white men, not just interviewed on four or five pro- count celebrities, unless they are ears of everyone from Tony Hall to the grammes monitored. And we should news failing to think- experts, but also general inter- grammes a month, talking about their expertise. The average Twitter troll. not forget last December, when it reflect society? ing. If viewees, presenters and, most usually in the same week. system isn’t perfect, but it works. But guess what? The average ratio achieved a ratio of 2.5:1, which would The question news strikingly, reporters. The current It’s a simple process, but No matter how much you raise of expert men to expert women is still have been unheard of in 2012. of whether editors situation neither reflects society not infallible, and it has awareness, however, no campaign is 4:1. That’s not quite as bleak as it Encouragingly, Today is reasonably women want to were as it is, nor as it ought to be, and only been challenged once successful unless you can demonstrate looks – it has moved in the right direc- consistent too, keeping the figure at appear links in surely it’s the duty of news edi- by a broadcaster, who ulti- that things have changed. When we tion overall by about 0.4%, and the under 4:1. Two years ago, who would to this. When tors to do both. mately backed down. began publishing the figures in 2012, programmes we measured at the have thought it?

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