Journalism, a historically male-dominated field, has made little effort to ensure the safety and fairness towards female journalists. The journalism field prides itself on maintaining integrity, spreading awareness and being transparent. Yet, while the press focuses on crafting stories that fit these ethics, they turn a blind eye towards the unethical treatment their own reporters face. For years, women have been advocating for equal treatment and accessibility in male-dominated careers, journalism being one of the many. Still, harassment and discrimination continue to run rampant to a point where it has become normalized.
The issues women face in journalism range from name-calling to sexual assault, which frequently occur with some being livestreamed for people to see how easily female reporters are belittled. For example, in November 2025, President Donald Trump publicly told Catherine Lucey, a Bloomberg News correspondent, “quiet piggy,” when she asked a question about his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. But this is no surprise; Trump has called female reporters “fat pigs,” “slobs” and “dogs,” according to the International Women’s Media Foundation. The fact that Trump and many others are quick to shut down a female reporter who is simply doing her job with crude remarks shows how these misogynistic views still persist in journalism.
These comments ridicule women and dismiss the efforts they have made to finally report on serious issues. Reporting on serious topics, also known as hard news, is an aspect of journalism that women continue to be discouraged from writing about. Newswomen are often given “soft” topics: celebrity gossip, fitness, entertainment and other lifestyle topics. These articles, which may be entertaining, are often meaningless. On the contrary, hard news focuses on critical issues including politics, crime and war. Still, the idea that women are only built for reporting on flowery topics stems from the belief that women are incapable of reporting on important crises. Stereotypes of women being too emotional, less skilled or only focused on face-value still float around, and are ultimately embedded in careers such as journalism.
In a newsroom setting, only writing soft-news subjects limits career growth opportunities for women and makes them feel obligated to report on them. Women may feel uncomfortable speaking out due to power imbalances they face with leadership and the implicit biases in journalism. In general, women are not given newsroom leadership roles, and newsrooms lack policies to protect their female employees from the risks they face on their job, according to the Center for International Media Assistance.
Lastly, female journalists face physical harm. News reporting poses safety risks for all journalists. Yet, women face the brunt of these attacks, the most notorious being sexual violence. In 2023, Spanish reporter Isa Balado was groped on live television when she was reporting on a robbery. While sickening and obscene, the reality is that Balado’s experience is just another statistic. 96% of female reporters faced lewd comments about their appearance, and 60% reported unwanted physical contact when on the job, according to International Women’s Media Foundation. Western media imposes the image that female journalists are seductive and trade sex to gain information for an article or report. This common popular cultural trope leads to constant objectification and sexualization of women, resulting in further physical harm to female journalists.
Journalism has proven to be an unsafe career for women — unless the environment changes. Instead of worrying about being attacked or berated by a president, safety lets them focus on doing their job rather than shying away from it. Being in a secure environment would signify a new chapter for female journalists, bringing out their voices for the world to hear.
