WATCH: Women in Journalism Panel Discussion

At a panel discussion in the Meetinghouse on April 29, four prominent women in journalism agreed that the field was more hospitable to women than ever before — but that for many women, management positions remain difficult to obtain.

In her final act as Visiting Scholar, Abramson assembled a group of talented, hard-working women to discuss the challenges and rewards of journalism. The group included Lisa Tozzi, News Director at BuzzFeed; CBS correspondent Rita Braver; and Wall Street Journal reporter and Friends alumna Sophia Hollander (class of '98). “If you'll excuse my French,” Abramson said by way of introduction, “I have assembled a group of truly kick-ass women.”

The event underscored Friends Seminary's ongoing commitment to women's education. Principal Bo Lauder noted that the School has been co-ed since it opened 229 years ago. “The School was formed as as co-ed school at a time when the education of women was not a priority,” he said.

Overall, the panelists were optimistic about the role of women in journalism. They all pointed out that, as Braver said, women in the field are “on more of a level playing ground” today. As the first female producer of the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, Braver has seen her share of change in the industry. For Hollander, however, gender has not played a major role in her career challenges.

Hollander who studied under Abramson at Princeton, and even profiled her for the college's newspaper—acknowledged that there was a lack of women at the top of news organizations. Still, speaking before the event in the gym, she said she's never felt personally held back by her gender: “In journalism, the work speaks for itself. So if you're good, your work will be recognized.”

Tozzi, who worked for 13 years as an editor at The New York Times before joining BuzzFeed two years ago, also stressed that there are many opportunities for women who want to get into journalism. “Working at a growing organization, you get to set your roles and create the environment you want,” she said, adding that one of BuzzFeed's goals is to maintain a diverse newsroom. “There's a lot of time and effort and thought put into that.” As someone who is in the position to hire writers and editors, Tozzi said, it's exciting to watch young women journalists grow and develop.

The panelists agreed that many of the difficulties journalists face are the same for men and women. Hollander pointed out that funding deep, investigative journalism is tricky regardless of your gender. Tozzi noted that journalism can be an all-consuming job: “My husband is sitting right there, because that's the only way he gets to see me,” she said.

Event attendee Samantha Liebman Elbaum '94, who works as a reporter for FiOS1 News, said that as a reporter, it's not always easy to take a lunch break or pick up your kids from school. “You can't say no” to an opportunity, she said, which puts women with children and single mothers in particular in a difficult position. She added, “I think there are more women than men in news. The problem is there's not enough women in management positions.”

Miranda Evans, a senior who will attend Middlebury College in February after taking a short gap year, was particularly interested in what Tozzi had to say. “I'm an avid reader of BuzzFeed.” she said, “so it was really awesome to hear her speak. That's where I see the future of media going."