Network news expert: Sound bites almost always white, male
10.20.98
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NEW YORK — When the three main broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, and
NBC — give experts the opportunity to speak on their early evening
newscasts, the speakers are almost exclusively white and male, according to
the 10th annual Women, Men and Media Study, conducted by ADT Research in
conjunction with The Freedom Forum. By contrast, comments solicited by the
networks from "real people" were far more representative of the American
population as a whole.
"Individuals of either sex, any age and all races can be heard from on the
network news, as long as they are not wielding power or offering expertise.
The networks' 'golden rolodexes' of expert consultants are badly in need of
updating," said Andrew Tyndall, director of the study, titled Who Speaks
For America? Sex, Age and Race on the Network News.
During the first six months of 1998, nearly nine of 10 "expert" sound bites
(87%) on the network newscasts were provided by men, and more than
nine in 10 (92%) were provided by whites. Women accounted for 13% of expert
sound bites and people of color just 6% (in 2% of the sound bites, the
speaker's racial/ethnic status was unclear).
When the networks turned to "real people" for sound bites in news stories,
the diversity of America was far more in evidence. Four in 10 (41%) sound
bites provided by "real people" came from women and 14% from people of
color. Nationally, women represent 51% of the total U.S. population and
nonwhites 28%, according to August 1998 U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Young people (under 30) and seniors (65 and over) were also more likely
to be represented in "real people" soundbites than in "expert" sound
bites. People under 30 accounted for 19% of real-people sound bites vs.
just 1% of expert sound bites, while seniors accounted for 11% of
real-people sound bites vs. 3% of expert sound bites.
Baby boomers (ages 30 to 49) were by far the networks' favorite
quote-producers, whether they were playing the role of expert or "person on
the street." Fully two-thirds of expert sound bites (68%) were uttered by
baby boomers, while half (50%) of "real people" sound bites came from this
age group. In the general public, baby boomers make up 31% of the total
population.
A third class of people called upon by the network newscasts to provide
sound bites — politicians — were overwhelmingly old, white and
male, reflecting the realities of political power in the U.S. People
over the age of fifty accounted for three-quarters (74%) of the sound bites
given by politicians. People of color uttered 13% of political soundbites,
while women accounted for 9%.
For all their seeming ubiquitousness on the network newscasts, politicians
accounted for just one in five (18%) sound bites during the first half of
1998. Experts accounted for two in five (40%) sound bites, as did real
people (39%).
Facts about sound bites on the network newscasts (January through June
1998):
The average sound bite on the network newscasts was 21 words in length,
or approximately 6 1/2 seconds in duration.
The average news report contained 3.8 sound bites. This amounts to
about 25 seconds, or 19%, of the average 130-second news item.
The average network newscast contained about 29 sound bites per
broadcast.
On average, politicians' sound bites were almost identical in length
(23 words) to the sound bites of experts (24 words). Sound bites from real
people averaged about 19 words.
"NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw" made the most extensive use of sound
bites in its reports, averaging 4.3 sound bites per news item, compared to
3.8 for "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" and 3.3 for "ABC World News
Tonight with Peter Jennings."
"ABC World News Tonight" was the least "populist" of the three network
newscasts, averaging 1.1 "real people" per news item, compared to 1.7 for
"NBC Nightly News" and 1.6 for "CBS Evening News."
With respect to newscast staffing, the visibility of female
correspondents increased on ABC and NBC, but diminished on CBS. During
the first half of 1998, nearly a third (32%) of all reports on "ABC World
News Tonight" were filed by women, up from 25% in 1996. On "NBC Nightly
News," one in four (24%) reports were filed by women, up from 17% in 1996.
At CBS, just one in nine (11%) reports were filed by women, down from 15% in
1996.
Overall, 22% of all reports on the network newscasts were filed by women, up
from 19% in 1996 and 14% 10 years ago (1988).
Women, Men and Media is a research and outreach project examining diversity
issues in the media industry. The organization, chaired by author Betty
Friedan, was born in 1987 from a growing awareness among journalists of the
imbalance and distortion in the coverage and representation of men and women
and of new evidence of workplace discrimination.
The current Women, Men and Media Study was conducted for The Freedom Forum's
Free Press/Fair Press project. Launched this year, Free Press/Fair Press is
a multimillion-dollar project that documents and analyzes public concerns
about the way journalists do their jobs, while also seeking a better
understanding of the role and responsibilities of a free and fair press.
For a copy of the full report, contact:
Sheila Owens, Media Studies
Center, 212-317-6517
