DC News

Going grey is A-O-K … for men

Story and image by Caley Bedore.

A challenge women might face in the media industry.

Hey girls, it’s been a wild ride.  We have fought hard over the years to gain equality and have certainly come a long way. However, as I am packing up my books this year and getting ready for my life as a journalist in the “real world”, I have been starting to notice something frustrating. The world is still run by men, especially in the news industry – where I will hopefully be working.

In the media world it is very easy to see that my hopeful career as a broadcast journalist will probably have a short shelf life. If you are an overweight, white male then you have nothing to worry about and will likely be able to read the news until you croak right there on air. But, if you are a woman – your success reporting on-camera is probably tapping out as soon as everyone gets an HD-TV and a wrinkle decides to appear on your face. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.

In the summer of 2010 Lisa LaFlamme, a well-respected and talented journalist, was announced as the next anchor for CTV News and would be the successor of the station’s then anchor, Lloyd Robertson. Robertson was 76 at the time. Seventy-six! And in the article produced by CTV, they reported that many Canadians were surprised he would be leaving. Surprised? In any other job he would have been collecting a pension for a decade. Try to find a woman working on a newscast that is 76.

Anyway, when LaFlamme did take over this new position she was the country’s first full-time female anchor in one of the three major English-language national newscasts. Finally! At least we are going in the right direction and I would like to see LaFlamme sticking it out until she is 76 too. Hopefully by the time I do get a job I will be right there too until I go grey and need a size 72 font on the teleprompter in order to read it. Either that or the news station will be paying for my Botox.

Give me your input!!

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