When All Else Fails, Blame It on Sexism

CBS executives are blaming Katie Couric's terrible performance in the ratings on--get this--you.

OK, when I say "you," I mean the audience. According to CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves, "I’m sort of surprised by the vitriol against her. The number of people who don’t want news from a woman was startling."

I'm sure Moonves has a study somewhere that shows the reason his $15 million woman isn't bringing in a larger audience share is because of sexism. After all, it couldn't be that Moonves changed the news format of the CBS Evening News to a softer, "human interest" centered format and that that has bombed. Or that Moonves miscalculated the popularity of Couric when he hired her. No, as Captain Ed pointed out, that would point the finger of blame at Moonves.

No, it's sexism. After all, we all know that sexism is responsible for a host of societal ills, including getting fired. Just go read Echidne of the Snakes and you'll discover that everything leads back to sexism.

I despise these sorts of arguments because they trivialize actual sexism. Katie Couric's ratings tanking isn't sexism. It means she's not presenting the news people want to hear. This isn't to say that there aren't examples of sexism in TV news, but Couric isn't the best example.

Locally, a woman anchors the leading newscast at 6 and 10 p.m. That doesn't surprise me, since Jane McGarry has been a top anchor for years. Are the sexism police going to say it is sexism that causes people to watch McGarry's newscasts?