Tom Watson MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, commenting on the Women in Journalism report showing serious problems with female representation in British journalism, said: 

“This new research showing the woeful underrepresentation of women in British journalism should set alarm bells ringing for readers as well as reporters and editors across the country. 

"Who writes and decides the news matters, and it is not good enough that just 25 percent of front page bylines are by women, and just 34 percent of senior roles at national newspapers are held by women. 

"The painfully slow improvement in representation since the last report in 2012, up just two percentage points, shows the industry is failing to recognise and respond to the problem.

"Political journalism is among the worst offenders, and I’d like to issue a challenge today, that by the next report the Parliamentary Lobby gets its house in order and achieves gender parity among political journalists. 

"A free and fair press is one of the pillars of our democracy, but these figures show that if you’re a woman, you won’t have a fair chance at a career in journalism. The industry must make it a priority to change that.”