Wednesday, December 9, 2015

The Great Plains Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 09 December 2015

The Great Plains Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church of Wichita, Kansas, United States "GPconnect" for Wednesday, 09 December 2015

Download the printable version of the Dec. 9 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition of GPconnect:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
EQUIP DISCIPLES
MERCY AND JUSTICE
OTHER NEWS
Young adults urged to apply now for summer internships

Have you dreamed about how God might use you to change the world this summer? The Great Plains Conference may have some opportunities for you to make a difference, explore leadership, and spend a “summer of service” that you will remember for a lifetime!
Apply now for our internship program, which provides opportunities to lead Vacation Bible School at small churches across Kansas and Nebraska, participate in mercy and justice ministries as part of our Micah Corps, learn about church planting, youth ministry or Hispanic ministry, or you can gain skills in pastoral leadership. We also have lots of opportunities for you to have fun while gaining leadership skills at one of our Great Plains camps!
Fill out the online application.
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Eagle UMC to offer 9-week Financial Peace University
Eagle United Methodist Church will begin the nine-week Financial Peace University from Dave Ramsey beginning Sunday, Jan. 10. Classes will be conducted at the church – 704 S. 4th St., Eagle, NE – and will start at 6 p.m.
Financial Peace University is based on more than 800 verses of Scripture and is a proven plan for gaining control over your financial situation. More than 1.5 million families and individuals have taken Financial Peace University.
If you would like to take part in the class, please visitwww.daveramsey.com/findaclass to enroll.
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Juniata church adopts angels
for Camp Comeca

Juniata United Methodist Church wanted to help with the Camp Comeca fundraising campaign. Specifically, it wanted a chance for the church’s kids to take part in the effort.
When Prairie Rivers District Superintendent Lance Clay shared a video about the camp’s needs at the district’s fall meeting of pastors, lay leaders and other church leaders, Kathy Uldrich, a Lay Servant Ministries participant, began thinking about how the Sunday School kids could help. She brought up the idea of the “Angels for Camp Comeca” to the church’s Education Committee.
The group brainstormed a few ideas about what kinds of angels to provide. Because the church has a young Sunday School (grades four and under), the group thought card-stock angels the kids could decorate would work best.
The kids put their names or initials on the back along with a sticker that reads "I'm an angel for Camp Comeca.” Teachers Lisa Eyten and Ivy Brooks were instrumental in getting the craft project going, and teachers Gwen Journey and Pam Wiseman assisted with the project.
The angels were placed on a special Christmas tree in the narthex of the church, and members of the congregation can adopt an angel for a freewill donation. The angel goes home with the adult and serves as a reminder to pray for Camp Comeca and the child who made the angel.
All of the money raised from the freewill donations will go to the Camp Comeca capital campaign after Christmas.
Learn more about the Camp Comeca campaign, including how to donate.
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Hastings First UMC hosts large Nativity scene display

Hastings First United Methodist Church was inspired a few years ago by the history of the first Nativity scene, or crèche, which was crafted by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. St. Francis had gathered local people in Italy to portray the Biblical characters and used a figure made of wax to represent the baby Jesus.
The church hosted its fourth-annual “O Holy Night” display of Dec. 4-6. The idea was inpsired by Mary Jo Heishman, a member of FUMC who attended an event called "No Room at the Inn" at the Valley United Methodist Church in West Des Moines, Iowa. She was impressed and brought this idea to FUMC, and she found others to enthusiastically engage in this ministry opportunity.
Each year this event has grown, and this year there were more than 450 sets on display. Many hours are spent checking in nativity sets and artistically arranging them in the available space. Great organizational skills are needed to keep track of the sets so they can be displayed and safely returned to their owners. Church members provide coffee and homemade cookies to serve to the visitors to enhance the fellowship opportunity for the guests.
Free will offerings are accepted, and a portion of the proceeds is given to Habitat for Humanity.
The “O Holy Night” project involves many participants from the church and the Hastings community. It gives many people a time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. It reminds us of God’s precious gift to the world.
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Pastors invited to ‘reach deep’ at Perkins School of Theology event

Pastors across the Great Plains Conference and elsewhere are invited to “reach deep” and learn more about the gift of administration, leading your church in healthy conversations, leading congregations in a culturally complex world and the 2016 General Conference, among other workshops, during the Ministers Week 2016 event.
This event is scheduled for Feb. 1 and 2 at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Registration is $285 at the door, $235 by Jan. 25 and $185 by Jan. 11. The event counts for 1.25 CEUs for clergy.
Speakers include Walter Brueggemann, professor emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary; Bishop Janice Riggle Huie of the Texas Conference; and the Rev. Dr. loida I. Martell-Otero, professor of constructive theology at Palmer Theological Seminary at Eastern University in Pennsylvania.
For more information, contact the Perkins School of Theology Office of external programs via email at theoexternalprograms@sms.edu.
Register here.
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New book focuses on challenges faced by young pastors

A new book by the Rev. James Ellis III, “Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil: Stories about the Challenges of Young Pastors” is now available.
The book is a collection of first-person essays from pastors, mostly younger than 35, candidly sharing some of tough experiences as pastors that they have endured. The contributors represent a variety of theological traditions, from United Methodist and Pentecostal to Episcopalian, Lutheran, Mennonite and more.
This anthology could be a resource to discuss many issues of great importance to today's church. “Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil” is available through Smyth & Helwys as well as Amazon.
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Learn biblical ways to address root causes of injustice
From food pantries to global missions, faith communities are known for their acts of mercy and charity that benefit their broader communities and the world. But what does it mean for people of faith to address the root causes of injustice? Rooted in a biblical and theological perspective, this three-session course will guide clergy and laity who are interested in advocacy through each step of building a dynamic grassroots campaign that addresses a key issue or concern in their community in their community. Each session will provide the practical steps needed to develop and execute an action plan, including building partnerships, setting goals, engaging volunteers, and working with policymakers.
