The Women�s Media Center, Women�s Campaign Forum Foundation, and Political Parity is proud to announce the national launch of Name It. Change It., a media accountability campaign that addresses sexism in the media against women candidates beginning with the 2010 midterm elections. The launch and press conference will take place next Tuesday, August 31 at 11:00 a.m.
Just days after the 90th anniversary of women�s right to vote, the U.S. still ranks 86th in the world for the number of women in congress. 51% of Americans are women, but we only hold 17% of the seats in Congress, and 24% of State Legislature seats. And it�s no coincidence that hostile portrayals and sexist media scrutiny affect voter outcomes. Women candidates running for office during November�s midterm election have already begun to experience one of the biggest obstacles to their electoral success: The toxic manner in which they are portrayed in the media.
We�re thrilled to announce our kick-off to remove one of the most serious barriers to America�s representative democracy. As key partners, we�ll need your help holding media accountable in this coordinated rapid response network that will dramatically decrease incidences of media misogyny directed at women running for elected office.
Women�s Media Center (WMC) was founded in 2005 by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem to positively impact the visibility of women in the media, amplify women's voices on key issues in the national dialogue, fight sexism and bias against women in the media, and increase professional opportunities for women across all forms of media. Through training, advocacy, and the development of original content, WMC is changing the conversation in the media so that media more accurately represents the perspectives, positions, and priorities of women.
WCF Foundation, founded in 2006 as a 501(c)(3) sister organization of the Women�s Campaign Forum, is dedicated to helping women build the skills and infrastructure they need to become more effective leaders in public life. WCF Foundation conducts action-oriented research and pilots targeted programs that prepare women to become more politically active, increase their engagement in key democratic processes, and ready them for public leadership roles.
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The Women's Media Center was founded in 2005 by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem to make women more visible and powerful in the media. The WMC places female voices into the media, offers media training, and publishes original reports and commentaries as well as links to women columnists and bloggers, news organizations, and journalism sources on its Web site, www.womensmediacenter.com.
