Female journalists’ representation in Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The RealmRepresentación de las mujeres periodistas en El reino, de Rodrigo Sorogoyen doxa.comunicación | nº 39, pp. 257-277 | 257 July-December of 2024ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978How to cite this article: González Sanz, F. and Figuero Espadas, J. (2024). Female journalists’ representation in Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s e Realm. Doxa Comunicación, 39, pp. 257-277.https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n39a2062Felicidad González Sanz. PhD student in Social Communication at the San Pablo CEU University. She holds a degree in Audiovisual Communication from the Complutense University of Madrid and a Master’s Degree in Teacher Training from the San Pablo CEU University. She combines working on her thesis and conducting research with teaching respon-sibilities at various institutions. CEU San Pablo University, Spain[email protected]ORCID: 0009-0001-8349-9497Javier Figuero Espadas. Professor of Screenwriting, Filmmaking, and Video Editing at CEU San Pablo University. Au-thor of Los inadaptados de Tim Burton o Guion: nociones sobre la escritura audiovisual. He has published articles on lm and television in journals such as Communication & Society and Fotocinema. He has worked as a screenwriter in several television series and has directed several short lms. CEU San Pablo University, Spainj[email protected]ORCID: 0000-0003-2113-6903is content is published under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License. International License CC BY-NC 4.0Received: 09/09/2023 - Accepted: 21/11/2023 - Early access: 26/01/2024 - Published: 01/07/2024Recibido: 09/09/2023 - Aceptado: 21/11/2023 - En edición: 26/01/2024 - Publicado: 01/07/2024Abstract:Cinema has incorporated the journalism profession into its narratives because of its inherent potential for creating narratives with a high degree of interest. In the collective imagination, journalists are positioned as the fourth estate and bear a social responsibility. In the early days of cinema until around the 1990s, women occupied secondary roles compared to their male counterparts, through stereotypical characters portrayed as cold, unyielding, ambitious professionals ready to do whatever it took to get the news at the expense of their personal lives. ey are depicted as masculinised Resumen:El cine ha incorporado en sus historias el ocio del periodismo ya que, por la naturaleza de la profesión, permite introducir narraciones con un alto grado de interés. En el imaginario colectivo los periodistas se posicionan como el cuarto poder y tienen una responsabilidad social. En los comienzos del cine y hasta los años 90, aproximadamente, las mujeres –frente a sus compañeros masculinos– ocupaban un rol se-cundario, en papeles estereotipados que las mostraban como profesio-nales frías, implacables, dispuestas a todo para conseguir la noticia en detrimento de su vida personal. Aparecen masculinizadas y sexua-

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258 | nº 39, pp. 257-277 | July-December of 2024Female journalists’ representation in Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The RealmISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicación1. IntroductionWhen contemplating the journalistic profession, the public tends to imagine it as the fourth estate, a watchdog, and even the safeguard of democracy. is perception has led to the mythication of this profession, attributing ethical values to its practice when, at times, there may be a gap between this myth and reality (Rey, 2020, p. 90). In the collective imagination, journalists are seen as defenders of citizens’ rights and the proper functioning of society. Consequently, they are often depicted on the big screen on the side of the virtuous and the brave (San José de la Rosa et al., 2020, p. 317). However, in this regard, Ramonet (1999), as cited by Bezunartea et al. (2011), highlights that, given the signicant power that the media have acquired, they have transitioned from being an instrument in service to society, functioning as a means of control, to becoming a controlling instrument in the hands of an elite. is transition has transformed democracy into “mediocracy” (p.3). Nevertheless, certain feature lms depict internal divisions among reporters, portraying both good and bad journalists. While some journalists seek to inform and uncover the truth, others serve the interests of power, helping to conceal what is happening from the population.In addition, cinema has incorporated the character of the journalist into its narratives (Tosantos, 2004) almost since its inception, as their stories appeal to scriptwriters. According to this author, part of the allure of including journalists in narratives stems from the unique experiences they can have due to the nature of their profession, experiences to which the rest of society does not have access. Journalists can be present at signicant events, interview relevant gures, and later inform the rest of society. For these reasons, they can act as a counterpower, as