The When Mercy and Justice Meet: Advocacy for Clergy and Congregations webinar is scheduled for noon to 1:30 p.m. CST Feb. 18 and 25, and March 3. Each session costs $20 except for people taking the course for CEU credits, in which case the cost is $17.50 per session.
Katey Zeh, M.Div., is a strategist, writer and educator who inspires intentional communities to create a more just, compassionate world through building connection, sacred truth telling and striving for the common good. In 2010, she launched the first denominationally sponsored advocacy campaign focused on improving global reproductive health for The United Methodist Church. She has written extensively about global maternal health, family planning and women’s sacred worth for outlets including the Huffington Post, Sojourners, Religion Dispatches, Response magazine, the Good Mother Project, Mothering Matters, the Journal for Feminist Studies in Religion and the United Methodist News Service.
Find her on Twitter at @ktzeh or on her website www.kateyzeh.com.
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General Conference prayer observance to begin Jan. 1

Jan. 1 will lead off 131 days of continual prayer for the General Conference of The United Methodist Church (#UMCGC), which meetsMay 10-20, 2016 in Portland, Oregon.
The quadrennial legislative event begins 131 days after the New Year. By coincidence, there are 131 annual (regional) conferences in The United Methodist Church.
The Council of Bishops has invited each of the annual conferences to host a 24-hour prayer effort on a specific date, with the intent of creating a groundswell of prayer in the days leading up to the General Conference. It is up to each conference to choose an available date and then design their own format for the prayer effort. The tentative date for the Great Plains Conference is March 1. More details will be shared as they become available via the weekly GPconnect email newsletter andthe conference’s Facebook page.
As the spiritual leaders of The United Methodist Church, the Council of Bishops conceived the plan for a prayer vigil in the months before the event as a meaningful way to focus spiritually on the experience, as well as to surround the delegates and church leaders with prayer for a General Conference that inspires us in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
“United Methodists from all over the world will come together in the spirit of Christian conferencing in Portland,” said Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett of the North Alabama Conference and chairperson of the “Council Life Together” team, which helped initiate the idea. “We want those attending to know that their United Methodist family is praying for them and with them -- that God will lead them in the decisions that they will make for the future of our church and that the event will be a positive Christian witness in how we conference together.”
The prayer effort will commence with the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference, which volunteered for the start date of Jan. 1.
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See what it means to love
your neighbor

Many United Methodists recognize that Jesus taught that we are to love our neighbors. But what exactly does that mean? Who are our neighbors? And what does loving them entail?
Watch this video from the Texas Conference to gain some insight on what Christ meant when he directed us to love God above all things as the greatest commandment and that the second greatest commandment was to love our neighbors as ourselves.
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College students get chance
to relax at camp

Know of any college students who need a little stress relief after the fall semester? Camp Comeca, near Cozad, Nebraska, is planning “Camp Refresh” Dec. 30 to Jan. 1 at the camp.
Enjoy nice accommodations at the Overlook Lodge while enjoying fellowship and playing games. Find refreshment in worship and enjoy some peace and quiet.
Because no alcohol is allowed at Camp Comeca, the New Year’s Eve party will be alcohol free.
The cost is $115, which includes meals. Call 308-784-2808 for more information. Please register by Dec. 18.
Register for Camp Refresh.
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ESL/GED students host multicultural Thanksgiving meal

English as a Second Language (ESL) and GED students hosted an appreciation dinner Nov. 23 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Madison, Nebraska. The event featured foods from different countries, and there were lively conversations around the tables. Through this meal, the students wanted to thank the church for opening its doors to them as well as share about their cultures. There were students and food from Mexico, Cuba, Burma, Guatemala, Venezuela and the United States. A full traditional meal of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy and pumpkin pie shared space with arepas, posole, empanadas, guacamole, red rice, horchata and fresh fruit.
"When we have a dinner, I never worry about having enough food," said Jo Lux, GED and English teacher, "and if there is anything left over, it finds a way to someone's home to be enjoyed later. Our students work hard, both at work and when they come to class after work, so it's great to have a time to just enjoy being together. And the more we study together, the more we talk together. That's what it's all about."
This is the third year English classes have been offered at the church, and the fourth year for GED. Jo Lux, Alex Ramirez, Carolyn Osborn, Brenda Jones and Kathy Glodowski have been teachers at one time or another, with help from many volunteer aides. Currently, teachers are Jo Lux and Alex Ramirez. Doors are open to more students, and more teachers and volunteers. This is one of the ways Trinity UMC is showing hospitality to people in the community.
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Norfolk First UMC celebrates year
of education partnership

A little more than a year ago, Bishop Scott Jones of the Great Plains Conference sent training teams with a challenge to each local church of partnering with a local public school. First United Methodist Church of Norfolk, Nebraska, took the challenge to heart, and so the First UMC-Grant Elementary partnership began.
The year has been filled with so many wonderful ways we have reached out to “our school” with many volunteer hours and financial support being given. Teachers and staff are prayed for weekly. Tutors are serving in each classroom working directly to help individual students, which allows teachers to provide instruction to the entire class. Students were able to order Scholastic books at Christmas and again at the end of the school year.
The teachers enjoyed Valentine cookies, a Teacher Appreciation luncheon the church provided, as well as a new paint and décor in the teacher’s lounge this summer. Parents, students and siblings were thankful for a hotdog supper at all three of their fall Parent-Teacher Conference days. Furthermore, individual families in time of need have been supported through this ministry.
The students wanted to thank the church with the following poem:
“Our Methodist Partners are really cool,
They come every week to help in our school.
They’ve given us lots of books to read
Because they understand that we have a need.
A need for help in reading and writing,
Which helps keep our lessons really exciting.
They help us in other areas too,
We love when they come, wouldn’t you?
They even inspire our teachers to do their best.
They remodeled their lounge so they can take a rest.
And if that isn’t enough, what do you think of this bit?
They served hot dogs during conferences
that were a big hit!
But if you think they’re the only ones, you are so wrong,
We have many more volunteers
that help keep Grant strong.
