News cameras love Hillary Clinton, but the result isn’t very warm, according to a new analysis of how network news has covered the first lady of American politics.
The bottom line in the media review: Clinton and her aides are right when they say that she gets treated shabbily even in positive stories about her career. And much of the backhanded praise is the result of traditional media sexism, said the authoritative Electronic News.
“The media representations showed her as innovative, but also as pushy and aggressive, two qualities associated with negative portrayals of successful women,” said the paper titled “A grounded theory analysis: Hillary Clinton represented as innovator and voiceless in TV news.”
The researchers reviewed three hours of news stories from ABC, CBS and NBC at key newsmaking periods in Clinton’s life. Even in positive stories, Clinton was hit with negatives, especially when her trailblazing as a female figure was highlighted.
“The news media tended to turn gender, and thus Clinton’s innovativeness, into a negative,” said the study of the woman who coined the term “vast right-wing media conspiracy.”
