Fewer Women in the News

Ellen Goodman’s column (“Women in the News: the Missing Majority,” Commentary, April 7) suggests that even the media are discriminating against women, citing the fact that only 13% of prime news stories are about women.

Is it just possible that the reason for this is that women are generaly not as newsworthy as men? They don’t commit as many murders and they haven’t, as yet, subjected themselves to the rigors and indignities of presidential primaries (except as wives). Women who are in law enforcement manage to keep their frustrations and prejudices under control and those who are in business or government seem to keep a low profile. As far as I know, there were no women involved in the savings and loan scandal nor in the junk-bond debacle.

If Ellen Goodman’s statistics are correct, I’d say that no news (about women), is good news.

POLLY S. BROWDER

La Jolla