Media Outlet: Aired 10/23/09 on NBC

Offense: Law & Order presented a physician who performs abortions as a murderer and advanced anti-reproductive rights propaganda.

NOW's Analysis: Law & Order loves to do "ripped from the headlines" stories, and this episode was clearly based on the recent assassination of Dr. George Tiller. The show outrageously implied that physicians like Dr. Tiller may be culpable in their own murders because they themselves are baby killers. The episode might have been titled "Dignity," but it did little to acknowledge the dignity of women and the service providers who risk their lives to provide safe and legal abortions.

The episode was loaded with anti-abortion sentiment and propaganda. Several of the supposedly pro-choice characters on the show were guilted into questioning their values. The plotline that included the doctor killing a baby after birth was purposely inflammatory -- an assault on Dr. Tiller's memory and quite possibly a provocation to zealots who need little encouragement to view all abortion providers as murderers.

You only need look at the comments on the NBC website to see that Law & Order hit the mark with the anti-choice crowd.

Take Action: Tell NBC what you think about the "Dignity" episode of Law & Order.

Media Outlet: Aired on radio stations nationwide 10/8/09 - syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications

The Offense: On his radio show, Glenn Beck had this to say about former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: "Good heavens! I'm sorry I just looked up at Madeleine Albright and she's . . . [screaming and laughter] No, normally it burns our eyes out . . . and look at the neck skin on her . . . does she kind of look like a turkey? . . . look at her eyes and her nose. She looks like a turkey."

NOW's Analysis: No matter how accomplished a woman may be, she is always subject to ridicule, particularly where her appearance is concerned. Men can get as old and ugly and heavy as they want, but women are supposed to be sexually appealing at all times and at every age -- otherwise, watch out! Like Hillary Clinton, who Beck called a "stereotypical bitch," and Sonia Sotomayor, who he referred to as "Hispanic chick lady," it appears that Albright should not expect the same level of respect that men in those same positions are routinely granted. And that's just wrong.

The added irony here is that Glenn Beck recently bragged that more women were calling into his radio show and showing up at his book signings. He's been doing shows with moms because he claims that "it's the women, the moms, that I think truly have an idea of what's going on" in the U.S. Of course, Beck knows better than to insult these mothers and grandmothers with jabs at their appearance. But the fact is that he insults all women when he belittles Clinton, Sotomayor and Albright.

Take Action: Tell Kraig T. Kitchin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Premiere Radio Networks, what you think about Glenn Beck's sexist, ageist comments.

The Offense: Who Has the Best Chest in Hollywood? (Photos, Poll), posted 9/26/09

NOW's Analysis: The Huffington Post exposes its tabloid side in this cheesy and insulting poll. Readers are invited to look at photos of women celebrities in which their breasts are prominently featured and then rate them on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is "gross" and 10 is "gorgeous" -- seriously, this is not a joke.

Yes, the Internet is full of this kind of exploitative, sexist junk, but shouldn't we expect better from the Huffington Post? The website links to a previous contest where readers voted on men's chests, but that's just a little different, don't you think? Women are constantly judged and rated on their physical assets and sex appeal, and the Huffington Post really doesn't need to be in the business of encouraging this practice. Not to mention, how old was the grade school boy who devised the rating scale? The use of the word "gross" is so degrading and juvenile that the folks at Huffington Post should be embarassed.

Take Action: Write to Huffington Post and tell them to stop exploiting women. You can also post a comment under the story itself (but you have to have an account).

Media Outlet: Commercials airing nationwide and products on store shelves

The Offense: Bayer, the maker of One-A-Day Teen Advantage, is peddling sex-specific vitamins that claim to promote healthy muscle function for him (in a blue and green box) and healthy skin for her (in a pink and orange box).

NOW's Analysis: According to the One-A-Day website, among the the "top health concerns of moms and teens" are the fact that teenage girls need to have healthy (read: aesthetically pleasing) skin, while teenage boys should have healthy muscle function. In case potential consumers aren't picking up the difference, the vitamins come in color-coordinated boxes, the pills themselves have been dyed pink or blue, and "for Her" and "for Him" appear on the boxes in fonts that were clearly chosen to convey feminine or masculine vibes.

