Association for Women Journalists
AWJ promotes the fair treatment of women in the media and the promotion
of women in the newsroom through a scholarship program, career grants,
networking, advocacy, career seminars and the annual Vivian Castleberry
Awards Competition.
A Brief History of the Association for Women Journalists
The Association for Women Journalists was created in June 1988 to assure
that women not only were adequately represented in media newsrooms but
to assure that women would be fairly and accurately portrayed through
the news media. We believe the two issues are intrinsically linked and
of vital public importance.
The association was formed following an incident in which a local media
company portrayed women in a demeaning way in a billboard advertising
campaign. Women journalists employed by the company petitioned management
to stop the campaign but were largely ignored. The lack of response pointed
to the need for a media organization that would fight not only to improve
the public image of women but work to further the employment and career
development of women journalists so that such offensive incidents would
be less likely to occur.
To pursue its goals, AWJ has conducted numerous seminars, established
a scholarship fund and awards program and has published a newsletter,
all of which reach far beyond its membership.
