Do the Gender and Reporting Experience Make a Difference? A News Byline Analysis on Trans Issues

Abstract

The hierarchical influences model attributes significant influence to journalists over their news content. A quantitative content analysis was conducted to examine the impact of journalists’ gender and reporting experience on the media delegitimization of the trans community in Spain. The results emphasize their minimal impact. Instead, media attention and delegitimization of the trans community appear to be shaped by the prevailing value system cultivated in newsrooms, personal attitudes, values, and beliefs and journalistic role performance. These findings underscore the significance of theoretical knowledge over practical experience in the news coverage of specific news topics.