Tribune's 'WomanNews' gives voice to women's issues

Newspaper Research Journal, Winter 2002 by Lueck, Therese L, Chang, Huayun

A cultural analysis of the women's section in the Chicago Tribune finds that 'WomanNews' provided a powerful forum by incorporating women's voices, studying media's role relative to women, fostering a sisterhood and advocating feminist activism.

This qualitative assessment examines the 1991 launch of the Chicago Tribune's "WomanNews." To a medium that had allowed female readership to dwindle,1 "WomanNews" brought a refreshing perspective. Beneath its contemporary appearance, was it merely the former women's pages or was this a space where women openly discussed relevant issues? The analysis follows cultural feminist theory, which recognizes the importance of a separate women's space within male-defined culture for the nurturance of women's own culture and voice. The tools of analysis were principles of women's media gathered by Dr. Donna Allen2 and Dr. Martha Leslie Allen of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press. Characteristics of women's media include:

* women speaking in their own voices,

* media's role to women,

* a non-attack approach and

* an activist approach.

Using these four WIFP characteristics, this study analyzes "WomanNews" to determine whether it can be described as women's media, and, as such, whether its launch signified the introduction of women's media into mainstream newspaper culture.

A Cultural Feminist Perspective

Modern cultural feminism developed in the 1970s alongside other secondwave feminisms.3 Based on sex difference, cultural feminism sought to separate women's culture from patriarchy, allowing women a place to nurture female values. Researcher Alcoff noted that cultural feminist theory is "grounded securely and unambiguously on the concept of the essential female."4 The theory does not question the positioning of femaleness in opposition to maleness, but rather as historian Echols noted, it is "committed to preserving rather than challenging gender differences."5 Recognizing that patriarchy has described femininity to position male nature as dominant, cultural feminists have co-opted the terms used to define femaleness in order to construct them more positively for women. Theorist Tong pointed out that cultural feminists "believe that the fact women menstruate, gestate, and lactate gives women a unique perspective on the meaning of human connection."6 While still relying on patriarchal boundaries, cultural feminists equate women positively with the culturally defined traits that link them to their own femininity.

For this theoretical perspective, sex difference provides a seemingly natural division from men and a connection among women, offering women accessibility to a women-centered culture. Communication scholars Cirksena and Cuklanz are among those who see a future for advancing feminist inquiry in cultural feminist theory.7

Characteristics of Women's Journalism

Gathering descriptions from female editors, the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press in Washington, D. C., proposed characteristics of women's journalism, principles on which women distinguished their women-centered media from mass media. The principles included:

* "[W]omen speaking for themselves, not reporting for others."

WIFP acknowledged that the surest way to dispel stereotypes, to achieve accuracy, and to add new, factual information was for people to make their own case. This category addresses women talking about their experiences and expressing their opinions.

* "[A]nalysis of mass media's role relative to women and women's media." Women's media paid critical attention to the representation of women in mainstream media and analyzed the effects of exclusion and stereotypical portrayal on women.

* "[A] non-attack approach toward different views, avoiding name-calling or discrimination."

A wider acceptance of different types of women beyond the narrow confines of the cultural ideal distinguished women's media from the mainstream.

* "[A]n activist orientation," or calls for feminist action.'

Women's media commonly issued rallying cries against sexism, discrimination, harassment, common misrepresentation and silencing of women.

This research asks whether these characteristics were in evidence in the launch of "WomanNews," a conscious delineation of women's space within a major metropolitan newspaper, the Chicago Tribune. Adherence to these principles would mean that the launch was indicative of a separate women's space with more accurate reporting and useful information for women instead of merely a repository for targeted women's advertising. Therefore, this study asked: Did the launch of "WomanNews" bring women's media into the newspaper?

To answer this question, researchers used WIFP principles for a descriptive analysis of "WomanNews" in 1991, the year of its debut.9 From a cultural feminist perspective, articles in the weekly women's section were examined for WIFP characteristics to assess whether "WomanNews" could be considered women's media.

The Launch of "WomanNews"

At the American Society of Newspaper Editors' conference in 1990, Colleen Dishon, associate editor of the Chicago Tribune, introduced a contemporary women's section. Dubbed "WomanNews," it was an attempt to win back women readers and the support of advertisers who had complained that "dailies must penetrate their markets better.""