The italian press is
in the hands of men

These figures represent the number of women working in RAI (Italian State Radio and Television) (Source: CPO FNSI).

• 33.7 percent: female journalists in Rai.
• 4 percent: female executives in Rai.
• 2: female directors in Rai.
• 3: female assistant directors in Rai (cfr. 33 male).
• 63: female editor-in-chiefs in Rai (cfr. 236 male).

These figures represent the number of women working in Rai news (data Monitoraggio OERG Osservatorio di Pavia):

• 58 percent: female newsreaders.
• 10 percent: female columnists.
• 68 percent: randomly chosen women giving their opinions (’women-in-the-street’).
• 16 percent: women in the news, as victims (cfr 6 percent men).
• 11 percent: women in the news for political or economic issues.

In Rai women do not make news, even though they gather, broadcast and write news. Very rarely can they choose which news, its layout or hierarchy.

This, instead, is the situation of the Italian national press (source: FNSI):

• 5: female newspaper editors (cfr. 113 male).
• 5: female newspaper deputy editors (cfr. 99 male).
• 67: female newspaper news editors (cfr. 477 male).
• 65 percent: women journalists remaining on the editorial staff during economic crises, only 30 percent of them having a contract. The rest are considered temporary.
• Up to 40 percent: the difference in wages between male and female journalists.

Summing up:

In Italy the press is in the hands of men at a percentage superior even to that of politics. This journalism is mutilated, it’s a half-way journalism.

It’s no coincidence that Italian women are reading the daily papers less and less:

• Corriere della Sera: women who read the daily – 25 percent fewer.
• La Repubblica: women who read the daily: 15 percent fewer (source: Audipress periodo II/2011).

Proposal:

The German women journalists have united in order to obtain at least 30 percent of the positions as chief editor and news editor of the newspapers over the next 5 years. Let’s do the same, co-ordinating with them.

Gabor Steingart, chief editor of the economic newspaper Handelsblatt, is committed to reserving one executive position out of three for a woman: we invite our executives and editors to follow his example.

Traduzione di Jane Dolman