Women and Media: The History of an Activist's Fight for Equality

Even women who flooded the field of journalism during the Second Wave of the Women's Movement had little knowledge of the relentless campaign by women in the movement, in media, government, law, and politics to reform media. In this book, media feminist scholar Danna Walker reveals the evolution of the women's media activism that flourished when feminists began defining news - often identified as the main source of discourse in a democracy -- as a gendered field representing a male-dominated society. The story is told through the life and work of Donna Allen, founder of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press, a think tank that helped to legitimize women's place in the public sphere. The institute's newsletter, Media Report to Women, is the only source for much of the historical record on class action lawsuits against media companies, nationwide challenges of broadcast licenses, and the other landmark reform efforts by women working to change society. This book contributes to a growing body of research into the impact of women's media activism over the last 40 years on media reform, public perceptions, media technology, and communication history and education.