Broadcast and cable primetime newscasts are the most gender-equitable news platforms, while print newspapers and wire services are the least, according to a new analysis by the Women‘s Media Center, that found, overall, a continuing media gender gap.

The center did not look at local broadcast news, only cable and broadcast network primetime newscasts as well as print, wire services and some major internet sites.

The survey found an even 50/50 split of women and men among the anchors and correspondents on the prime time weekday network evening newscasts, but from their the equity meter headed in the wrong direction. Of the online news stories studied, 57% were by men and 43% by women. For wire services, 63% of the bylines were men and 37% women.

Print remained the most male-centric, with 69% of the stories by men and 31% by women. Among the most male top-heavy papers was the Los Angeles Times with 81% men to 19% women.

Among the evening news broadcasts, the survey found that the majority of newscasts anchored by women — CBS‘s Norah O’Donnell, CNN’s Erin Burnett, MSNBC‘s Joy Reid and PBS‘s Judy Woodruff — tended to have more women anchors, hosts, correspondents and reporters. The exception was Fox News Channel‘s The Story with Martha McCallum.

But the newscast with the least percentage of women anchors, hosts, correspondents and reporters was ABC's World News Tonight (anchored by David Muir) with 28%, followed by NBC Nightly News (anchored by Lester Holt) at 34%, then Fox News‘s The Story with Martha McCallum at 39%. The network newscast with the highest percentage of women was The ReidOut on MSNBC (anchored by Joy Reid) at 70%, to 30% men.

But while MSNBC had the most women on the network newscast side, it had the least on its website, with 88% of the stories by men and only 12% by women. CNN was the most balanced with 54% of the stories by women to 46% by men.

Overall the outlets, the most male-dominated category of reporting is on sports, with 87% of the stories on broadcast, cable, print and wires by men and 13% by women. But that gap is much narrower in broadcast and cable, with women reporting 40% of the sports stories and men 60%.

The survey was based on an analysis of 62,002 "pieces of news content" Jan. 1-March 31, 2021, collected from the top 14 newspapers by circulation, seven primetime newscasts on “major broadcast and cable networks” two newswires and seven “major” internet sites. The networks were ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN. The internet sites were CNN.com, HuffPost, Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, New York Times, The Washington Post and Vox.

Turner Classic Movies has joined up with the non-profit Women in Film on a multi-year partnership aimed at raising awareness concerning the lack of gender equality in the film business and to celebrate the achievements of women in film.

Beginning in the fall of this year, TCM will kick off a three-year commitment each October with an on-air programming initiative created to raise awareness about the historical contributions of women working behind the camera, shining a spotlight on the current lack of women in positions of power in the film business, and promoting resources that empower them to more fully participate in the industry.

In an interview, TCM vice president of brand activations and partnerships Genevieve McGillicuddy said the initiative will run for the entire month of October on TCM and will highlight women in the industry from the early pioneers up to the present day. The specific women and films to be highlighted will be announced closer to the October premier date.

McGillicuddy said TCM had highlighted women directors in the past, but this is the first time the network has done something with a partner on this scale.

“The timing seemed right,” McGillicuddy said, adding that the partnership allows TCM to “bring context to the programming in terms of what TCM does, [and] join forces with Women in Film to highlight what is out there in the zeitgeist right now in terms of women in film and the challenges we face in the industry today.”

Women in Film Los Angeles will also partner with TCM throughout this programming initiative to offer research and resources that illuminate the current roles women play in the film industry and promote tools to assist women filmmakers in furthering their careers and the art form. 

“The issue of gender inequality in the film industry is both timely and immensely important to shine a light on, and through this programming effort TCM is proactively taking a deeper look at the role of women in our industry as well as providing insight and resources to inspire more women filmmakers,” said TCM general manager Jennifer Dorian in a statement. “We’re thrilled to partner with such a well-respected organization as Women in Film in order to address and promote the empowerment of women in our industry.”

Women in Film is a non-profit organization founded in 1973 and dedicated to promoting equal opportunities for women, encouraging creative projects by women, and expanding and enhancing portrayals of women in all forms of global media. Given that women comprise 50% of the population, WIF’s ultimate goal is to see the same gender parity reflected on and off screen. WIF focuses on advocacy and education, provides scholarships, grants and film finishing funds and works to preserve the legacies of all women working in the entertainment community.

“Women In Film is honored to have TCM as our partner,” said WIF President, Cathy Schulman in a statement. “For years, I have dreamed of having a network reach out to our organization with a true interest in our advocacy and the ability to collaborate on programming that will reach audiences everywhere. Now, thanks to TCM, that dream is real.”