We love when they come and they come when they can
We appreciate them all, they are our biggest fans!
Students from each classroom, now come and share,
To show everyone how much our volunteers care!”
(Submitted and read by students of Grant Elementary at the November Norfolk Public School Board meeting).
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UMW takes part in worldwide monitoring project
Who makes the news? The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) answers that question. The 2015 research was released Nov. 23, and the U.S. portion was released Dec. 1. Every five years since 1995, GMMP research has taken the pulse of selected indicators of gender issues in the news media, studying women’s presence in relation to men, gender bias and stereotyping in news media content. This year, 114 countries participated in the study.
The U.S. report for the GMMP was coordinated and written by Dr. Glory Dharmaraj, the retired director of spiritual formation and mission theology for United Methodist Women currently serves as a consultant for the organization. She has been engaged in coordinating media monitoring concerning the role and image of women in the United States since the project’s inception by the World Association of Christian Communication (WACC) in 1995.
For the 2015 study, Dharmaraj led 45 women and teenagers in the data collection process and in analyzing qualitative and quantitative research for the U.S. portion of the GMMP report. The volunteers were United Methodist Women members from across the country, communication students from St. John’s University, New York, and middle and high school students from Westchester County, New York, as well as a WACC North America participant in Washington, D.C. Altogether they monitored 21 newspapers (print), nine television channels, four radio channels, nine Twitter feeds and eight Internet news sites. Monitoring of the social media website Twitter was a pilot experiment, included as part of the data for the first time this year.
Media literacy and equal representation of women within the news media have been important issues for United Methodist Women members, with monitoring the media since 1976. United Methodist Women’s national office and members have demonstrated a long-term commitment to gender equality and the welfare of women, children and youth globally.
“Solving the issues that most directly affect women and girls requires equal representation in the news media. Our coverage has been on the increase compared to 2010 when women as news subjects represented 27 percent of reporting; in 2015, we have increased as news subjects to 38 percent,” said Yvette Moore, director of communications for United Methodist Women
United Methodist Women is the largest denominational faith organization for women comprised of approximately 800,000 members who have put faith, hope and love into action on behalf of women, children and youth for nearly 150 years.
Read the report.
United States of America
Global Media Monitoring
Project 2015
National Report
Acknowledgments
GMMP 2015 is licensed under creative commons using an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs.
GMMP 2015 is co-ordinated by the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), an 
international NGO which promotes communication for social change, in collaboration with data analyst
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), South Africa.
The data for GMMP 2015 was collected through the collective voluntary effort of hundreds of organizations 
including gender and media activists, grassroots communication groups, academics and students of 
communication, media professionals, journalists associations, alternative media networks and church groups.
Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
No derivative works. You may not alter, transform or build upon this work.
For any use or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work.
Your fair use and other rights are in no way affected by the above.
Acknowledgements
GMMP 2015 is licensed under creative commons using an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs.
GMMP 2015 is co-ordinated by the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), an 
international NGO which promotes communication for social change, in collaboration with data
analyst, Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), South Africa.
The data for GMMP 2015 was collected through the collective voluntary effort of hundreds of 
organizations including gender and media activists, grassroots communication groups, academics
and students of communication, media professionals, journalists associations, alternative media 
networks and church groups.
Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
No derivative Works. You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.
For any use or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work.
Your fair use and other rights are in no way affected by the above.
With support from 
(ADD UMW
LOGO)
Acknowledgements
GMMP 2015 is licensed under creative commons using an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs.
GMMP 2015 is co-ordinated by the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), an 
international NGO which promotes communication for social change, in collaboration with data
analyst, Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), South Africa.
The data for GMMP 2015 was collected through the collective voluntary effort of hundreds of 
organizations including gender and media activists, grassroots communication groups, academics
and students of communication, media professionals, journalists associations, alternative media 
networks and church groups.
Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
No derivative Works. You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.
For any use or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work.
Your fair use and other rights are in no way affected by the above.
With support from
(ADD UMW 
LOGO)
With support from 
Preface 
Global Context
As newsroom staff around the world went about their day on March 25, 2015, hundreds 
of volunteers located in more than 100 countries gathered to monitor their news media 
as part of the Fifth Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP).
The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) is the world’s longest-running and 
most extensive research project on gender in the news media. It began in 1995 when 
volunteers in 71 countries around the world monitored women’s presence in their 
national radio, television and print news. The research revealed that only 17% of news
subjects—the people who are interviewed or whom the news is about—were women.
It found that gender parity was “a distant prospect in any region of the world. News 
[was] more often being presented by women, but it [was] still rarely about women.”1
Seventy countries participated in the Second GMMP in 2000. This and all subsequent 
GMMPs were coordinated by the World Association for Christian Communication 
(WACC). The research found a relatively static picture: Only 18% of news subjects were 
women, a statistically insignificant change over the first five-year period.2
The first statistically significant change in women’s overall presence in the news was 
registered in 2005 in the third iteration of the research.3
Women comprised 21% of 
news subjects, a three-percentage-point increase over the period from 2000 to 2005.
Women’s near invisibility continued, however, with only 10% of stories focused specifically 
on women, and underrepresentation in major news topics and women’s voices in 
the news. The third GMMP made an important discovery: The sex of the journalist 
mattered for the gender dimensions of a story. For instance, the likelihood of female 
news subjects appearing in stories was higher in the case of stories reported by 
women journalists (25%) than in those written by male journalists (20%).
A second statistically significant change was noted in the results of the Fourth GMMP 
in 2010. In data collected from 108 countries, some progress in women’s presence 
in the news was evident.4
Women made up 24% of the people in the news, up three 
percentage points from the 2005 findings. However, women’s underrepresentation and 
near lack of voice remained. Only 13% of all stories focused specifically on women.
Women were rarely central in stories that comprised the bulk of the news agenda such 
as politics, government and the economy. Women were outnumbered by men as 
newsmakers in every major news topic.
