Spot the Difference: Media Edition

 

        The above pictures convey the same thing, and yet they have been interpreted by the media in two completely different ways. When looking for examples to prove the point of a media bias against women mentioned in the film "MissRepresentation," I simply searched for angry photos of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The photos above are in the first few results of the search, and yet they perfectly convey the point being made. The article attached to the picture of Hillary Clinton, written by Adam Shaw of Breitbart, is titled "Hillary Clinton Lashes Out at Press and ‘Sexism’ for 2016 Loss, Claims She Beat Trump." The article written surrounding the photo of  Bernie Sanders is titled "Bernie Sanders’ Anger Is Smart Politics, Dangerous for the Country." Though neither article portrays a completely favorable image of either candidate, the way in which they are described in the titles of the articles alone are enough to prove the point made in MissRepresentation.

        Hillary Clinton is described as lashing out against the events that she believed to have caused her to lose the presidential race, which are reasonable but are conveyed by the author as unreasonable, as seen in the sarcastic tone created by the quotation marks around the word "sexism," as if it played no factor in her loss. The article's use of the word "claims" is also used to portray a sense of mistrust with Hillary. A substitute for the phrase "claims she beat Trump" could be "states she won popular vote," perhaps a less accusatory and mocking tone. This use of words with negative and mocking connotations is one of many examples of the bias media seems to have against female politicians, often focusing on irrelevant things such as their latest fashion choice or hair malfunction. Sexism in the media is real, no matter what Adam Shaw may think; according to MissRepresentation, only 16% of protagonists seem in movies are female, and most of those that do exist live for men. It affects commercials and thus what people are expected to buy; women are often seen advertising for domestic products, such as cleaning supplies, or being the love interest of a male lead. If a man is the main role in a commercial for a domestic product, he is often seen as a superhero, such as Mr. Muscle or Mr. Clean. Many people, both men and women, feel that women are not fit to lead the country or have any sort of political power, which leads to the creation of biased perspectives and articles such as the one above.

         The article attached to the angry photo of Bernie Sanders does not necessarily agree with his opinions or policies, but it does not describe him in such a negative and condescending way as did the article focused on Hillary Clinton. His anger is described as "smart politics" while Hillary's anger is described as "lashing out." Had Bernie been a woman, this article most likely would have been called "[Bernie's] Emotional Politics Are a Danger to America." The change may be subtle, but it still exists and proves the point that connotation can either benefit or harm one's image in the media; "anger" is replaced with "emotional," and the focus is solely on the potential risks of their politics rather than their "smart politics." Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are completely different people and have different opinions, but things as simple as their genders should not contribute to their political success.