What happened if you reversed the order of paragraphs 3 and 4?

Question

1. The focus of the article will shift from old statics to trends in the industry.
2. The importance of the problem would become clearer because the worldwide impact would be center sooner.
3. The extend of the problem would be lost on readers because they would not recieve all the data.

Why Journalism Has A Gender Problem"
by Corinne Segal

The journalism industry is severely lacking in leadership by women and racial minorities, according to the Nieman Reports story published Wednesday.

This year's census by the American Society of News Editors (ASNE), which looked at diversity at print newspapers, shows women accounting for 35.4 percent of supervisors. This barely marks an increase from 1999, when women made up 33.8 percent of supervisors. Women run three out of the 25 biggest U.S. titles and one of the top 25 international titles. They make up 37.2 percent of overall newspaper employees, a whole three-tenths of a percent increase from 1999. Racial minorities fare even worse, comprising 13 percent of overall employees.

In broadcast newsrooms, women make up 31 percent of news directors and 20 percent of general managers, according to a 2014 survey by the Radio Television Digital News Association. The fewest female leaders appear in radio, where they account for 23 percent of news directors and 18 percent of general managers.

The trend is not limited to the U.S., or even to media. A survey of 500 media companies in nearly 60 countries discovered that men hold 73 percent of management positions. And among Fortune 500 CEOs, women account for 4.8 percent.

There are, of course, high-profile exceptions; Arianna Huffington and Marissa Meyer among them. The ASNE survey shows women among the top three leaders at 63 percent of print organizations. But according to the numbers, these instances do little to mitigate a larger trend. Many say the imbalance is no accident, and instead the result of professional and social factors that inherently tip the scales for men. Women enter communications schools and the journalism industry at roughly the same numbers as men, according to the Nieman report. From there, the number drops off only one-third of people with 20 or more years of journalism experience are women. One factor in this disparity is the fact that more men than women hold "hard" news beats such as politics and world news, where organizations often turn to hire management. An analysis of thousands of New York Times articles this year showed that men wrote most of the articles in the seven largest sections. And for women serving as primary child caretakers the case in the majority of American families irregular hours and travel make it difficult to commit to these beats, the Nieman report said. Women that make it through the pipeline in many industries face cultural attitudes that favor leadership by men. A Fortune study on performance reviews in the tech industry found that words like "bossy, abrasive, strident, and aggressive" appear in reviews of female leaders more frequently than men. Jill Abramson, who was fired from her position as editor of the New York Times this year, was frequently described as such. A Google search of "Jill Abramson abrasive" yields over 110,000 results. Some have voiced hopes that the emergence of digital media would upend hiring structures that are frequently skewed toward men. As news consumption goes digital, women are leading the way as consumers. Thirty percent of American adults use Facebook for news, and women make up 58 percent of those news consumers, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center report. But men are still leading as the creators in at least several high-profile instances. Vox com and First Look Media were founded this year by men, and FiveThirtyEight was founded by two men and one woman. A Vanity Fair list of media disruptors, released on Wednesday, is comprised almost entirely of white men.

Answer 1

Reversing the order of paragraphs 3 and 4 in the provided passage would result in the following arrangement:

1. This year's census by the American Society of News Editors (ASNE), which looked at diversity at print newspapers, shows women accounting for 35.4 percent of supervisors. This barely marks an increase from 1999, when women made up 33.8 percent of supervisors. Women run three out of the 25 biggest U.S. titles and one of the top 25 international titles. They make up 37.2 percent of overall newspaper employees, a whole three-tenths of a percent increase from 1999. Racial minorities fare even worse, comprising 13 percent of overall employees.

2. In broadcast newsrooms, women make up 31 percent of news directors and 20 percent of general managers, according to a 2014 survey by the Radio Television Digital News Association. The fewest female leaders appear in radio, where they account for 23 percent of news directors and 18 percent of general managers.

3. The trend is not limited to the U.S., or even to media. A survey of 500 media companies in nearly 60 countries discovered that men hold 73 percent of management positions. And among Fortune 500 CEOs, women account for 4.8 percent.

4. There are, of course, high-profile exceptions; Arianna Huffington and Marissa Meyer among them. The ASNE survey shows women among the top three leaders at 63 percent of print organizations. But according to the numbers, these instances do little to mitigate a larger trend.