their privileged position allows them to monitor and confront powerful individuals (2008, pp. 507-509). McNair (2011) asserts that feature lms depicting journalists not only acknowledge the signicance of their role in democratic societies but also serve as a source of information about how the public perceives them and how society expects them to be (p. 367). According to Bezunartea et al. (2011), the most common prole in feature lms is the sensationalist and unethical journalist, appearing in 41.5% of the analysed lms, followed by the journalist committed to their profession, exercising control and defending the interests of citizens, constituting 28.2%. To a lesser extent, in 13.2% of cases, lms depict reporters who merely act as witnesses to the events unfolding around them.Although journalists have been depicted in feature lms almost since cinema’s inception, women’s representation in this profession has been unequal, initially playing secondary roles until gaining greater visibility in the 90s (Osorio, 2009, pp. 10-and sexualised. Using a methodological triangulation that applies descriptive analysis techniques, lm analysis and in-depth interviews, the feature lm e Realm, by Rodrigo Sorogoyen is studied to determine how the gure of the female journalist is represented in it. After studying the results, it can be concluded that present-day female journalists do not nd an accurate representation of their profession in e Realm or cinema in general. is discrepancy stems from the persistent perpetuation of certain stereotypes that inuence how women journalists' role is portrayed on the big screen. Keywords:Women; stereotypes; e Realm; Rodrigo Sorogoyen, journalists. lizadas. Empleando una triangulación metodológica que aplica las técnicas del análisis descriptivo, el análisis fílmico y la entrevista en profundidad se estudia el largometraje El reino, de Rodrigo Sorogo-yen, para determinar cómo se representa la gura de la periodista en él. Tras el estudio de los resultados se observa que las periodistas en activo, en la actualidad, no se ven representadas por la visión de su profesión que ofrece El reino ni el cine en general. Esto se debe a que se siguen perpetuando ciertos estereotipos con los que se muestra en la gran pantalla el rol de la mujer periodista.Palabras clave:Mujeres; estereotipos; El reino; Rodrigo Sorogoyen; periodistas.
doxa.comunicación | nº 39, pp. 257-277 July-December of 2024Felicidad González Sanz and Javier Figuero EspadasISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978| 25911). Specically, according to Tello Díaz’s (2012) study, out of the 600 analysed lms in Spanish cinema, only 46% feature female journalists. Furthermore, when examining the percentage of female characters who, as journalists, play a signicant role in the plot, the percentage drops to 20% of the analysed lms. Similar data is highlighted by Enache (2020, p. 276), citing an article in Le Monde from 2021, which gathered results from el centro Marc-Bloch from Berlin; out of a corpus of 3770 lms spanning from 1985 to 2019, only 34% corresponded to female roles. is gure shows a trend towards equality when considering lms between 2014 and 2019, with female representation increasing to 45%. Nevertheless, even in this latter case, a minority representation of female characters in cinema persists. Pachecho (2021), after analysing Spanish lms, notes that non-image-dependent journalists appear in 35% of the studied sample; in contrast, for journalists whose profession is tied to their image, this percentage rises to 57% of the analysed feature-length lms.A separate mention is warranted for the stereotypes commonly attributed to female journalists in lms. Ghiglione (1990) highlights that this representation has evolved through ve phases: initially, women were compelled to take up journalism because they had no alternatives. In the second phase, they served as cheerleaders for male journalists, their sole objective being to marry the man they loved. In the third phase, the feature-length lms during the 1920s and 1930s depicted them as less capable but as tough as their male counterparts. In the fourth phase, they were portrayed as achieving success at the expense of sacricing their personal lives and feeling incomplete. Finally, in the fth phase, women journalists are depicted as professionally and personally independent, so their relationships with men are not a measure of their success. However, they are still portrayed as lacking the toughness required to be a real journalist (pp. 454-457).Good (1998) highlights that many representations of journalists reinforce gender roles traditionally perpetuated in society, depicting female journalists as women rst and professionals in second place (p. 51). Meanwhile, Saltzman (2003) highlights that female journalists must incorporate masculine traits in journalism, such as aggressiveness, toughness, self-suciency, and antipathy needed to succeed while still exhibiting attributes expected of women, such as being aectionate, compassionate, or maternal. Herman (2004) even suggests the masculinisation among female journalists in their