We Can Do Better: Feminist Manifestos for Media and Communication

by Linda Steiner (Contributor), Stine Eckert (contributor), Frieda Werden (contributor)

Feminist Manifestos for Media and Communication brings together evidence-based manifestos for media and communication that take a feminist perspective and add up to a provocative vision of feminist media practices and of feminist communication. The book discusses critical problems and complaints in ways that identify and make the case for actionable, concrete solutions to media problems and deficiencies; it shows how feminist thinking can be usefully and effectively applied to a wide range of journalism, media, and communication practices. The manifestos are not “only” about women but rather offer specific, feasible blueprints for restructuring media in ways that make them fairer and more equitable along many vectors of identity, so that media can better serve democracy. These manifestos give concrete solutions to specific problems that can and should be implemented by journalists, media practitioners, students, faculty, and scholars. Our manifestos are organized around three sets of for better media practices, for more participatory online spaces, and more precise and appropriate language.

 

     

 

234 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2025

About the author

Linda Claire Steiner (born January 3, 1950, is a professor at Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland. She is also the editor-in-chief of the journal Journalism & Communication Monographs, and sits on the editorial board of Critical Studies in Media Communication.

Reviews

[Kat Alyst · Rating 5 out of 5]

It calls us in, not out. This isn’t about shaming people for not being “good enough” feminists; it’s about pushing us to think critically about what it actually means to do better. Who benefits from the way we currently talk about activism? Who gets left behind? And what would it actually look like if we moved past performative allyship and toward real, messy, uncomfortable change?

What makes this book so compelling is the ability to be both brutally honest and deeply compassionate. They acknowledges the failures of mainstream feminism while also offering a way forward that isn’t just “be better” but “here’s how.” ✅✅✅

Hopefully this reminds more and motivates all who read, to be more than just….. HASHTAG feminists!