1. Global Media Monitoring Project, Women’s Participation in the News. National Watch on Images of Women in the Media (MediaWatch), Inc., 1995
2. Spears, George and Kasia Seydegart, Erin Research. With additional analysis by Margaret Gallagher. Who Makes the News? Global Media Monitoring 
Project, 2000.
3. Gallagher, Margaret. Who Makes the News? Global Media Monitoring Project, 2005. World Association for Christian Communication.
4. Macharia, Sarah, Dermot O’Connor and Lilian Ndangam, World Association for Christian Communication. Who Makes the News? Global Media 
Monitoring Project, 2010.
Encouragingly, 44% of people providing popular opinion in the news were women—
a ten percentage point increase from 2005. As newsmakers, women were underrepresented 
in professional categories. Similar to the Third GMMP report, the fourth in 
the series of reports confirmed the finding on differences between female and male 
journalists in the gender dimensions of stories they reported. The likelihood of selection 
of female news subjects was higher for female journalists (28%) than for male journalists 
(22%). Stories by female reporters were more likely to challenge gender stereotypes 
(7%) than those by male reporters (4%). In pilot research on news online, 76 news
websites in 16 countries and 8 international news websites were monitored. The 
results showed that women comprised only 23% of online news subjects—indicating 
that women’s underrepresentation in traditional media had crossed over into the 
digital news world.
The First GMMP and, as will be seen, the Fifth GMMP reveal that the world reported in 
the news is mostly male. Twenty years since the first GMMP, the challenges of news 
media sexism, gender stereotyping and gender bias are proving to be intractable 
across time, space and content delivery platforms. At the same time, there exist a few
examples of successes toward gender-just, gender-fair media.
Articles such as “Longtime Nursing Pay Gap Hasn’t Changed” in the New York Times 
by a female reporter, and “New Research Finds Female Nurses Are Paid Less” in the 
Los Angeles Times by a female reporter draw attention to the wage gap in a medical 
role predominantly occupied by women. Both research geared toward a gendered 
economy and media coverage of such economic disparity are an example of strides 
toward gender equity in a world of gendered pay slips.
In science and health news coverage, women reporters are found in higher numbers 
than men for the first time in the United States: The number of female reporters are 
slowly edging upward at a rate of 20% female reporters to 11% male reporters.
Analyzing a gender-aware story, “A High-Profile Strike Against Ovarian Cancer” in the 
Washington Post dealing with Angelina Jolie who had her ovaries removed to avoid 
cancer, a GMMP monitor says, “The headline does a good job of capturing the celebrity 
status of Jolie and the main focus, which is women gaining treatment for ovarian 
cancer…Two of the four experts on breast and ovarian cancer are women. Language 
is respectful…A woman doctor is quoted [as] saying, ‘Jolie’s efforts may ‘bring menopause 
out of the closet’ by prompting women to discuss their symptoms with their 
doctors and what can be done to relieve them. It is going to take menopause and give 
it a whole new face and put it in a whole new light,’ she said. ‘It is the face of beauty.
It’s a face of courage.’” 
National Context 
News media remain the major and most influential source of information. Who and 
what appears in the news, and how people and events are portrayed matters. Who is 
left out and what is not covered are equally important. The cultural underpinnings of 
gender are reinforced through media.
A recent research finding reveals that six media conglomerates such as News Corp., 
Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, CBS and Comcast control the media landscape in the 
United States. That is, 1,500 newspapers, 1,000 magazines, 9,000 radio stations, 1,500 
television stations and 2,400 publishers. These media conglomerates control 90% 
of what 277 million Americans watch, hear and see. (“The Illusion of Choice: 90% of 
American Media Controlled by Six Corporations,” by Vic Bishop, Waking Time, August 
29, 2015.)
It is imperative that in such a context, a study on how media portray the role and image 
of women is useful for educational and advocacy purposes in order to hold media 
accountable for gender equity. Holistic representation of female image and role is one
key component for human flourishing. Media monitoring is a tool that offers key 
findings, data collection and qualitative analyses that can be used for advocacy for 
gender equity in media.
Why Media Monitoring Matters 
United Methodist Women members have been monitoring the media since 1976, and 
early results were published in Sex Role Stereotyping in Prime-Time Television that
same year. As a national organization committed to the welfare of women, children 
and youth globally, United Methodist Women members have been participating in the 
Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) since its inception in 1995, every five years, 
for the last twenty years. Prior to this undertaking, there had been no worldwide
quantitative studies on the image and role of women in the media.
The groundbreaking idea of monitoring media globally on a single day was the 
brainchild of a workshop interaction that took place during the Women Empowering 
Communication Conference in 1994, in Thailand, sponsored by the World Association 
of Christian Communication. Glory E. Dharmaraj, Ph.D. happened to be in attendance 
at that conference, more specifically at that workshop. It was her privilege to represent 
the United Methodist Women in that conference along with a couple members of the 
board of directors. 
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
71 70 76 108 114
Print Radio TV Internet Twitter
129 21 146 49 101
Executive Summary
The Global Media Project is a quinquennial event, taking place every five years. From 
1995–2015, five Global Media Projects have been carried out with participating countries 
ranging from 71 in number in the year 1995 to 114 in 2015, as shown below:
On March 25, 2015, forty-five volunteers and students from across the United States 
participated in a nationwide effort to monitor the presence and role of women in the 
media. This group of monitors consisted of 34 United Methodist Women members, 
7 students of communications from St. John’s University, New York, 3 middle and
high school students in Westchester County, New York, and one member of the World 
Association of Christian Communication, North America. Altogether they monitored 
21 newspapers (print), 9 television channels, 4 radio channels, 9 Twitter feeds and 8 
internet news sources. Twitter was monitored for the first time as a pilot experiment.
The number of stories monitored in the United States in each of the media:
Those who monitored Twitter news were mostly middle school to university level students 
working individually, in pairs or in groups. The results of the study reveal that the overall 
presence of women was 38% in print, radio and television news combined. In internet and 
Twitter news, women’s presence represented a slightly higher percentage at 40%.
Compared to the GMMP findings in 2010, in which women subjects represented only 
27% of the news coverage, this year’s monitoring shows a significant increase in the 
presence of women as a news subject.
