Braden would have drawn a little more blood if she had thrust deeper into examining the systemic problems of male-dominated journalism. It is indeed disheartening to see women running for high political office still denied gender-equal treatment by the media. Another point that deserves more examination is the frequently conflicted relationships between women journalists and women politicians. No one knows this better than our non-elected, very political First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose nastiest surprise in her uneasy dance with the media has been the ferocity of women reporters, who she originally expected would give her a break or two once in a while. Part of Hillary's problems come from the bubbling pot of local Washington gossip, which has its own whoppingly trivial nature.
Strong women are automatic targets in our culture.
Yes, and they do. But it's not that simple now. The pressures on women political reporters to prove themselves as tough as men are particularly severe. This is all too true. Not a woman wary of being co-opted by her sympathies, that's for sure.