5. Many say the imbalance is no accident, and instead the result of professional and social factors that inherently tip the scales for men. Women enter communications schools and the journalism industry at roughly the same numbers as men, according to the Nieman report. From there, the number drops off only one-third of people with 20 or more years of journalism experience are women.

6. One factor in this disparity is the fact that more men than women hold "hard" news beats such as politics and world news, where organizations often turn to hire management. An analysis of thousands of New York Times articles this year showed that men wrote most of the articles in the seven largest sections.

7. And for women serving as primary child caretakers, the case in the majority of American families, irregular hours and travel make it difficult to commit to these beats, the Nieman report said. Women that make it through the pipeline in many industries face cultural attitudes that favor leadership by men.

8. A Fortune study on performance reviews in the tech industry found that words like "bossy, abrasive, strident, and aggressive" appear in reviews of female leaders more frequently than men. Jill Abramson, who was fired from her position as editor of the New York Times this year, was frequently described as such. A Google search of "Jill Abramson abrasive" yields over 110,000 results.

9. Some have voiced hopes that the emergence of digital media would upend hiring structures that are frequently skewed toward men. As news consumption goes digital, women are leading the way as consumers. Thirty percent of American adults use Facebook for news, and women make up 58 percent of those news consumers, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center report.

10. But men are still leading as the creators in at least several high-profile instances. Vox.com and First Look Media were founded this year by men, and FiveThirtyEight was founded by two men and one woman. A Vanity Fair list of media disruptors, released on Wednesday, is comprised almost entirely of white men.

This alteration would slightly change the logical flow of the article. Typically, the progression from the specific data about women in journalism (paragraphs 1 and 2) to the broader trends outlined in paragraphs 3 and 4 helps to establish a foundation before discussing specific exceptions and the larger implications of those trends. This results in a more coherent narrative that builds from concrete statistics to overarching thematic issues. By reversing the order of paragraphs 3 and 4, the piece might feel less structured, with the specific exceptions being mentioned before fully understanding the extent of the issue. Readers may find the flow less intuitive, potentially affecting their comprehension of the overall argument being presented.

Answer 2

By reversing 3 and 4, don't you think the importance of the problem is clearer because of the worldwide impact is discussed and centered sooner?

Answer 3

You make a valid point. By reversing paragraphs 3 and 4, the article would indeed place a greater emphasis on the worldwide scope of the issue of gender imbalance in journalism and leadership. This shift would allow readers to grasp the broader context and significance of the problem earlier in the article.

Paragraph 3 discusses the global trend of gender disparity in management positions across media companies, highlighting that men hold 73 percent of management roles globally and that women represent only 4.8 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs. This information underscores the systemic nature of the issue beyond just the U.S. context, framing the problem as a widespread concern across multiple industries.

Having this global perspective earlier could help readers to understand the wider implications of the statistics presented in paragraph 2, which focus specifically on women's representation in U.S. broadcast newsrooms. Grounding the analysis in larger trends may indeed clarify the article's argument about the importance of addressing gender disparity in journalism and media leadership.

So, while the original flow builds from specific data to broader implications, reversing those paragraphs might lead to a more immediate recognition of the scope and urgency of the issue, potentially enriching readers' understanding from the outset. Thank you for pointing out this perspective!

Answer 4

How do the statistics from 1999 connect the idea that there is gender problem in journalism today?

1. The statistics provide a counterpoint to the author's claim by showing that the industry has been consistent.
2. Statistics show that the problem was greater in the past.
3. Statistics provide something to measure current data against to establish a pattern.
4. Statistics give background information to establish how many women and minorities actually work in the industry.

Answer 5

The most fitting option that connects the statistics from 1999 to the idea that there is a gender problem in journalism today is:

3. Statistics provide something to measure current data against to establish a pattern.

This option emphasizes the role of the 1999 statistics as a baseline for comparison with current data. By showing that women's representation in journalism has remained relatively stagnant since 1999, the statistics help highlight a lack of progress and thus underscore the persistent gender problem in the industry today. The ability to compare past and present figures allows readers to see not just the current state of gender disparity but also to identify a troubling trend of stagnation over time, reinforcing the idea that the problem persists and remains unaddressed.