There is, also, a significant increase in the presence of female subjects as experts in 
the news in the 2015 monitoring, compared to the findings in the previous two reports, 
in 2005 and 2010 respectively. Such an increase is also found in the number of women
as spokespersons, as seen below:
WOMEN AS EXPERTS
2005 2010 2015
22% 24% 36%
WOMEN AS SPOKESPERSONS
2005 2010 2015
21% 26% 38%
WOMEN AS POPULAR OPINION PROVIDERS
2005 2010 2015
28% 0% 83%
Print Radio TV Internet Twitter
130 23 186 57 106
Women appear as spokespersons for government as employees and public servants, 
for businesses, as activists in civil society and as homemakers. Men still dominate as 
experts or commentators in news coverage of government, as politicians, ministers 
and spokespersons, at 41% over a mere 21% of women. Numerical parity is yet to 
be fully achieved.
As for women as popular opinion providers as ordinary citizens, they predominate in 
this category in the recent findings, as shown below:
The monitors coded the age of news subjects when available in the print media. While 
men are present at all age levels, women disappear after the age of 49. Men as subjects 
of news, however, are fully present well past the age of 65. On television, the results
offer a slightly different picture. As television news subjects, women start off as equals, 
outnumber men in their teens, lose out gradually to their male counterparts, and finally 
disappear after 64, while men predominate absolutely in the highest age bracket of 65 
and above at 100%. The age of internet news subjects offers an interesting contrast 
to print and television news subjects in the first and last age groupings. Both female 
and male subjects are invisible in the age bracket 12 and under. Both male and female
subjects in the 65 plus age range also disappear as news subjects. On the internet, 
female news subjects are identified by their family status (wife, daughter, mother) twice 
more often than male news subjects (husband, son, father): female 67% and men 33%.
Who Delivers the News?
The total numbers of reporters monitored in each of the media are:
In the 2015 monitoring, there is a statistically significant increase in the number of 
stories by female reporters and presenters, specifically 40% female reporters in print/
newspapers and 32% in television. In the 2010 monitoring, the total percentage of 
news stories by female reporters was 29% as compared to 71% by men (Who Makes 
the News? Global Media Monitoring Project 2010, page 95). Though in 2015, positive 
strides have been made, there is still a gap in numerical parity to be bridged. 
SEX OF REPORTERS IN PRINT, RADIO AND TV
PRINT RADIO TV OVERALL
FEMALE MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE MALE
40% 60% 67% 33% 33% 67% 39% 61%
SEX OF PRESENTERS ON RADIO AND TV
RADIO TV
FEMALE MALE FEMALE MALE
12% 88% 32% 68%
SEX OF REPORTERS
BY SCOPE OF STORY FEMALE MALE
Local news 39% 35%
National news 44% 32%
Sub-regional news 3% 5%
Foreign/international news 14% 28%
Sex of reporters, announcers and presenters overall:
The sex of reporters, announcers and presenters shows a lack of gender equity in the 
results analyzed, as seen below.
Overall women report 39% of the stories in newspapers, television and radio newscasts.
They present 12% and 32% of radio and television stories respectively.
Interestingly, the proportion of stories reported by women on radio (67%) is identical 
to their male counterparts’ share of stories on television (67%), implying that the 
overrepresentation of female reporters on radio is reversed on screen.
Gender difference in source selection minimal:
Overall, women are 38% of subjects and sources in stories by female reporters, and 
37% of sources in stories by male reporters. This implies that reporting patterns on this 
indicator are similar for all reporters, regardless of gender.
Women are more likely to report local and national news, whereas men report local, 
national and foreign/international news in more or less equal proportions. 
SEX OF REPORTERS
ON MAJOR TOPICS FEMALE MALE
Politics and government 30% 70%
Economy 43% 57%
Science and health 54% 46%
Social and legal 43% 57%
Crime and violence 33% 67%
Celebrity, arts and media, sports 36% 64%
Other 0% 100%
FEMALE REPORTERS AND PRESENTERS
IN NORTH AMERICA: 2000–2015
Female reporters 
and presenters
2000 2005 2010 2015 Change
46% 48% 35% 38% -8%
Men dominate reporting in all major topic categories apart from science and health 
stories. Female reporters on science and health have made positive change numerically.
Worldwide, in the 2010 Global Media Monitoring, it was noted that since the year 2000, 
the percentage of stories reported by female reporters remained low in science and 
health (Who Makes the News? Global Media Monitoring Project 2010, page 27). The 
2015 monitoring results show that the percentage of science and health stories
reported by women in the United States is now 54%.
In an analysis of the number of female reporters and presenters worldwide in the last four 
Global Media Monitoring undertakings in 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015, North America is 
the only region in the world that shows a decrease (minus 8%) in the number of women
delivering news in the most recent GMMP:
Women count. Women do counting seriously.
A DAY IN THE NEWS IN THE UNITED STATES
Arranged from the German Jetliner crash in the Alpine mountains to “Female Midshipmen 
Among the Victims in Shower Videos,” from news coverage of a newly released report
on pay inequity for female nurses across the country to a delayed report on policy 
changes over jail construction in Blount County, Tennessee.
Women are still relatively invisible in the news. Analyzing a report titled “Public Testifies 
at Fracking Water Hearing” in the Lincoln Journal Star, a monitor says that from among 
the 11 people quoted, there were only 3 women, and “all expert witness was given by
men. Two of the women were reported as having given substantive comments. Three 
of the seven men gave substantive comments. One of the women reported as giving 
a somewhat trivial comment was a leader of Bold Nebraska, an activist environmental 
group, who most likely could have made a more substantive comment given the 
10
opportunity (or such a comment might not have been reported).” One of the male 
experts, the geologist, said that the chemicals in the fracking water are “no more 
dangerous than what can be found in the kitchen cupboard or under the sink.” Analyzing 
the report further, the monitor points out that one of the women rebutted this with
substantive facts about the chemicals under the kitchen sink being poisonous to children.
