Conviction conventionality stated by authors of mediumistic contents on the social role adopted by men and women

Sabina Pawlas-Czyż

It is a journalist's personal views and convictions - including those related to the role of men and women in society - that may be among important factors determining the nature of the media content created by him. The above is connected with a "journalist's specific competence", which encompasses, among other elements, searching for materials, deciding whether and how a given piece of information should be presented or who should be interviewed and selecting certain information. As unveiled by research based on the "gatekeeper" theory, the concept of "framing" and the "instrumental updating" hypothesis by M. Kepplinger, the criteria that are used by journalists for the selection and use of materials are - to a large extent - subjective.It could be presumed that the traditional - fossilised - psychological and social sex differences that are given prominence in the media must, at least to a certain extent, mirror the views of the creators responsible for the media content related to sex differences. Does the stereotypical typification of social reality represented in the media reflect journalists' views and convictions related to sex differences in different aspects of social life?

KEYWORDS

journalist, concepts of the social roles of men and women, woman's representation in the media, sex stereotypes.