Empowering Women In Media
NEW YORK – On February 23rd, in response to the almost epidemic underrepresentation of women in media, Atlanta-based digital journalism resource NewsCertified Exchange (NCE), law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and global women’s network 85 Broads will host “Influencing the Headlines: Empowering Women in Media,” a one-day event to take place at Orrick’s Midtown Manhattan office.
Although women now comprise roughly half of American workers and earn nearly 60% of university degrees (The Economist, 2009), “Only 24% of the people heard or read about in print, radio and television news are female” (Global Media Monitoring Project 2010). Similarly, only 15% of op-eds are written by women. However, according to Katie Orenstein, founder of the Op-Ed Project, this is because the submission rate by women is only slightly over 15%. “Unless executives and other female thought leaders are more aggressive about promoting their expertise and positioning themselves to be heard, nothing will change,” asserts Kathryn McManus, Founder and President of NCE and former head of CNN Japan. “Women in positions of influence must lead the charge.” ‘Influencing the Headlines’ will feature an all-star panel of journalists and communications experts (including senior members of The New York Times, Forbes and Edelman) who will share their insights on the challenges women face in media. Event participants will also have the opportunity to take part in media strategy workshops led by veteran broadcast journalists. According to NCE’s McManus, “The event format, which includes subsequent placement on NewsCertified.com’s global expert database, will give attendees the insight, skills and technology tools they need to impact the public conversation.” “For experts looking to raise their voices above the noise, this event is the best place to start,” offers Sharon Lechter, an NCE expert and co-author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, who will be in attendance. “Through my presence on NewsCertified.com, I gained traction with journalists from the Associated Press, Forbes, MSN and other outlets, who otherwise wouldn’t have found me. My initial investment in NCE was returned to me very quickly. The organization has the utmost integrity and the individuals involved are a who’s who of industry, journalism and communications.” NCE was founded in early 2009 by a team of former network journalists to provide the media with direct access to a more diverse group of “interview-ready” experts. Journalists representing over 250 of the world’s top media outlets have used NewsCertified.com to find experts.