The monitor’s concluding remark in her analysis is that the geologist’s reference to the 
kitchen sink is “trivialization of the possible human impact and a more real concern.”
Context
On March 25, forty-five monitors, mostly volunteers and students, monitored five 
types of news media in the United States: newspapers (print), radio, television, the 
internet and Twitter. The majority of volunteers who participated in the 2015 GMMP 
were United Methodist Women members, 34 in number. Seven were students from
St. John’s University, New York, in the communications class of Dr. Tuija Parikka, 
assistant professor and director of communication arts at the university. Three were 
middle and high school students from Westchester County, New York. One is a 
member of the North American World Association of Christian Communication.
Based on the monitoring forms they filled out, breakdown of news media monitored 
consists of:
Newspapers:
1. Daily News
2. USA Today
3. The News
4. Washington Post
5. Wall Street Journal
6. New York Times
7. Philadelphia Daily
8. Daily News
9. The Journal News
(Westchester-Putnam Counties)
10. Star Advertiser
11. Aberdeen American News
12. Portage Daily Register
13. Wisconsin State Journal
14. The Courier Journal
(Louisville, Kentucky)
15. Arkansas Democrat Gazette
16. Knoxville News-Sentinel
17. The Arizona Republic
18. Lincoln Journal Star (Nebraska)
19. Omaha World Herald
20. The Des Moines Register
21. Rochester D & C
Television News:
1. CNN
2. WISH
3. RTV (6)
4. ABC (5)
5. CBS
6. WSBT 1022
7. NBC
8. PBS NEWS HOUR
9. WHAM 13
Print Radio TV Internet Twitter
129 21 146 49 101
Print Radio TV Internet Twitter
236 27 105 86 125
Print Radio TV Internet Twitter
130 23 186 57 106
Radio News:
1. WHAM-13
2. WINS
3. 1070 AM
4. NPR
Twitter News:
1. @Foxnews
2. @NBCnews
3. @msnbc
4. @USAToday
5. @lohud
6. @Pokjournal
7. @ABC
8. @NBC 7 & 8
Internet News:
1. msn.com
2. Washington Post
3. ABC news via
Good Morning America
4. ABC News.go.com
5. NY Post
6. LA Times
7. USA Today.com
8. CNN.com (U.S. edition)
Total number of news subjects monitored is 446:
Total number of news subjects monitored is 579:
Total numbers of reporters monitored in each of the media:
Women’s Overall Presence in the News
In the 2015 monitoring, there is a statistically significant increase in the number of 
stories by female reporters and presenters, specifically 40% female reporters in print/
newspapers and 32% in television. In the 2010 monitoring, the total news stories by 
female reporters was 29% and by men 71%. Though in 2015, positive strides have 
been made, there is still a gap in numerical parity to be bridged. 
NEWS PERSONNEL: REPORTERS,
ANNOUNCERS AND PRESENTERS FEMALE MALE
Print 40% 60%
Radio 26% 74%
TV 32% 68%
THE OVERALL
PRESENCE OF WOMEN
AS NEWS SUBJECTS
AND SOURCES
Print, Radio and TV Internet and Twitter
FEMALE MALE FEMALE MALE
Politics and government 25% 75% 14% 85%
Economy 56% 44% 20% 80%
Science and health 46% 54% 75% 25%
Social and legal 39% 61% 60% 40%
Crime and violence 41% 59% 48% 52%
Celebrity, art, media, sports 22% 78% 14% 86%
Other 40% 60% 100% 0%
Overall female presence 38% 40%
In cyberspace, there is a slight increase of female presence compared to the percentages 
in print, radio and television.
Function of female and male news subjects:
Compared to the GMMP findings in 2010 in which women represented only 27%, this 
year’s monitoring shows a significant rise in the presence of women as a news subject.
There is also a significant increase in the presence of female subjects as experts in the 
news in the 2015 monitoring, compared to the previous two analyses in 2005 and 2010 
respectively. Such an increase is also found in the number of women as spokespersons,
as seen below:
WOMEN AS EXPERTS
2005 2010 2015
22% 24% 36%
WOMEN AS SPOKESPERSONS
2005 2010 2015
21% 26% 38%
Women appear as spokespersons for government as employees and public servants, for 
businesses, as activists in civil society and as homemakers. Men still dominate as experts 
or commentators in news coverage of government, as politicians, ministers, and spokespersons, 
at 41% over a mere 21% of women. Numerical parity is yet to be fully achieved. 
PORTRAYAL OF NEWS SUBJECTS AS SURVIVORS FEMALE MALE
Survivor of accident, natural disaster, poverty 13% 15%
Domestic violence, rape, murder 0% 4%
Non domestic violence, robbery 9% 4%
War, terrorism, state violence 0% 22%
Violence motivated by gender, ethnicity, religion 9% 0%
Other survivors 9% 15%
SEX OF REPORTERS, ANNOUNCERS
AND PRESENTERS FEMALE MALE
Print 40% 60%
Radio 26% 74%
TV 32% 68%
News subjects who are portrayed as victims or survivors:
Women appear in the news more frequently as victims of natural disaster, poverty, 
domestic violence and discrimination due to gender, ethnicity, religion etc., whereas men 
appear in larger numbers as victims of war, terrorism and state-sponsored violence.
As for news subjects portrayed as survivors, men appear in slightly larger numbers as 
survivors of natural disasters, poverty, domestic violence and other forms of victimhood.
Women are represented in slightly larger number (4%) as survivors in discrimination 
due to gender, ethnicity and religion compared to men (3%). Women as survivors of 
domestic violence are strikingly absent, as shown in this survey:
In internet news, female news subjects are identified by family status two times more 
often than male news subjects: female 67% and men 33%.
Who Delivers the News?
