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NBC Hiring Pippa Middleton Would Be a Blow for Gender Equality

Sources: Pippa far more qualified to be on TV than Chelsea

AP
June 26, 2014

News broke late last night that NBC—which controversially paid noted non-journalist-with-a-famous-relative Chelsea Clinton $600,000 per year to interview the GEICO Gecko—was considering hiring Pippa Middleton—the sister of the gal who married the guy who might one day be King of England—to join the NBC news team.

Some were annoyed by the announcement. The Washington Post's Alyssa Rosenberg,* for instance, was particularly nonplussed:

Please, NBC. For the love of all that is dignified, stop hiring women who are related to somewhat-more-famous people. Stop it immediately.

I couldn't help but worry that this would get Alyssa in dutch with Amy Weiss-Meyer, who, two weeks ago, authored a piece for the New Republic headlined "Chelsea Clinton Made $600,000 a Year at NBC. That Upset a Lot of Male Journalists." The thrust of Weiss-Meyer's argument? Clinton's wholly unjustified and unearned position and salary were striking a blow against sexism!

No, seriously. Here's Weiss-Meyer:

Journalism is plagued by a serious gender problem: Just over a third of bylines and on-camera appearances go to women, and virtually all major American newspapers and wire services feature a majority of articles by men. ...

Her impressive paycheck, deserved or not, is a step toward balancing the scale.

Equality!

Anyway, it seems to me that Middleton's job is just more of the same, another blow for equality in a field dominated by men. She's obviously photogenic enough!

Pippa Wedding
AP

And, really, who is more qualified to report on high society than the big star of the latest royal wedding?

Women are woefully underrepresented on sports desks; the Women's Media Center gave newsrooms a big, fat "F" when it comes to gender diversity and sports reporting. Yikes! Adding Pippa to the sports room would be another blow for gender equality, amirite?

Photo by Flickr user xhan104
Photo by Flickr user xhan104

Lord knows she spends enough time at Wimbledon to comment on it in a pseudo-expert sort of way.

Already an icon, Middleton would likely excel as a fashion commentator:

Cheltenham Festival, Gloucestershire, Britain - 14 Mar 2013
AP

Look at Joan, Giuliana, Kelly, and George! There's a new fashion policewoman on the block.

Nonprofits and charities are dreadfully undercovered on network television. Pippa's experience attending the Boodles Boxing Ball—which benefits the Starlight Children's Foundation—would make her a real plus for NBC.

I for one hope NBC doesn't get cowed by the naysayers. Frankly, Pippa's resume strikes me as far more impressive than Miss Clinton's. This is one blow for equality I can get behind. If I'm being honest, however, I do have one worry. Why pick a Brit for this position? I can think of a red-blooded American woman related to a politician who would be a great addition to any newsroom. That's right, you guessed it:

WENN
WENN

Why pick one, though, when you could have both? Amy Weiss-Meyer is right: We need all the diversity we can get!

*Thanks to Alyssa for inspiring this post!

Published under: Kate Upton