Gender Issues a Reporting Opportunity for Legal Bloggers

I was reading an article this morning by Meg Heckman for Neiman Labs on the future of the gender beat in the newsroom.

While a handful of publications had gender-focused beats, many more were added as a result of the the 2017 Women’s Marches and the resurgence of the #MeToo movement.

“By the middle of 2020, there were at least 66 journalists who described themselves on Twitter specifically covering gender and related issues primarily for U.S. news organizations. These journalists were working at metros like The Boston Globe, at local nonprofit startups like Michigan Advance, and at digitally native juggernauts like BuzzFeed. Many had been informally covering gender issues for years but said 2017 marked an inflection point for their work.”

However, just saying I cover gender issues is not enough.

“Not just anybody can write about gender,” Slate’s Christina Cauterucci told Heckman.

“It is a skill that requires honing and expertise in the same way that writing about economics or something requires expertise.”

Reporting on sexual violence, workplace discrimination, sexual misdeeds of powerful men, equal pay, childcare, the workplace/political glass ceiling and more takes reporting, if not personal, experience.

What’s this have to do with legal blogging?

Since its start, blogging has been all about putting a personal printing press in the hands of those with passion, care and experience in a particular niche.

We’re not limited to these 66 journalists, as talented, experienced and passionate, as they may be, for the coverage of gender issues.

There are a lot of lawyers in this country with expertise on gender related legal matters. Some are already blogging.

But there are many who would like to raise their profile and have the opportunity to make a greater difference on gender matters.

By blogging, effectively, by engaging reporters and other bloggers in the gender field, you’ll grow a reputation – and in time, business in an area you love doing.

Blogging also enables inexperienced lawyers or law students with an interest in gender matters to learn more and network among those practicing and reporting in the area.

So many opportunities for caring lawyers by blogging on the long tail. A niche, by subject or locale, within gender matters represents an opportunity that enables you to make a difference as well.

I’m betting Gloria Allred would have had a blog or two or three had blogging been around in the 1970’s when she began building her reputation as a women’s rights attorney.

None of us may earn the reputation Allred has, but there a heck of a lot of blogging lawyers who have achieved tremendous success as a result of care and a passion to make a difference.