Women in journalism
May 17, 2009 6:05 PM   Subscribe

Influential or groundbreaking female journalists, past and present - who were/are they?

I'm looking especially (but not exclusively) for the iconoclasts: historical or contemporary female figures associated with independent journalism, "New Journalism," gonzo, etc. -- or anyone who has had a lasting impact on how journalism is done or what it covers. They needn't be associated with large outlets, but of course it's fine if they are.
posted by regicide is good for you to Media & Arts (31 answers total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
Joan Didion. Also Nancy Dickerson.
posted by puckish at 6:08 PM on May 17, 2009


You can't go wrong with Nellie Bly!
posted by Biblio at 6:09 PM on May 17, 2009




Susan Orlean
posted by GaelFC at 6:13 PM on May 17, 2009


Current independent journalism: Amy Goodman

Gonzo journalism (but without the drugs): Molly Ivins
posted by marsha56 at 6:13 PM on May 17, 2009 [1 favorite]


Shana Alexander.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:16 PM on May 17, 2009


Gloria Steinem surely? (Or am I showing my age?)
posted by lungtaworld at 6:24 PM on May 17, 2009






Helen Thomas! The first female WH correspondent, who has grilled every president since Kennedy.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:48 PM on May 17, 2009 [4 favorites]


Barbara Ehrenreich
posted by MS_gal at 6:55 PM on May 17, 2009 [1 favorite]


USPS picked these four women for stamps honoring female journalists
Nellie Bly, Marguerite Higgins, Ethel L. Payne, and Ida M. Tarbell
posted by saffry at 7:02 PM on May 17, 2009


Jessica Mitford
posted by salvia at 7:05 PM on May 17, 2009


Not gonzo, but groundbreaking (and a fellow alum): Charlayne Hunter-Gault
posted by jquinby at 7:13 PM on May 17, 2009


If you're looking for contemporary independent journalism, its hard to top Anna Politkovskaya.
posted by wayofthedodo at 7:18 PM on May 17, 2009


Oriana Fallaci
posted by Joe Beese at 7:19 PM on May 17, 2009 [3 favorites]


Arianna Huffington.
posted by wackybrit at 8:36 PM on May 17, 2009


Dorothy Thompson was one of the most recognized women journalists of her time. Also, Rose Wilder Lane (daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder) was a well known journalist and magazine writer, and is considered one of the founders of the Libertarian movement.
posted by Melismata at 8:53 PM on May 17, 2009


Veronica Guerin
posted by drea at 9:24 PM on May 17, 2009


Barbara Frum, who helped pioneer in-depth long distance inteviews and was part of one of the first teams of women to co-anchor a major news magazine. I also believe The Journal was the first show to prerecord interviews and project them on a screen for a later "live" interview and that Barbara Frum was a major force in that, seeing as her interviews made up 60% of the show's content.
posted by acoutu at 9:26 PM on May 17, 2009


Margaret Bourke-White should definitely be included on your list, for her photos documenting child labor and the racial divide in America.
posted by planetkyoto at 9:44 PM on May 17, 2009


Jane Jacobs was technically a journalist, though she's best known not for her journalism per se but for what her journalistic skills allowed her to observe and contribute to the field of city planning.
posted by salvia at 9:59 PM on May 17, 2009


Cleveland journalist Dorothy Fuldheim


"Fuldheim has a role in American television news history; she is credited with being the first woman in the United States to anchor a television news broadcast as well to host her own television show. She has been referred to as the 'First Lady of Television News.'"
posted by caroljean63 at 10:58 PM on May 17, 2009


Muckraker Ida M. Tarbell exposing Standard Oil in 1905.
posted by doncoyote at 12:45 AM on May 18, 2009


Katharine Graham--Publisher and CEO of the Washington Post; first woman publisher of a major newspaper; made the decision to publish Woodward and Bernstein's Watergate scoops.
Meg Greenfield-- editorial page editor of the Washington Post 1979-99.
posted by Pallas Athena at 12:56 AM on May 18, 2009


+1 Amy Goodman, the woman behind Democracy Now.
posted by MesoFilter at 1:18 AM on May 18, 2009




Christianne Amanpour
posted by decathecting at 7:23 AM on May 18, 2009


Alma Guillermoprieto
posted by littlecatfeet at 2:55 PM on May 18, 2009


Janet Malcolm
posted by littlecatfeet at 2:59 PM on May 18, 2009


Martha Teichner
posted by yellowcandy at 10:17 PM on May 18, 2009


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