professional conduct, behaving like men when they attain positions of power to uphold the patriarchial tradition (p.34). is author also highlights that, in general, female journalists receive more straightforward assignments and cover lighter stories compared to their male counterparts. To succeed, a female reporter must, to some extent, compromise her feminity, ethics, and personal life, and, even then, may still encounter discrimination and disrespectful treatment from colleagues (p. 37).According to Osorio (2009), the cold and ruthless female journalist, the frivolous journalist, the homemaker journalist, the heroine journalist in action lms, and even an updated version of a journalist who runs a sentimental advice column are among the most common stereotypes of female journalists (pp. 418-421). In more commercial or blockbuster lms, these stereotypes may be exaggerated, as noted by Figuero in the study of journalists in Batman (Time Burton, 1989), where the photojournalist Vicki Vale, played by Kim Basinger, “is a functional character, appearing on-screen to be attacked and dominated by the Joker and defended and rescued by Batman” (2012, p. 43). As the author points out, this character deviates signicantly from the role of a photojournalist accustomed to capturing human tragedies.Recently, Waddell (2021) has introduced other stereotypes aecting how the audience perceives the reality of the profession and the professional performance of women. ese stereotypes encompass the sexualisation of female journalists, who are
260 | nº 39, pp. 257-277 | July-December of 2024Female journalists’ representation in Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The RealmISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicaciónconsistently represented as attractive and may leverage sex to obtain information from their sources, a perspective shared by Cvetkovic and Oostman (2018), who also delve into the victimisation of women who are manipulated due to perceived physical and mental weakness. Waddell (2021) also highlights other stereotypes, such as unethical professionals with misogynistic characteristics, portrayed as weak and ineective, engaging in malpractice in their professional roles. In contrast, positive representations of female journalists convey their commendable work ethic in comparison with their male counterparts. Rincón and Mosquera (2021) even suggest that audiovisual narratives depict journalism as a profession that is “unethical and an instrument of the executive and legislative power, with female journalists being easily manipulable, self-centred, ascending the press hierarchy based on their physical appearance, rather than their preparation and intelligence” (p. 31). In this regard, the conclusion of Bezunartea et al. (2008) emphasises that female reporters are usually represented as more disciplined than males. However, in 40% of cases, this discipline is directed towards personal promotion, illustrating that, apart from being attractive, they are also competent journalists; if they were not attractive, they would never have pursued careers as reporters (p. 240).Bezunartea et al. (2008) also highlight the underrepresentation of female journalists in cinematic works. According to their study, they make up only 20% of reporters depicted on the big screen, meaning that only one out of every ve journalists portrayed in lms is a woman (p. 223), a nding corroborated by Waddell (2021). Moreover, the power they wield on screen is limited, as female journalists are frequently portrayed alongside a mentor gure who guides and instils condence in their potential (Bezunartea et al., 2008, p. 240).Other stereotypes that are also present, according to Bezunartea et al.’s (2010) study, are connected with age, the type of media they work in, and the section they are associated with. According to their research, in 44% of the analysed lms, the average age of journalists ranges from 30 to 50, with 30.6% in the training phase and only 17.3% holding positions of responsibility. Regarding the type of media they work in, 67% are journalists working in the press as writers, reporters, or correspondents, while 30.5% work in television. Finally, 16.5% of the journalists featured on the big screen belong to the local section, 13.1% to the crime section, 11.6% to the international section and 11% to investigative journalism. Table 1 provides a summary of all the detected stereotypes. Table 1. Stereotypes in the representation of women journalists in cinema according to themeemeStereotypeAuthorFourth EstateMythication of the professionRey, 2020.Fourth EstateDefense of citizens' rightsSan José de la Rosa et al., 2020.Fourth EstateExistence of factions among reporters: good and bad journalists.San José de la Rosa et al., 2020.Fourth Estateree main proles: sensationalist and unethical, committed to their profession, and witness to what happens arround them.Bezunartea et al., 2011.Fourth EstateInstrument of control in the hands of an elite (mediocracy).Bezunartea et al., 2011.Fourth EstateExercise of the profession as a counter-power: monitoring and confronting the powerful.Mera, 2008.