Sex of reporters, announcers and presenters overall:
The sex of reporters, announcers and presenters shows a lack of gender equity in the 
results analyzed, as demonstrated by the statistics provided below:
PORTRAYAL OF NEWS SUBJECTS AS VICTIMS FEMALE MALE
Victims of accident, natural disaster, poverty 33% 10%
Domestic violence 7% 3%
Non-domestic violence, robbery 15% 10%
War, terrorism, state violence 0% 21%
Violence motivated by gender, ethnicity, religion 4% 3%
Other victims 7% 21%
Age of presenters and reporters by sex:
70% of female television announcers and presenters are in the 35–49 age group, 
compared to 35% of the men. 13% of the women and 29% of the men are age 50–64.
Visually, women’s presence as reporters drastically decreases in the upper age bracket.
Sex of reporters by scope:
Women reporters appear in larger numbers in local and national level news coverage, 
whereas men appear in larger numbers in sub-regional and foreign and international 
levels of news reporting. Overall women reporters represent 39% of all reporters.
Sex of reporters by major topic:
Usually, stories under major topics such as politics and government, crime and violence 
remain reported more frequently by men. Worldwide, in the 2010 Global Media 
Monitoring, it was noted that since the year 2000, the percentage of stories reported 
by female reporters remained low in science and health (Who Makes the News? Global 
Media Monitoring Project 2010, page 27). But in 2015, the number of female reporters 
on science and health has increased slightly, as shown below:
In an analysis of the number of female reporters and presenters worldwide in the last 
four Global Media Monitoring undertakings in 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015, North America 
is the only region in the world that shows a decrease (minus 8%) in the number of
women delivering news in the most recent GMMP:
SEX OF REPORTERS FEMALE MALE
Local news 39% 35%
National news 44% 32%
Sub-regional news 3% 5%
Foreign news 14% 28%
Overall 39% women reporters
SEX OF REPORTERS ON MAJOR TOPICS FEMALE MALE
Politics and government 18% 28%
Economy 13% 11%
Science and health 20% 11%
Social and legal 30% 25%
Crime and violence 14% 18%
Celebrity, art, media, sports 6% 6%
46% 48% 35% 38% -8%
WOMEN AS THE CENTRAL FOCUS: PRINT, RADIO AND TELEVISION
Political participation Peace and security Economic participation
Yes No Yes No Yes No
29% 71% 9% 91% 100% 0%
WOMEN AS THE CENTRAL FOCUS: IN INTERNET AND TWITTER
Political participation Peace and security Economic participation
Yes No Yes No Yes No
0% 0% 24% 76% 0% 0%
Gender and the News
Women’s lack of centrality in the news:
The overall percentage of stories with women as the central focus is 14%. In print/
radio/television, women as the central focus in the stories on political participation 
constitute 29%; peace and security 9%. But in stories on economic participation,
they are the central focus (100%), as seen below:
On the internet and Twitter, there are more stories on women as the central focus in 
the topic peace and security.
In Twitter news alone, more women reporters covered stories on peace and security 
than men, 20 to 3, respectively. But the overall presence of women as the central focus 
of the stories has yet to achieve numerical parity.
In Twitter news alone, the monitors coded the centrality of women at 100% under the 
topic gender violence based on rape, sexual assault, trafficking, female genital mutilation 
and culture, and 38% under human rights, women’s rights and rights of sexual and 
religious minorities.
STORIES THAT HIGHLIGHT ISSUES OF GENDER
EQUALITY OR INEQUALITY (BY GENDER OF REPORTER)
FEMALE MALE
Yes No Yes No
Politics and government 41% 59% 14% 86%
Economy 23% 77% 9% 91%
Science and health 13% 88% 4% 96%
Social and legal 18% 82% 25% 75%
Crime and violence 16% 84% 4% 96%
Celebrity, arts, media 0% 100% 12% 88%
Other 0% 0% 25% 75%
Overall 21% 13%
The sex of the reporters who write stories that reference issues of gender equality/
inequality, human rights and policies shows a striking gender difference: 21% of stories 
by female reporters compared to 13% by male reporters evoke gender equality/
inequality issues.
Gender Trends in Internet and Twitter News
• In internet news, the main topics covered are: politics and government (27%), 
the economy (2%), science and health (10%), social and legal (22%), crime and 
violence (37%) and celebrities and media 2%.
• Among these, the percentage of stories shared on Twitter are politics and government 
(11%), the economy (0%), science and health (11%), social and legal news 
(11%), crime and violence (67%) and celebrities and the arts (0%).
• The internet news producers shared 100% of the social and legal stories they 
published on their Facebook pages, and none on the rest of the major topics.
• Women are 43% of the subjects and sources in internet news and 38% in Twitter 
news. Their presence is remarkably high in internet news covering science and 
health topics. Their presence in celebrities and media stories is 100%, which is 
traditionally a topic in which women are well represented.
• Women report 49% of stories on internet news sites. They produce 36% of 
digital political stories, 18% of science and health news and 18% of social and 
legal news.
• 86% of news Tweets are original Tweets and 33% are issued by female reporters.
• Only 2% of news Tweets challenge gender stereotypes and women are central in 
only 7% of Tweets.
• In the internet news as well as the Twitter stories monitored, there is a conspicuous 
absence of women as a central focus in political and economic news.
Gender and Journalistic Practice
In an analysis of the story “Claws Come Out at Pao’s Trial” in USA Today, a monitor 
from eastern Pennsylvania says, “The headline shows blatant stereotype,” and she 
points out that “Using the word ‘claws’ indicates ‘female’ and controversy.” The article, 
in fact, is about one Ellen Pao, a worker in a venture capital firm in San Francisco, who 
filed a sex-discrimination suit against this firm. The monitor says that the article mentions 
the sexual relationship of this female worker in the workplace who is chastised for 
it, “but the article did not mention if men in the company were also chastised for the 
same action—a stereotype.”
Though not an example of blatant stereotyping, a similar omission is pointed out by a 
monitor of an article in the Omaha World-Herald titled “Obama Puts Brakes on Pullout.”
The article deals with the projected withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2016 and 
includes pictures of President Obama and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The monitor 
says that in the news coverage, there is a “mention of a female member of the Senate
Armed Services Committee from Iowa, and a picture of her could [also] have been 
included in this Nebraska newspaper.” The missing visual presence of a key woman 
on a military issue is being called out by this monitor.
