Managing "Amazonia": a cultural case study of female leadership at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Abstract

This ethnographic study, the first comprehensive examination of a newspaper managed by women at its highest levels, found that female leaders made some differences in newsroom management and culture, and, to a lesser degree, newspaper content. Based on feminist and organizational theories, the study entailed an examination of the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune during a time when an all-female management team led the newspaper. Through the methods of interviews, observation and content analysis, the study found that the managers brought their feminine standpoints to the workplace. They created a work environment that emphasized teamwork, consensus and a balance of work and family. The study also found that the female leadership changed some of the processes and philosophies that had been established by previous male managers at the newspaper. However, the outcome revealed that established masculine news values and practices of reporting, editing, and selecting images and news remained entrenched despite the all-female management team. The female gatekeepers selected and published news topics that conformed to male-dominated news values and influenced content only in small, selected areas.