Opinion: Kamala Harris’ Loss Shows Women Need Their Own Media to Reach the Presidency
Having watched the mainstream corporate media undermine and underestimate Vice President Kamala Harris on the presidential campaign trail, it stands to reason that electing a woman to the presidency will hinge on the creation of an independent media platform committed to reporting the news from a woman's perspective.
Helmed by women philanthropists who are passionate about putting country before party — Melinda French Gates, MacKenzie Scott, and Oprah readily come to mind — a national news site founded, funded, and managed by women would level the media playing field by shaking up the narrative of inevitability surrounding the predominantly white male Republican Party establishment.
There could not be a better time to launch a women-centered national news platform.
Women entrepreneurship has exploded in recent years, transforming the pre-COVID economy into a more creative, collaborative workspace. Women launched 47% of small businesses in 2023, compared to 29% of U.S. startups in 2019, living proof of their capacity to bring their ideas to life in a capitalistic marketplace.
Could there be a more compelling space to advertise their business smarts and can-do spirit than alongside women-driven editorial content featured in a news publication that resonates with their voices and lived experiences?
Long before Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers graced Hollywood's Big Screen, women proved their ability to perform, with flawless elegance, while dancing backwards in high heels. Wired for multi-tasking and storytelling, women journalists and political thought leaders are primed to excel in the shifting sands of a national media arena struggling to engage with an increasingly polarized, technically savvy online news audience.
It's not a stretch to imagine a team of female storytellers pivoting from spoken, written, and visual news formats featured in an online media platform equally committed to informing the public and building community. Indeed, today's national news narrative is shaped by the hard-earned insights of countless brilliant women who are breaking important news stories and sparking thoughtful conversations around topline issues.
The idea of gathering, under one media umbrella, seasoned journalists like Rachel Maddow, Lisa Desjardins, and Julia Ioffe, alongside legal analysts Joyce Vance and Sherrilyn Ifill, columnists Jennifer Rubin and Heather Long, political strategist Sarah Longwell, and American historian Heather Cox Richardson, is empowering and inspiring.
Men would not be excluded from this transformative journalistic venture. Their voices and insights would validate its integrity, expand its audience, and bolster its success. Rather than driving the focus of editorial content, their contributions would complement the platform's mission: creating an essential space for women to communicate their values and aspirations without interference from the male-centric corporate media status quo.
Membership-based subscriptions, sponsorships, and donations, large and small, would sustain the platform's mission. A strong case for financial support would encourage readers to divert a portion of their political contributions to giving voice to the unique leadership qualities women bring to the civic and corporate arenas.
Forty-three years ago, the launch of Ms. Magazine carved a path for the modern women's rights movement. It's time for a new generation of women leaders to lead — and financially support — a corporate media makeover.
A second-generation San Diegan and nonprofit consultant, Molly Bowman-Styles is the President of Windansea Communications.
