Nebraska Women in Journalism: The Groundbreakers Before Us and Surrounding Us

Authors

Jolie Peal, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

Document Type

Thesis

Date of this Version

Spring 5-2023

Citation

Peal, Jolie. Nebraska Women in Journalism: The Groundbreakers Before Us and Surrounding Us. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 2023.

Comments

Copyright Jolie Peal 2023.

Abstract

Nebraska women in journalism: The groundbreakers before us and surrounding us is a 30-minute documentary about six Nebraska women and their journeys as journalists. This project seeks to answer the question: “How do women in the media overcome gender bias?” I interviewed six women ranging in age and from a variety of journalistic fields to discover what biases they faced in the industry as well as their advice for young journalists as we enter into a field that is constantly evolving. I discovered that Nebraska women in the media do experience the bias we see throughout the nation and in other industries. Women in journalism have come a long way to closing the gap between men and women, but there still need to be more women in leadership roles. Women also deserve to feel confident in their work and respected in their industries. Women of color need more space in the media. They make up almost 8% of print news, 12.6% of local TV news and just over 6% of local radio news, while white men make up over 50% in both print news and local radio news. Native journalists also need more support, especially because Native Americans are misrepresented in mainstream media. There are many amazing Nebraska women breaking boundaries in journalism. Amplifying some of these voices helps other Nebraska women know they aren’t alone in their struggles, and it helps unify us to continue the tradition of groundbreaking that the many Nebraska women journalists before us started.