Marjorie Paxson (August 13, 1923 – June 17, 2017) was an American newspaper journalist, editor, and publisher during an era in American history when the

women's liberation movement The women's liberation movement (WLM) was a political alignment of women and feminist intellectualism that emerged in the late 1960s and continued into the 1980s primarily in the industrialized nations of the Western world, which effected great ...

was setting milestones by tackling the barriers of discrimination in the media workplace. Paxson graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in 1944, and began her newspaper career in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, covering hard news for

wire services A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and radio and television broadcasters. A news agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire, ...

. In the 1960s, Paxson worked as assistant editor under Marie Anderson for the

women's page The women's page (sometimes called home page or women's section) of a newspaper was a section devoted to covering news assumed to be of interest to women. Women's pages started out in the 19th century as society pages and eventually morphed into ...

of the ''

sorority Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

that evolved into the

Association for Women in Communications The Association for Women in Communications (AWC) is an American professional organization for women in the communications industry. History Theta Sigma Phi The Association for Women in Communications began in 1909 as Theta Sigma Phi (), an ho ...

(AWC). She won the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into its

hall of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

. In 1969, she earned a Penney-Missouri award for her work as editor of the women's page in the '' St. Petersburg Times''. Throughout her career, Paxson advocated for working women and for women in journalism. She worked at several different newspapers for different reasons that ranged from being replaced by men returning from the war, to seizing opportunities that afforded her the ability to make positive hard news changes to the women's section. She experienced two demotions as newspapers changed their women's sections into features sections and replaced female editors with male editors. She expressed bitterness over her demotions and attributed them partially to the women's movement. She believed feminist activists unfairly denigrated women's pages and their editors, whom she believed had been supporters of the movement. She worked as editor of women's pages in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

; and in

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ar ...

, as an assistant managing editor. While working as women's page editor for the ''Philadelphia Bulletin,'' she took a five-week leave of absence to edit '' Xilonen'', the daily newspaper of the 1975 United Nations World Conference for International Women's Year in Mexico City. She considered her time there to be the most important work of her career. As a result of that work, she was honored with the AWC's Headliner Award. She helped create the National Women and Media Collection, which documents media coverage of and by women in the United States. She was one of four women's page journalists selected to participate in the Washington Press Foundation's '' Women in Journalism Oral History Project.'' After more than four decades of working to reshape the definition of women's news, Paxson finished her career as a newspaper

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

Early life

Marjorie Bowers Paxson was born August 13, 1923, in

, Texas, to Roland B. and Marie Margaret (Bowers) Paxson, who had moved to Houston from

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

, where both had grown up. She had one younger brother, John. Her father was a

petroleum geologist A petroleum geologist is an earth scientist who works in the field of petroleum geology, which involves all aspects of oil discovery and production. Petroleum geologists are usually linked to the actual discovery of oil and the identification of ...

and her mother had attended a secretarial school but discontinued working after she married. According to Paxson, as children she and her brother visited the

derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, and ...

floors on the oil fields her father worked, but when she got to high school age she was no longer allowed on the derrick floors because while children were welcome, women were not. HoustonLamarHighSchool

Paxson attended Lamar High School in Houston's

Upper Kirby Upper Kirby is a commercial district in Houston, Texas, United States. It is named after Kirby Drive, so indirectly takes its name from John Henry Kirby. Upper Kirby contains many businesses, including restaurants. Upper Kirby is east of the Gre ...

district. She was uninterested in nursing or teaching, then the most common professions open to women, and became involved in journalism while taking a class in high school and writing for her school's newspaper. Her journalism teacher had graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and Paxson decided she wanted to go to the school he had attended. Paxson's parents aspired to a college education for both their children. In accordance with her parents' wishes that she attend her first two years of college close to home, she applied to

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

, which was only a mile away. She was concerned about whether she would get into Rice, which at the time limited its freshman class to ten percent women. She was admitted and under an endowment attended tuition-free; she recalled her family paying $200 per year for her to attend Rice. While at Rice she worked on the student newspaper, ''The Thresher''. In 1942 Paxson transferred to the University of Missouri for her junior year; within a few weeks, most of her male classmates were drafted for World War II. During her time at the university, the dean of the school of journalism was Frank Luther Mott, whom she admired but thought was "sort of a stuffy character" until on New Year's Day during class he staged an attempted murder of himself, giving the class the assignment to write about the incident. She worked for the university's student newspaper, ''

Columbia Missourian The ''Columbia Missourian'' is a digital-first newspaper based in Columbia, Missouri, published online seven days a week and in print five days a week. The newspaper is affiliated with the Missouri School of Journalism, and is owned as a 501c3 ...

