This qualitative, interpretive study
examines New York Times coverage of
Geraldine Ferraro, the first female vice presidential candidate in the United States,
during the 1984 presidential election. Using previously established frames, the
analysis finds that The New York Times
treated Ferraro as a viable vice presidential candidate, not solely as a female
candidate. Some stories about Ferraro veered into Italian-American ethnic
stereotypes when they focused on questions about her husband’s finances. Although
the 1984 stories published by the Times
overall showed promise that political women would move forward, the study also
finds that Ferraro’s prediction that “American women never again will be
second-class citizens” did not hold true, even 13 years into the 21st
century. In fact, mainstream media coverage of vice presidential candidate
Sarah Palin 24 years later and of other political women such as Hillary Clinton
reveals that hegemonic masculinity in politics is firmly entrenched.
Media Coverage of Geraldine Ferraro by Tracy Everbach on Scribd