doxa.comunicación | nº 39, pp. 257-277 July-December of 2024Felicidad González Sanz and Javier Figuero EspadasISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978| 261Fourth EstateAverage age of journalists: 30-50 years old.Bezunartea et al., 2010.Fourth Estate67% of the represented journalists work in print, and 30.5% on television.Bezunartea et al., 2010.Fourth Estatee most commonly represented sections are local, events, international, and investigative journalism.Bezunartea et al., 2010.Fourth EstateUnethical profession. Instrument of executive and legislative power.Rincón y Mosquera, 2021.GenderFemale journalist: easily manipulable, self-centred, ascends in the press hierarchy based on her physical appearance and not her education or intelligence.Rincón y Mosquera, 2021.GenderRepresentation in 5 phases: obligation to accept work, cheerleadaer for the male journalist in order to marry him, less qualied but equally tough, sacrices her personal life, independent in professional and personal matters, but lacks the toughness of a real journalist.Ghiglione, 1990.GenderWoman rst, then professional.Good, 1998.GenderNeed to incorporate masculine traits (aggressiveness, toughness, self-suciency, anitpathy) to succeed, while still being aectionate, compassionate, or maternal.Saltzman, 2003.GenderMasculinisation of the journlaist to maintain power. Continuation of patriarchal tradition.Herman, 2004.GenderAssigned simpler assignments and tell easier stories than men.Herman, 2004.GenderMust sacrice feminitiy, ethics and personal life to succeed and will continue to face discrimination and disrespect from men.Herman, 2004.GenderMost frequent stereotypes: cold and relentless journalist, frivolous, housewife,action movie heroine, and sentimental advice columnist.Osorio, 2009.GenderSecondary role compared to male journalists.Osorio, 2009. Tello Díaz, 2012. Enache, 2020.GenderMost women journalists depend on their image to practice the profession.Pacheco, 2021.GenderSexualisation of the female journalist always represented attractively, even using sex to obtain information.Waddell, 2021. Cvetkovic y Oostman, 2018.GenderVictimisation of women, manipulated for being physically and mentally weak.Cvetkovic y Oostman, 2018.GenderUnethical professionals with mysogynistic, weak and ineective charactertistics, engaging in malpractice in their professional work.Waddell, 2021.GenderRepresentation as more disciplined than men, focused on personal promotion.Bezunartea et al., 2008.GenderIf they were not attractive, they would not have been reporters.Bezunartea et al., 2008.GenderNumerical underrepresentation of female gender journalists.Bezunartea et al., 2008. Wadell, 2021.GenderAccompanied by a mentor gure who teaches them and gives them condence in their potential.Bezunartea et al., 2008.Source: created by the authors. 2023
262 | nº 39, pp. 257-277 | July-December of 2024Female journalists’ representation in Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The RealmISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicaciónTo analyse the portrayal of the press as the fourth estate and the stereotypes associated with female journalists, the lm e Realm (Sorogoyen, 2018) was chosen for examination. is feature lm, based on true stories, revolves around a female journalist who must take a stance regarding her role as the fourth estate by the end of the lm. Another reason for selecting this lm lies in the numerous awards it received, including seven Goyas from the Academia de Cine, as well as accolades from various festivals (Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales [I.C.A.A.], 2023) and its considerable box oce success with 365,256 viewers (I.C.A.A., 2023). is implies that any stereotypes depicted on screen would have reached a wide audience, perpetuating them in the collective imagination. e insights from this case study can aid in analysing the current stereotypes surrounding the representation of female reporters in Spanish cinema and the dynamics between political power and the press.In e Realm, Rodrigo Sorogoyen portrays corruption from the perspective of a politician, Manuel López Vidal, to try to understand him. e politician is confronted by a journalist, Amaia Marín, at the lm’s conclusion. As Sorogoyen explained to Pastor (2019), this character embodies the role of the press and serves as an agent denouncing the corrupt ecosystem. e journalist appears in four specic moments in the plot, representing the fourth estate, which implies a responsibility for the journalist. is responsibility is benecial to society when exercised for the common good. However, it can also be dangerous when driven by the informant’s interests or inuenced by individuals or entities. e nal message of the lm underscores the complexity of the system. Moreover, the character of Amaia Marín was created by Sorogoyen after consulting with expert journalists, including Ana Pastor. Morales (2018) reported that the journalist’s nal confrontation