,'' and graduated from its journalism school in 1944.

Career

After graduating from college Paxson considered joining the military but ultimately decided to look for a job in journalism. She credited her work at the ''Columbia Missourian'' with helping her get her first job at

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 2 ...

(UPI) wire service.

Wire services

Like many women in the United States, during World War II Paxson was considered for jobs previously limited to men. Starting in 1944 she covered

hard news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. N ...

for the

, first for UPI in the two-person

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United ...

, bureau for $25 a week. This represented equal pay because it was covered by the American Newspaper Guild contract. With the men away fighting, one in five of UPI's employees was a woman. Paxson and the Lincoln bureau manager, Marguerite Davis, reported all state news with the exception of football games, as women were excluded from Nebraska Stadium's press box, and executions, which the state bureau chief, Gaylord Godwin, considered inappropriate for coverage by women. While covering the Nebraska Supreme Court, Paxson experienced

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fr ...

by the

court clerk A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to witn ...

. She later recalled this as a common issue for working women, and that her strategy was to keep visits to his office brief, keep the desk between them, and "if he started to come around the desk, you picked up those opinions and left." Paxson worked for UPI for two years, until 1946. Having signed a

waiver A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege. Regulatory agencies of state departments or the federal government may issue waivers to exempt companies from certain regulations. For example, a United St ...

agreeing to quit when the war was over, she learned was losing her job. The week she was fired she moved to the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

(AP), in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

, to edit radio wire copy for $55 a week. She worked for the AP for two years, then in 1948 moved back to Texas, where she started working in

s, which were the only journalism positions open to most women both before and after the war.

Editor

Paxson was hired in 1948 at age 25 as the society editor for the ''

Houston Post The ''Houston Post'' was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper shut down, and its assets were purchased by the '' Houston Chronicle''. History Gail Borden Johnson founded the ''Houston ...

'', then considered more progressive than the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

'', its primary competitor. She was one of a staff of five in the women's section and earned a salary of $75 per week. Houston's oil-boom economy meant she needed to cover many high-profile social events. Paxson recalled that during this period she had 14 evening dresses, most of them sewn by her mother. On a typical Friday she worked all day, covered a party in the evening, returned to the office to file a

piece Piece or Pieces (not to be confused with peace) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Piece (chess), pieces deployed on a chessboard for playing the game of chess * ''Pieces'' (video game), a 1994 puzzle game for the Super NES * ...

on the event, and got home at 3:00 in the morning. During her time in Houston Paxson lived with her parents, as her parents believed a single woman should not be living in an apartment. Paxson was promoted from society editor to women's page editor in 1951. She attempted to cover hard news but was told by the news editor that he would never allow a news story to be covered in the women's section. She moved pictures of brides off the women's section's front page, where most newspapers always ran them, in favor of issue-oriented stories; she later recalled accomplishing this in late 1951 or early 1952. She considered this one of her major accomplishments at the paper; at one point she had to explain to the paper's

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...

publisher,

Oveta Culp Hobby Oveta Culp Hobby (January 19, 1905 – August 16, 1995) was an American politician and businessperson who served as the first United States secretary of health, education, and welfare from 1953 to 1955. A member of the Republican Party, Hobby wa ...

, that she would not run a wedding photo of the daughter of one of Hobby's friends on the front of the section. Paxson said that once she had been given the explanation, Hobby backed Paxson up. She later recalled the strict order of ranking based on family social prominence used to determine how much column space a wedding announcement was given; the most prominent brides received two columns and the least prominent were covered three in two columns. In 1952 Paxson became women's editor at the ''Houston Chronicle'' for $100 a week, but while she supervised a staff of seven, she was not given hiring and firing authority. While at the ''Chronicle'' she published the first photos of black brides in a major Houston newspaper and convinced her managing editor to take a chance on the then little-known advice columnist

Ann Landers Ann Landers was a pen name created by ''Chicago Sun-Times'' advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer (July 4, 1918 – June 22, 2002) in 1955. For 56 years, the Ask Ann Landers syndicated ad ...

. By the mid-1950s she began covering issues affecting working women and other serious news. Paxson was hired as a

copy editor Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material ( copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. ''The Chicago Manual o ...

in 1956 by Dorothy Jurney, the women's page editor for the ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami. She was mentored in her new position by Jurney and assistant women's editor Marie Anderson and worked alongside Roberta Applegate and Jeanne Voltz. The department's managing editors included Al Neuharth and Lee Hills. When Jurney moved to the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primar ...

