Phenomenal Women Who Shaped The History of Journalism

Looking forward to a career in journalism? Well you’re in luck because there is some motivation headed your way, through this post. While the history of journalism has been pre-dominated by men, there is no denying the fact that it owes a lot of its character, and richness as a profession to the phenomenal work done by female journalists. Let’s take a walk down the memory lane through the trajectories of a few exceptional women, who chose journalism as their profession and redefined its meaning through their work and contributions.  
 

Dorothy Thompson (9th July 1893 – 30 January 1961)
 

One of the first, and most famous female journalists, Dorothy Thompson lived during the turbulent times of the second World War and has gone down in the annals of history as one of the most famous chroniclers of the time (imagine how it must have been for women then!). Also known as the First Lady of American Journalism, Thompson was a very vocal and vehement critic of Hitler and his politics. She was also one of the first journalists to ever interview him. The Time magazine in 1939 published a cover story on Thompson which said, “Dorothy Thompson and Eleanor Roosevelt are undoubtedly the most influential women in the U.S.”
 

Hannah Arendt (14th October 1906 – 4th December 1975)
 

A study of political philosophy today is incomplete without the ideologies of Hannah Arendt. A German born Jewish-American political theorist, she escaped the holocaust by becoming an American. Her research and writing are crucial texts deeply reflective of a time which shaped much of global history as we know it today. Amongst her other seminal works is her reportage of the Eichmann trial – Hitler’s trial in Jerusalem, Israel after the World War II. This was later turned into a book – Eichmann in Jerusalem: A report on the banality of evil, in 1963.
 

Rajalaxmi Parthasarathy (8th November 1925, aged 91)
 

While speaking of exemplary women journalists, the conversation is incomplete if we don’t look homeward. Rajalaxmi Parthasarathy is an Indian journalist, educationist and social worker. Popularly known as “Mrs. YGP”, she was known for her wit, intellect and sarcasm in her hey days as a journalist. A famous anecdote to demonstrate her rebellious character is her introduction to Mahatma Gandhi – “I (Mrs. YGP) was introduced to him and he sarcastically asked me, ‘Do you know Hindi?’ and so I asked him back, ‘Do you know Tamil?’”Everybody was shocked. The Mahatma wasn’t. “He just laughed it off,” she recalls, “He didn’t get offended that I had defied him.” She continues to be a fierce propagator of women’s rights in India, and a very vocal and articulate educationist and journalist.
 

Gloria Steinem (25th March 1934, aged 82)
 

Steinem is a firebrand journalist and feminist and political activist. Her voice and words, shaped the second wave of feminism during the late 60s and early 70s. After having graduated from Smiths College in Massachusetts with a degree in governance, she was sent to India on a scholarship to pursue her research. She started her professional career as a journalist after moving to New York. After a fair amount of struggle against the prevalent gender biases against women, and many odd jobs later, Steinem found a role as the founding editor with the distinguished New York Magazine. Soon after, she founded the MS Magazine, a publication devoted to speaking about women’s rights, issues and concerns. She continues to be one of the most prominent voices in the field of journalism, and on writing on women’s issues.