Making News Women in Journalism

About the Author - Ammu Joseph is an independent journalist based in Bangalore, India. She writes extensively on issues relating to gender, human development and the media. Previous publications include Storylines: Conversations with women writers, Just Between Us: Women speak about their writing (with four co-authors), Terror, Counter-Terror:Women Speak Out, and Whose News? The Media and Women's Issues.

Making News:Women in Journalism brings together the personal stories and professional assessments of more than 200 women, including familiar names such as Bachi Karkaria, Kalpana Sharma, Malini Parthasarathy, Mrinal Pande, Shobhaa De and Tavleen Singh. Capturing the experiences, opinions and distinct attitudes of a wide range of female journalists in print media, this book offers key insights into their views on their profession in general, as well as their perceptions of their own individual roles.

Ammu Joseph, a long-time media consultant and observer, analyses the various ways in which gender and gender-related issues affect women in journalism, and presents a frank and forthright picture of the ups and downs of this fascinating field. She traces the history of women's involvement in the mainstream media and probes the diverse perspectives of women working in different parts of the country, in various languages, in both small towns and big cities - some just starting out in their careers and others who are already well established.

Their voices reflect a gamut of complex issues - from sexual harassment at the workplace to marginalization and discrimination in a largely male-dominated profession. The book is also gives a synoptic view of the dilemmas which confront women in the media It also combines solid data and analytical depth with some brilliant researched book on women in the media in India. The author casts a damning spotlight on newsrooms in the world's most populous democracy that mirrors the reality across the globe.

In recent years substantial numbers of women have opted for, and achieved great success in journalism. However, as an occupation it has not received intensive scrutiny from within the profession, by women journalists themselves. Making News delves into the ground realities, as well as the exciting possibilities of a career in print media.