In reality, most of the actual ingredients of the two products are the same, working toward the same ends: supporting a healthy immune system, bone strength and energy. The issue here is not the contents of the pills, but rather the way in which these differences are marketed. The message sent to girls is that looks are paramount, and by contrast, their own strength is unnecessary or irrelevant. Likewise, boys are encouraged to be active and adventurous -- there's even a Major League Baseball logo on the boys' box, while the girls' box features a breast cancer awareness ribbon. But, why shouldn't girls be concerend with having healthy muscles? And surely boys would like healthy skin, too, right?

While having sex-based differences in nutrition is understandable -- women typically need more iron, for example -- the method of packaging and advertising that Bayer employs is insulting. Not to mention, promoting these sex stereotypes to girls and boys during their teenage years lays a foundation for a lifetime of buying into rigid gender roles.

Take Action: Write to One-A-Day Vitamins and Bayer and tell them what you think.

Media Outlet: NBC, airing on 8/11 and 8/12/09

Offense: Two mornings in a row the Today show focused on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's feisty response to a question about President Obama that reportedly was mis-translated into an inquiry about her husband's opinion on a policy matter. Anchor Meredith Vieira claimed that "some" were speculating that Clinton was either jetlagged or "jealous" of her husband, while correspondent Andrea Mitchell added that Clinton was "having a bad hair day."

NOW's Analysis: Ok, so we gave the guys at The Washington Post a hard time for their stupid beer video. Which means the folks at the Today show really deserve to be called out for their coverage of Hillary Clinton's recent trip to Africa. Rather than focus on the serious issues that Clinton was addressing on her trip -- including the use of rape as a weapon of war in Congo -- the Today show chose instead to concentrate on Clinton's response that she would be happy to speak for herself, thank you very much, because Bill Clinton isn't secretary of state.

Leave it to the mainstream media to emphasize this trivial drama and Clinton's hair over an important subject such as the ongoing epidemic of sexual violence against women in eastern Congo. Instead of doing their viewers a service by informing them about this critical issue, the powers that be at Today preferred to distract them with empty chatter.

The sad thing is, Andrea Mitchell even acknowledged that Clinton was going to be meeting with rape survivors later that day, and that she had already traveled to seven countries and given 22 speeches -- yet Mitchell just couldn't resist that "bad hair day" dig. Why exactly was it crucial to comment on Clinton's hair? We'd love to hear the reason. Vieira wrapped up the segment by saying that Clinton's response represented a "big bump in the road." Seriously?!

Plus, on the second day of trying to turn this misunderstanding into a political crisis, NBC's Ann Curry and Vieira admitted it was sad that the media were focusing on this angle of this story. Wait a minute . . . These women must have some decision-making clout at the Today show, right? Vieira is co-anchor and Curry's been there forever. They don't just do the segments the producers tell them to and read the words the writers draft, or do they? These women must have some power to help determine the news they report, and they should be capable of doing a far better job.

Take Action: Write to Meredith Vieira and urge her to cover some real news instead of jumping on any chance to bash Hillary. We've heard that other media, not surprisingly, also chose not to focus on the reason for Clinton's trip to Africa. Please write or call any media outlet you observe demonstrating sexism in its coverage of women while refusing to cover women's rights issues in depth. You can look up individual media contact info here. Finally, read about the crisis in Congo -- the story that many media outlets are ignoring in favor of meaningless "controversy" coverage.

Offender: Writer/Reporters Dana Milbank and Chris Cillizza

Media Outlet: The Washington Post website, posted 7/31/09

Offense: In a video segment called "Mouthpiece Theater" Milbank and Cillizza suggest beers that various political figures should have drank, had they been invited to President Obama's "beer summit." For Hillary Clinton, Milbank suggests "Mad Bitch" beer.

NOW's Analysis: In a stunningly unfunny video, two male reporters smirk their way through a long list of obscure beers with funny names, matching them up with politicians. Representatives Dennis Kucinich and Henry Waxman are poked fun of for looking like an "elf" and a "troll" respectively, while the fact that Senator Robert Byrd is "old" and perhaps "peculiar" is meant to elicit a laugh. Once you're working for one of the biggest newspapers in the U.S. shouldn't you really be past teasing people based on their appearance or other traits like age? Not these guys.