with the corrupt politician was lmed on the set of El objetivo, a programme then hosted by Ana Pastor and produced by Atresmedia, which also coproduced the feature lm e Realm. To prepare for the role, actress Bárbara Lennie met with Ana Pastor to study how the journalist conducted herself. Pastor acknowledges being consulted for creating the character, but Morales (2018) says, “I don’t think she is inspired by me as much as by what we journalists do”.For all these reasons, this research aims to analyse the role of the female journalist in the feature lm e Realm, addressing the following objectives: –Analyse the dierences between the roles of male and female journalist characters in the lm. –Examine the portrayal of the female journalist in e Realm, mainly through lm analysis. –Determine the role and stereotypes embodied by the character Amaia Marín in her capacity as a journalist. –Verify whether the character of the female journalist, according to several professional women in the sector, aligns with reality or presents a distorted view. –Describe the function of the female journalist character portrayed in the lm concerning her role as the fourth estate and guardian of democracy.
doxa.comunicación | nº 39, pp. 257-277 July-December of 2024Felicidad González Sanz and Javier Figuero EspadasISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978| 263ese objectives aim to verify the following hypotheses.H1. Stereotypes surrounding the role of female journalists are currently perpetuated on the big screen, portraying them as cold and ruthless professionals, emphasising their gender over their profession, masculinising them, sexualising them, and compelling them to sacrice their femininity, ethics and personal lives. H2. In feature lms, the portrayal of female journalists involves assuming the role of controlling political power, while male journalists are more likely to side with the corrupt; female journalists are represented as professionals safeguarding society’s interests.H3. e portrayal of female journalists in feature lms does not align with the perception of female journalists regarding the nature and practice of the journalistic profession.2. MethodologyMethodological triangulation will be employed using descriptive analysis, lm analysis, and in-depth interviews. e study will focus on camera framing, shot size, angle, movement, and editing rhythm given to each narrative unit through editing. Relevant details of the soundtrack and music will be highlighted when applicable, relating all these expressive aspects with the representation of the female journalist and the main stereotypes that are revealed in the analysis of the scenes.e descriptive analysis aims to identify the scenes in e Realm where a female journalist is portrayed to determine the number of scenes dedicated to this depiction, their durations, and their placement within the narrative. e signicance of the journalistic plot becomes evident in the rst viewing of the lm; as mentioned above, the story’s closure takes place in a television studio during an intense face-to-face encounter. is scene, which we analyse later, is lengthy and uniquely engages the audience; as Sánchez López asserts, “Amaia’s direct appeal to the camera establishes a three-way discourse involving her, Manuel and the audience, compelling the latter to conclude the viewing without a resolution to the conict” (2022, p. 351). Perhaps the lm leaves this solution to the viewer, presenting them, through this ending, with an opportunity for personal reection and introspection in the context of systematic and widespread corruption evidenced in various moments in the lm.e representation of the female journalist in the story is also studied through various categories that will be used to determine the visual development of the female journalist within dierent scenes. In addition to the aspects mentioned above, the duration, weight, and disposition of the scenes in the main plot are analysed, as well as the symbolic value attributed to objects and characters within the narrative. To this end, various qualities are considered to comprehend the model of the journalist as depicted in the lm, as established by Sánchez-Escalonilla (2014), Seger (2000) and McKee (2003) in their studies on audiovisual narrative from the perspective of lm scriptwriting. Due to the study’s inherent limitations, the analysis focuses explicitly on the categorisation of the character of the female journalist based on social status, temperament, style, dialogues, notable physical and psychological traits, and real-life inspiration. e objective is to uncover what Seger calls “the essence of the character” and the paradoxes contributing to the complexity of the character, including distinct emotions, values and attitudes (2000, p.34). Film analysis is also used to examine narrative characteristics in various scenes featuring the female journalist, considering aspects such as size, angle, duration, and movement, among others.