'' in 1959, Anderson took her place as women's page editor and Paxson was promoted to assistant women's editor. Over the next several years they campaigned to include stories on women's issues such as

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

and the women's movement. During Anderson and Paxson's tenure, the women's section of the ''Herald'' won so many Penney-Missouri Awards, widely seen as the highest awards for women's page journalism, that the organizers asked the paper to retire from the competition. Paxson worked at the ''Herald'' for 12 years; her ending salary was $9,000 per year. Bulletin Building T-Square Catalogue 1909 p

Bulletin Building T-Square Catalogue 1909 p

Paxson moved to the '' St. Petersburg Times'', known for its progressive content, to become its women's editor in 1968 at a salary of $13,000 per year. Although she had a staff of seven, all women, she could not make hiring, firing, or budget decisions; this was common among women's page editors during this period. In 1970, following the lead of other major newspapers which were changing their women's sections into features sections, the paper eliminated their women's section, and Paxson was

demoted ''Demoted'' is a 2011 American comedy film directed by J. B. Rogers and starring Michael Vartan, Sean Astin, Celia Weston, David Cross, Billy West and Sara Foster. Plot Rodney and Mike are two of the top salesmen at Treadline Tire Company. D ...

to assistant features editor. Shortly thereafter she learned she had won a 1969 Penney-Missouri Award for her work on the paper's then-defunct women's section. This was an embarrassment to the paper's management, and when shortly thereafter they discovered she was looking for a new job, they fired her. She was hired as women's page editor by the ''

Philadelphia Bulletin The ''Philadelphia Bulletin'' was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was once the largest evening newspaper in the United ...

'' the same year, with a staff of 15. In 1973 the paper eliminated its women's section in favor of a features section, and Paxson was again demoted. She was made associate editor of the paper's Sunday magazine, where her assigned tasks were primarily reading page proofs. Paxson called the time she spent on the magazine "the worst fourteen months of my life." She was made assistant metropolitan editor in 1974, with a staff of 18 but still no personnel authority or budget control. When faced with a decision whether to send a

fashion editor A fashion editor is a person that supervises the process of creating, developing and presenting content for the fashion department of a magazine, Web site, newspaper or television program. The work of a fashion editor can be quite varied and may h ...

to Paris, she told her manager she could make a better decision if she knew the department's budget. His response was, "Aren't you glad you don't have to worry your pretty head about things like that?" While Paxson was working at the ''Bulletin'', she took a five-week leave of absence to edit '' Xilonen'', the daily newspaper of the 1975 United Nations World Conference for International Women's Year in Mexico City, hiring a staff of six as reporters. At ''Xilonen'', she edited the work of influential writers such as Germain Greer. Paxson later called it the most important thing she had ever done; it earned her a Headliner Award from the AWC. When she returned to work, she wrote a four-part series about the conference which ran in multiple newspapers across the country but not in the ''Bulletin''. Paxson viewed this as the writing on the wall and started a job search. She reached out to Neuharth, then the head of

Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

for interviews. While waiting for an opening she became frustrated with the deteriorating situation at the ''Bulletin'' and in 1976 quit; her ending salary was $22,000. Paxson then joined Jurney and Jill Ruckelshaus to work on the official report of the third Commission on the Status of Women. Paxson moved to Gannett's ''

Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynolds ...

'', a 60,000-circulation paper in

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...

, in 1976 to become assistant

managing editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edit ...

. She helped prepare the news room budget and earned the same salary Gannett would have paid a man. She worked at the ''Statesman'' for 18 months.

Publisher

Paxson moved to the ''

Public Opinion Public opinion is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to a society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them. Etymology The term "public opinion" was derived from the French ', which was first use ...

'' in

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, and north of Maryland and the ...

, in 1978 to become the paper's publisher. She was the fourth female publisher of a daily paper in the Gannett media conglomerate. She had budget responsibility for five departments. She recalled that the first time she had to fire someone, "It was a totally new experience for me because I had never had the authority to fire anybody up to this point." She had a habit of bringing her

miniature dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: "badger dog"), also known as the wiener dog, badger dog, and sausage dog, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, and comes in a variety of ...

, Tiger, to the office with her. When her mother expressed doubt, asking "What will they think?", Paxson told her, "Mom, I am 'they'." Paxson worked at the ''Public Opinion'' for a little under three years and while there accepted a three-week position as associate editor for the daily newspaper of the 1980 United Nations Mid-Decade Conference for Women in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

. She worked with executive editor John Rowley, whom she described as "display nglittle understanding of women's issues". Paxson ultimately thought the conference newspaper was demeaning to women, and she wasn't proud of working on it. In 1980 Paxson became publisher of the ''

Muskogee Phoenix The ''Muskogee Phoenix'' is a daily newspaper published in Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States, covering several counties of northeastern Oklahoma. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. The paper is printed five days a week (Tuesday-Sat ...

