The negotiation of meanings in the evening news: towards an understanding of gender disadvantages in the access to the public debate

Abstract

This article asserts the importance of examining gender barriers in the deliberative processes of the public sphere. The purpose of a participatory democracy is not feasible without the equal inclusion of women’s voices under similar conditions to their male peers. In the past, various studies have shown that women in the media are either rendered invisible or described according to stereotyped characteristics, which results in their “symbolic annihilation”. Arguing that television remains an important mass medium in the delivery of news to the general public, a qualitative study has been developed aiming to understand how gender meanings in the evening news are negotiated by televiewers. Within this context, a sequence of focus group discussions has been organized in order to examine several gender perceptions of the news that shall contribute to the development of a critical perspective on media structures and contents