As someone going into the journalism field as a woman, I’m aware of the rough waters I’m about to enter. It is vital to highlight how women in journalism have changed the course of history.
Up until the 1960s, the broadcast news industry was a predominantly white male territory. However, even when women did not receive recognition, they still achieved great things despite objections and criticism.
In 1887, Nellie Bly was an American journalist best known for pioneering investigative journalism work. She is particularly famous for her undercover exposé of mental institution conditions and her record-breaking trip across the globe in 72 days.
The Jewish Women’s Archive cites Dorothy Fuldheim on Dec. 17, 1947, as television’s first female news anchor.
One of the many obstacles we face as women is that we want to be taken seriously. This is one of the things that scares me as an aspiring journalist myself, I’m always afraid that no one will take me seriously in the workplace, especially in cases where I’m more qualified for a specific task than a male co-worker.
It’s wild to think that even after we worked so hard to achieve the equal rights we have today, there are still people out there who are stuck with the old social norms that women shouldn’t be in the professional environment.
One of the main things in journalism I look up to for inspiration is the Watergate Scandal exposé. Robert Woodward and Carl Bernstein may have been the reporters who did the fieldwork required, but one influential figure overlooked in the history books was Katherine Graham.
Graham was the publisher of The Washington Post and played a critical role in the coverage of the Watergate scandal.
I have always liked exposing the truth, and some good comes out of it. I have always read about it in books and seen it in movies, being a journalist is the real-life version of that concept. I enjoy the work because it involves meeting new people, helping people, building connections and exploring different stories to report on.
Another newswoman I admire is Kimberly Gill of the Local 4 News Detroit news team. My family watched a lot of Local 4 News when I was growing up, and seeing her always inspired me.
According to ClickonDetroit, Gill was named Best News Anchor by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters in 2017 and 2019. She’s an award-winning journalist, recognized with several Regional Emmy Awards for her work as a news anchor and producer.
One of the reasons I like Gill, aside from her reporting and intelligence, is her wardrobe. She rotates between wearing a bright blazer to wearing a dress. Every evening when she goes live, she wears something that shows her seriousness but also embraces her femininity. All of these qualities solidify her as one of my idols.
Current women in journalism involve greats like Rachel Maddow. Maddow has won multiple Emmys and a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for her narration of “Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth.” Still today, she remains a prominent voice in political journalism.
I look up to Maddow. Around the 2024 election, I struggled both as a journalist and a voter because our job as journalists is to report on the truth.
When Maddow appeared in my YouTube algorithm, I had no idea who she was. She showed an extensive amount of research and evidence to back up her story and took an unbiased look at what was happening. She showed that she did not have a preferred side, instead, she reported the truth.
I will admit that as I graduate soon, I’m scared to enter the field both as a woman and a woman of journalism. One of the reasons I fell in love with journalism was that I got to experience people’s stories, write about them and know that I have made a difference in helping people and pursuing the truth.
No matter what people say, I’m coming into the journalism world as a smart, independent woman and those who think they can hide the truth better watch out.
Many women in media have paved the way for me to pursue a career in broadcast news and their efforts continue to inspire people with similar goals to mine.