Opinion: How to get more women’s voices in the media

Columnists, reporters and editors have been making excuses for too long. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, May 14, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [David Leonhardt] David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist I spent some time last week analyzing the mix of women and men whom I quote in my work — both in this newsletter and in my weekly column. The results for the newsletter are decent, largely because of some specific steps I’ve taken. The results for the column are much worse. I describe them all in [my column today]( and offer some thoughts about how I — and other journalists — can do better. For too long, many of us have made excuses about why journalism is dominated by male voices. It doesn’t need to be. On the same subject: Several groups — the [Women’s Media Center]( the journal [PLOS One]( and [The OpEd Project]( — have analyzed the gender mix of voices in the media. Anne Connell of the Council on Foreign Relations [looked specifically]( at bylines in recent issues of four major magazines: The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy and The New Yorker. In The Forward, Talia Lavin [recommends]( an application called proporti.onl, which lets Twitter users determine the gender mix of the accounts they follow. In The Atlantic, [Rebecca Rosen]( and [Ron Fournier]( have lamented the frequency of the all-male panel — the dreaded “manel” — and discussed solutions. When she worked for Vox, Amanda Taub wrote [a good overview]( of this issue. Since coming to The Times, she and her colleague Max Fisher have also [written about it](. As part of this project, I’ve also put together [a few Twitter lists]( — on [politics]( [economics]( and other subjects — composed entirely of women. And Susan Hennessey and others at the Brookings Institution have just launched [a database of female experts on technology policy](. Corporate power. The problem of corporate consolidation has been [a theme]( of this newsletter in recent weeks. In The Times, [Bryce Covert]( explains the important role that mergers have played in holding down wages. New feature. On Mondays, my colleague Rachel Dry — who edits the Sunday Review — will often be calling your attention to one piece from the weekend issue. Here’s Rachel’s first recommendation: “Scott Shane, a reporter in The Times’s Washington bureau, [writes about a challenge for journalists today]( What to do when your scoops and leaks come from foreign intelligence services. “What does this mean for journalism? It means that the old rules don’t apply. Or rather, if you rely on those rules you could end up doing the work a foreign spy wants you to do. Shane thinks through the implications for all of us — both people who produce the news, and people who consume it.” The full Opinion report from The Times follows. From Our Columnists Op-Ed Columnist [What’s Good for Pharma Isn’t Good for America (Wonkish)]( By PAUL KRUGMAN The strong economic case for doing what Trump just didn’t do. Op-Ed Columnist [I’m Not Quoting Enough Women]( By DAVID LEONHARDT The same goes for almost every other journalist in the country. And it’s entirely possible for us to do better. [Why Comey’s October Surprise Was Pointless and Wrong]( By DAVID Z. SEIDE He said his only choices were “speak or conceal.” But a third way would have avoided election interference. [The World Doesn’t Need Trans Fats]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD The World Health Organization is correct that all nations should eliminate the use of these harmful oils in food. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [When Companies Supersize, Paychecks Shrink]( By BRYCE COVERT Workers lose out when mergers reduce competition. It’s time for antitrust regulators to step in. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [Eating Without Borders in Nashville]( By MARGARET RENKL Eating at immigrant-run restaurants is a way to signal “I’m glad you’re here” and “Please don’t give up.” LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. ADVERTISEMENT Israel Turns 70 [The Zionist Founders of the Human Rights Movement]( By JAMES LOEFFLER They fought for human rights out of their particular experience as Jews — which is the very thing that drove them to embrace Zionism. Sunday Review [When Spies Hack Journalism]( By SCOTT SHANE Reporters usually care little about a source’s motives, provided their information is true and newsworthy. But what if the source is a foreign spy agency? Sunday Review [Liberals, You’re Not as Smart as You Think]( By GERARD ALEXANDER Self-righteousness is rarely attractive, and even more rarely rewarded. Sunday Review [From Ice Cube to Black Cube]( By MAUREEN DOWD There is a dimension beyond that known to man, between the summit of nonsense and the pit of implausibility; it’s a place we call the Trump Zone. Sunday Review [How a Black Feminist Became a Fan of Princesses]( By MAYA RUPERT The sexist stereotypes that trap white women have never applied to me. Sunday Review [A Man and His Roti]( By MOHAMMED HANIF I’ve spent a lifetime trying to make a perfect flatbread — a doomed struggle that always makes me think of other failures. [Was Óscar Pérez Murdered? You Could Help Us Find Out.]( [Video and images collected by Forensic Architecture as part of a reconstruction of the raid in which Óscar Pérez was killed.]( Video and images collected by Forensic Architecture as part of a reconstruction of the raid in which Óscar Pérez was killed. By GIANCARLO FIORELLA AND ALIAUME LEROY New investigative techniques allow citizens and researchers to find the truth when the government wants to hide it. But to do that we need evidence. [Ben Carson vs. the Fair Housing Act]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD A federal court should stop HUD from shelving rules that would help curb housing segregation around the United States. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [leonhardt@nytimes.com](mailto:leonhardt@nytimes.com?subject=Opinion%20Today%20Newsletter%20Feedback). ADVERTISEMENT Letters [Family Planning: A Basic Women’s Human Right]( Readers agree with an editorial saying that abstinence-only sex education does not work. SIGN UP FOR THE OP-DOCS NEWSLETTER Find out about new [Op-Docs]( read discussions with filmmakers and learn more about upcoming events. 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