Media infiltrates our lives – it acts as a source of vital information, entertainment, and relaxation. Consequently, we must be wary of how women are represented and how facts are portrayed. We must demand that material is presented with integrity and respect. FEM provides a channel through which we can voice our complaints and let others know about the injustices women still face.  We also will explore how women’s issues are depicted and whether news sources are staying true to the unbiased perspectives they claim to stand for. Objectification and inequality are still rampant within media and we won’t stand for it. Click on the links to the right to read FEM’s latest articles.

http://mediamatters.org/index

The non-profit organization Media Matters for America exposes misinformation that has been perpetuated in the media by conservatives. It is a progressive website that continually updates its content with the latest inaccurate statements made by right-wingers. If you have a hard time trusting mainstream news sources and would like to engage with a medium that tells the other side of the story, then this is the place for you.

http://www.about-face.org/

About-Face is an organization that teaches media literacy by criticizing the sexism found in so many ads. A personal favorite of mine, the About-Face website features two photo galleries. One is filled with empowering ads that depict real women in real situations. But I always start with the gallery of offensive ads, just so I have something fun to look forward to. Activism falls into our hands as they provide the companies’ mailing addresses so we can all voice our complaints or praises. 

http://www.mediaandwomen.org/

Another organization promoting media literacy, the Girls, Women + Media Project’s website is chock full of frustrating stats on media’s effects on women and girls. It also features a page with great resources for learning how to deconstruct media. The media activism 101 page shows how you can take matters into your own hands. Don’t’ forget to sign up for the I-CAN (Involved Consumers Action Network) newsletter.

http://www.mediareporttowomen.com/:

If you would like to explore academic articles on media that offer intelligent research analysis, then check out the back issues of the newsletter Media Report to Women. The current issue of the newsletter tackles issues like the underrepresentation of women in movie reviews and sports articles. 

http://womenandhollywood.blogspot.com/ :

If you are craving a feminist’s analysis on the latest news from Hollywood, then head over to this blog. It’s a fun way to catch up on the latest movie info while still engaging your brain with thoughtful critique. Many of the entries deal with women’s underrepresentation in almost all creative roles within Hollywood and also praise women’s recent achievements.

http://www.wifp.org/index.html

Working for media democracy and justice, The Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press website features access to a book on the history of women’s media and their new online periodical discusses a wide range of topics related to women’s rights. The website also has pages on women of color media. But its best resource is the comprehensive directory of women’s media, which is continually updated and expanded to include the names and websites of print and online periodicals, news services, radio groups, film and video groups, and many other categories of projects led by women. FEM is on the directory too!

Email comments to fem@media.ucla.edu