Milbank is no stranger to making snarky comments concerning Hillary Clinton, but when will it ever end? She's our secretary of state, for cryin' out loud -- isn't calling her a "bitch" crossing the line? Well, apparently it is. The Washington Post must have received enough complaints that they took the video down the same day it was posted. This is evidence that when enough of us speak out, it does work. But we still can't help but wonder how this kind of stuff slips by the editors in the first place. The video reeks of frat boy attitude and offensive humor, and it is out of place on the website of a serious newspaper.

Take Action: Write to The Washington Post and thank them for removing the video, but urge Ombudsman Deborah Howell to take this on, to demand that the website's editors hold their content producers to higher standards. Ask Howell to demand that no woman be called a "bitch" again on The Washington Post website or in the publication.

Honoring: Drop Dead Diva

Media Outlet: Lifetime, currently airing Sundays at 9:00 pm

Honor-ability: The new TV program Drop Dead Diva is about Deb, a skinny model who dies and comes back in the body of "plus-size" attorney Jane.

NOW Analysis: First of all, a TV show centered around a woman who isn't a size zero or even a size 10 is extremely rare, so Lifetime gets kudos right off the bat for scooping up this show and promoting it big time (rumor has it Fox turned down the show after seeing the pilot). The get-ready-to-suspend-your-disbelief premise of a thin woman living in a heavy woman's body isn't just a clever gimmick -- it provides the writers with the opportunity to address women's body image issues and society's attitudes toward fat people in different and new ways.

As Jane, Deb suddenly experiences what it's like to be ignored or "body-checked" by the beautiful people. And she gains even more insight when she takes on cases like a woman who was fired from her job as a cocktail waitress for gaining weight.

The cast includes Margaret Cho, who, in addition to being a fabulous feminist, has experienced firsthand the prejudices of the entertainment industry. The lead actress, Brooke Elliott, is wonderful, and she proves that you don't have to fit the proverbial mold in order to light up the small screen and draw an audience.

Is the show perfect? Of course not. The cast could use a bit more diversity. The stereotyped bubble-headedness of Deb and her friend Stacy can be way overdone; however, signs do point to the ongoing evolution of these characters. Each episode seems to have at least one scene of Jane gravitating toward some sort of calorie-laden pastry, much to Deb's internal chagrin -- advancing yet another stereotype that doesn't really need endorsing. But, one could argue that Deb is finally enjoying the foods she denied herself when she was trying to maintain her modelesque figure.

As a show that acknowledges the often-controversial truth that there's more to women than their looks and the alarming theory that women should learn to love themselves as they are, Drop Dead Diva embodies the message of NOW Foundation's Love Your Body campaign. So, both the Media Hall of Shame and Love Your Body thank Lifetime for bringing us this enjoyable and thought-provoking show.

Take Action: Networks need to hear from us when they're doing something right. Right now, Lifetime wants to receive messages only by postcard. Send your comments to: Lifetime Televsion, 309 W. 49th Street, New York, NY 10019. Tell them what you like about the show, and even what you think could stand improving.

Media Outlet: Google

Offense: Google AdWords no longer accepts ads for abortion services in the following countries: Germany, Poland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, France, Italy and Spain.

NOW's Analysis: When you search for something on Google, in addition to the search results, Google displays ads related to that term. This advertising vehicle, called AdWords, helps businesses attract customers and it can help searchers find products and services they may be interested in. A search on the term "abortion" should bring up links to websites that use the term and paid ads for services, such as clinics. But not in the 15 countries listed above.

The countries affected by this update in policy seem to have been chosen almost at random, representing a fairly broad range of political climates. Feministing contacted Google to get to the bottom of this, and a spokesperson offered little enlightenment beyond saying that they "made the change to ensure our policy was fair, up-to-date, consistent with local laws and codes of practice."

Google claims not to take a side on the "emotive subject" of abortion; however, it's curious that this change in policy happened at the same time Google decided to start accepting ads from religious organizations that "aim to educate and inform" or advance a position on abortion legislation. Reproductive rights groups may also place "factual" or "campaigning" ads on Google in those 15 countries; the ban is on ads that might actually direct women to specific abortion providers. Though Google attempts to offer neutral territory in the war on reproductive freedom, the fact that a conscious decision was made to withhold reproductive health care information from women in 15 countries certainly suggests anti-choice leanings.

Take Action: Write to Google and tell them that women in all countries should be able to view ads from abortion providers. Thanks to the Dutch non-profit Women on Waves for bringing this to the attention of women's rights groups around the globe and organizing a petition effort.