A subtle stereotype:
Analyzing a report titled “Public Testifies at Fracking Water Hearing” in the Lincoln 
Journal Star, a monitor says that from among the 11 people quoted, there were only 3 
women, and “all expert witness was given by men. Two of the women were reported as 
having given substantive comments. Three of seven men gave substantive comments.
One of the women reported as giving somewhat trivial comment was the leader of Bold 
Nebraska, an activist environmental group, and most likely could have made a more 
substantive comment given the opportunity (or such comment might not have been 
reported). One of the male experts, the geologist, said that the chemicals in the fracking 
water are “no more dangerous than what can be found in the kitchen cupboard 
or under the sink.” Analyzing the report further, the monitor points out that one of the 
women rebutted this with substantive facts about the chemicals under the kitchen sink
being poisonous to children. The monitor’s concluding remark in her analysis is that the 
geologist’s reference to the kitchen sink is “trivialization of the possible human impact 
and a more real concern.”
Missed opportunities:
Commenting on an internet story, “Female midshipmen among victims in shower 
videos,” a monitor says that it is about military men videotaping women co-workers in 
the shower of a submarine, and this story is “worth further analysis because women 
are just recently being allowed to serve on submarines.”
Another monitor comments on an internet sports story titled “EX-NFL Star Darren 
Sharper Starts Acknowledging Sex Assaults,” saying, “The defendant has finally taken 
steps to own up to what he has done to several women…he only did this to keep down
his prison time. In most cases, women usually take deals so that they do not have to 
be humiliated by the defense and relive what happened to them. Bottom line: Attacking 
their character when they are the victim….women are not respected. I am sickened by 
the disrespect of women.” This is also a call for a more nuanced analysis of stories of 
violence against women.
A gender-aware story:
An example of a gender-aware story is “A High-Profile Strike Against Ovarian Cancer” 
in the Washington Post about Angelina Jolie, who had her ovaries removed to avoid 
cancer. The monitor says, “The headline does a good job of capturing the celebrity status 
of Jolie and the main focus, which is women gaining treatment for ovarian cancer…Two
of the four experts on breast and ovarian cancer are women. Language is respectful…
A woman doctor is quoted, saying, ‘Jolie’s efforts may ‘bring menopause out of the 
closet’ by prompting women to discuss their symptoms with their doctors and what 
can be done to relieve them. It is going to take menopause and give it a whole new 
face and put it in a whole new light,’ she said. ‘It is the face of beauty. It’s a face 
of courage.’”
A Good Practice Case
The Women’s Media Center has recently released “The Status of Women in the U.S. 
Media 2015” report, a second of its kind, which demonstrates that gender inequity 
defines the media. Their research reveals that women, who are more than half of the 
population, write only a third of the stories. They continue to lift up the cause of gender 
equity in media through research advocacy.
ACTIONS IN THE POST-2015 ERA: A Five-Year Plan
• Join forces with the Women’s Media Center to work on action plans.
• Elevate the importance of gender equity in the training of communication students, 
male and female.
• Work with interested civil and religious nongovernmental organizations to take on 
the responsibility of holding media accountable for gender equity by monitoring the 
role and image of women and girls in media.
WOMEN COUNT. WOMEN DO TAKE COUNTING SERIOUSLY.
U.S. Coordinator: Glory E. Dharmaraj, Ph.D.
Consultant, United Methodist Women
Annex
Annex 1. Methodology
Each participating country was assigned a specific number of newspapers, radio and 
television newscasts, online news sites and Twitter feeds to monitor based on the 
national media density. This was done to ensure global results represented the distribution
of the world’s news media while respecting the need to balance results from 
smaller countries with those of larger countries. The number and selection of media 
outlets monitored in each country reflects the density and diversity—the size of 
audience, ownership and language—of media in each country.
Efforts were made to ensure that a uniform understanding and application of the methodology 
was practiced around the world. Clear instructions on how to code news reports 
were provided. Some regional and national coordinators benefited from face-to-face or
virtual training, while other coordinators and the global teams of volunteers developed 
monitoring skills through online self-administered tutorials. In one region, national coordinators
were trained by the regional coordinator via teleconference. In some countries, 
national coordinators provided advance training to volunteer monitoring groups.
In each country, monitors coded the most important television and radio newscasts of the 
day in their entirety. For newspapers, 12 to 14 stories appearing on the main news pages—
defined as the pages devoted to national, international and, in some cases, regional news—
were coded. Country teams could opt into the online and Twitter news monitoring based on 
their assessment of the importance of these channels for news delivery to local audiences.
The quantitative research captured statistical data on news topics, women and men 
in the news, the types of news stories in which they appeared and their function in the 
news. Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) in South Africa was responsible for managing 
and processing the monitoring data.
An in-depth and more nuanced analysis of selected news stories examined the means, 
themes and patterns of gender in the news. This qualitative analysis took into account 
the role of story angle, language and visual representations in constructing and 
sustaining or challenging gender stereotypes.
A full discussion of the methodology, including considerations on reliability, accuracy 
and limitations, is contained in the global report Who Makes the News? The Global 
Media Monitoring Project 2015.
Annex 2. List of Monitors 
United Methodist Women members: 34
St. John’s University, NY: 7
Westchester County, NY, middle school and high school students: 3
And a member of WACC-North America 
U.S. Coordinator: Glory E. Dharmaraj, Ph.D.
Consultant, United Methodist Women
WACC
308 Main Street
Toronto, 
ON M4C 4X7, 
Canada
Tel: +1 416 691 1999
Fax: +1 416 691 1997
gmmp@waccglobal.org
www.waccglobal.org
www.whomakesthenews.org
Glory E. Dharamaraj
United Methodist Women
Interchurch Center
475 Riverside Drive
New York, New York 10115
Email: Gdharmaraj@aol.com
Tel: +1+914+299-9805,
+1+914+930+1520
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