Gilger and Wallace (both, Arizona State) profile some successful female journalists and provide pragmatic advice to women within (and entering) the news media. Most of the book’s nine chapters are interspersed with career tips, which are partially derived from accompanying profiles and vignettes. The examples are contemporary and focus on the career challenges of women journalists within diverse mass media platforms, including digital, newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. Among the array of interesting profiles, the book describes the challenging 32-month tenure of Jill Abramson as the executive editor of the New York Times. The latter adds insights to Ms. Abramson’s recent book, Merchants of Truth (2019). While Gilger and Wallace base their book on interviews of more than 100 journalists, they provide occasional context, such as a discussion about the increasing presence of women in journalism during the past four decades. The text is well written and contains a list of interviewees, chapter footnotes, and some cheerful photographs.
Gilger and Wallace argue that the fight is worth it — that journalism and democracy are better served if newsrooms more closely reflect the broader culture. I hope this book is read not just by aspiring journalists but by newsroom leaders as well. A problem can’t be solved unless it’s first understood, and There’s No Crying in Newsrooms explains it well.
A provocative look inside the world of journalism, filled with stories of women who have learned to lead, even though many of the same old obstacles remain. There’s No Crying in Newsrooms is the real-life guidebook to a new generation of women intent on careers in not just news, but every profession.
I found this book to be a triple gift. Not only do Gilger and Wallace write the compelling history of women climbing to the top of the news business, and profile many of those women who fought to the summit, they also provide a detailed roadmap for future leaders on their own journey to the top. I thought I knew this story because I lived it. But there's so much more that exists under the surface. This is required reading for anyone entering the business.
There’s No Crying in Newsrooms is an important, readable, and timely book about women newsroom leaders at a turning point in American journalism. It vividly describes, from probing interviews, the struggles and triumphs of dozens of leading women journalists. Each chapter ends with engaging, sage advice from the authors, drawing on their own long careers as successful news leaders. A rich portfolio of photos of many of the women helps readers get to know them even better. The book should be essential reading for journalists and for everyone else interested in the journey of American women today.
Kristin Grady Gilger and Julia Wallace (both news veterans) ask the questions you’ve always wanted to know from the women at the top: “How did you get where you are?” “What did you say to the creepy guys at work?” “Do you think you made the right decision to (not) have kids?” and “What can I do today to get ahead?”. .. The authors weave the stories of dozens of women leaders into the broader history of gender and civil rights in America, and in how news and journalism are changing in the digital age.
Mentors, professors, and parents should recommend There'sNo Crying in Newsrooms to any aspiring journalist. Through captivating stories and anecdotes, the authors – trailblazers in their own right — share the wisdom gained by those homesteading female pioneers who, over the past half century, rose through the ranks, paving a professional path forward for other women. Each chapter ends with a compendium of leadership lessons – a passing of the baton to the current generation and a toolkit for meeting the remaining challenges.
If there is one lesson that I can add to the many profound lessons this book offers, it is this: Focus on what’s best for you and then throw yourself at it. And remember that the cause of women in newsrooms will take on urgency only if we make it happen–together.
Riffing off Tom Hanks’ line in A League of Their Own, "There's no crying in baseball," for their title, veteran journalists, editors, and educators Gilger and Wallace cogently demonstrate why the admonition is equally apt in newsrooms. Journalism is a field in which men have always dominated, and any woman who wanted to compete needed to demonstrate that she wouldn’t fall victim to her gender’s stereotypical emotional fragility. It wouldn’t be easy. Sexism and sexual harassment were rampant. Expectations for women were not only doubled, they were quadrupled. Hypocrisy reigned in story assignments, travel arrangements, job promotions, and, of course, salary equity. The authors interviewed nearly 100 women media leaders, from CNN’s Christiane Amanpour to Vox ’s Melissa Bell, to assess the changing image of women in journalism, how they achieved success, and what they envision as the industry’s future. The result is a commanding critique of the current state of women in media, boosted by constructive advice applicable to workplaces other than newsrooms. A crucial resource for women leaders in any field.
I’m truly thankful to Kristin and Julia for writing this book. It’s part history, part practical advice, and fueled by the stories women journalists tell when we’re together. It’s important that the discussion about facing obstacles and opportunities for women in journalism be shared more widely. I came away inspired by and grateful to the trailblazing women journalists who have led the way.
Collecting the stories of women who have spent the last four decades in media, There's No Crying in Newsrooms is an essential read for any aspiring journalist or reporter.
Gilger and Wallace (both, Arizona State) profile some successful female journalists and provide pragmatic advice to women within (and entering) the news media. Most of the book’s nine chapters are interspersed with career tips, which are partially derived from accompanying profiles and vignettes. The examples are contemporary and focus on the career challenges of women journalists within diverse mass media platforms, including digital, newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. Among the array of interesting profiles, the book describes the challenging 32-month tenure of Jill Abramson as the executive editor of the New York Times. The latter adds insights to Ms. Abramson’s recent book, Merchants of Truth (2019). While Gilger and Wallace base their book on interviews of more than 100 journalists, they provide occasional context, such as a discussion about the increasing presence of women in journalism during the past four decades. The text is well written and contains a list of interviewees, chapter footnotes, and some cheerful photographs.
Gilger and Wallace (both, Arizona State) profile some successful female journalists and provide pragmatic advice to women within (and entering) the news media. Most of the book’s nine chapters are interspersed with career tips, which are partially derived from accompanying profiles and vignettes. The examples are contemporary and focus on the career challenges of women journalists within diverse mass media platforms, including digital, newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. Among the array of interesting profiles, the book describes the challenging 32-month tenure of Jill Abramson as the executive editor of the New York Times. The latter adds insights to Ms. Abramson’s recent book, Merchants of Truth (2019). While Gilger and Wallace base their book on interviews of more than 100 journalists, they provide occasional context, such as a discussion about the increasing presence of women in journalism during the past four decades. The text is well written and contains a list of interviewees, chapter footnotes, and some cheerful photographs.
Riffing off Tom Hanks’ line in A League of Their Own, "There's no crying in baseball," for their title, veteran journalists, editors, and educators Gilger and Wallace cogently demonstrate why the admonition is equally apt in newsrooms. Journalism is a field in which men have always dominated, and any woman who wanted to compete needed to demonstrate that she wouldn’t fall victim to her gender’s stereotypical emotional fragility. It wouldn’t be easy. Sexism and sexual harassment were rampant. Expectations for women were not only doubled, they were quadrupled. Hypocrisy reigned in story assignments, travel arrangements, job promotions, and, of course, salary equity. The authors interviewed nearly 100 women media leaders, from CNN’s Christiane Amanpour to Vox ’s Melissa Bell, to assess the changing image of women in journalism, how they achieved success, and what they envision as the industry’s future. The result is a commanding critique of the current state of women in media, boosted by constructive advice applicable to workplaces other than newsrooms. A crucial resource for women leaders in any field.