'' in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decreas ...

. The outgoing publisher,

Tams Bixby III Tams may refer to: *The Tams, an American vocal group * Tams, West Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community *Memphis Tams, former name (1972–1974) of the Memphis Sounds American basketball franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee *John T ...

, had sold the newspaper to Gannett after three generations of his family running it, and he had decided to retire. Paxson recalled learning that some on the staff were unhappy that the newspaper's publisher was going to be "one of Gannett's token women." During her tenure she changed the paper's stance on the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and ...

from opposing to supporting. Paxson held the position of publisher until her retirement in 1986 at the age of 63 after 42 years working in newspapers. Her ending salary was over six figures, including stock options. After she retired she wrote a weekly column for the ''Phoenix'' called "Nobody Asked Me But..." which focused on local issues, daily life, and her travels.

Association for Women in Communications

Paxson was elected president of Theta Sigma Phi in 1963 while working at the ''Miami Herald'' and held that office until 1967. During her tenure she transformed the organization from a social group into a professional association. The group had been founded in 1908 as a

for journalism students and was the de facto professional association for women journalists, who were not accepted into the

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

. Paxson campaigned for a more professional approach, a stance which was not popular with all members, many of whom disagreed with her emphasis on education and training. She led the group to establish a headquarters in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

; previously the organization's files had been stored in the national secretary's garage. She also lobbied to change the name from the Greek symbols to Women in Communications, which she considered a more businesslike title; the name change ultimately occurred after her time in office ended. The organization eventually became the

Views and advocacy

Paxson advocated for working women; in 1966, she advised other women's page editors to "stop downgrading women executives." She and Edee Greene, women's editor of the ''

Fort Lauderdale News The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding B ...

'', advised other editors not to include sentences such as "although Edee Greene is a champion stock car driver, president of the Florida women's press club and women's editor of the ''Fort Lauderdale News'', she still finds time to be a wife and mother." They argued that no journalist would feel the need to explain about a man that, while successful in various ways, he was still able to be a husband and father. Newsrooms began in the 1960s to reflect changes wrought by the women's movement, and women made progress in obtaining jobs formerly open only to men. Paxson commented on the remaining resistance to the increasing role of women in journalism, writing in 1967 that "most city editors are men, and there is an inborn prejudice against sending a woman on certain kinds of stories." While working as women's editor for the ''Philadelphia Bulletin'', she wrote a

memorandum A memorandum ( : memoranda; abbr: memo; from the Latin ''memorandum'', "(that) which is to be remembered") is a written message that is typically used in a professional setting. Commonly abbreviated "memo," these messages are usually brief and ...

to the publisher criticizing the paper's coverage of news of importance to women, writing, "It seems to me that unless women are wives, mothers, entertainers—and I include beauty queens in that category—or freaks, the ''Bulletin'' does not admit that they exist.” On her first day at the ''Muskogee Phoenix'', Paxson was informed by the former publisher that he had had a policy against women wearing pants. She arrived for her second day of work the next morning wearing a

pantsuit A pantsuit, also known as a trouser suit outside the United States, is a woman's suit of clothing consisting of pants and a matching or coordinating coat or jacket. Formerly, the prevailing fashion for women included some form of a coat, pa ...

and walked through the press room, the composing room, and the news room before heading to her office. She then called a meeting of department heads to announce an official change in the dress code. The next day, 29 of the 45 women working for the newspaper arrived to work in pantsuits. Also at the ''Phoenix'', she discovered the paper had three consistent editorial stances: in favor of alcohol by the drink (then illegal in Muskogee), in support of horse racing, and against the Equal Rights Amendment. She had no issues with the first two but of the third told the staff, "That's going to change." Paxson was angered by what she saw as a betrayal of women's page editors by feminist leaders. She saw these editors as supporters of the movement, as the women's sections had been the only section of most newspapers to provide coverage in the movement's early years; ''The New York Times'' placed the 1965 announcement of the formation of the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

between an article about

Saks Fifth Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue (originally Saks & Company; colloquially Saks) is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in New York City and founded by Andrew Saks. The original store opened in the F Street shopping district of Washingt ...

and a recipe for turkey stuffing. Leaders of the movement condemned the very idea of a so-called "women's section" as segregation by sex; they wanted news of interest to women to be covered in the news sections and, according to Paxson, saw women's page editors as traitors. In 1983 she wrote, As the feminist movement developed mainstream support, women's pages began to be viewed as

anachronistic An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...

. At a time when many women's pages were steadily increasing their coverage of hard news, many newspapers decided to eliminate the sections in favor of features sections, and often hired men to manage those sections. The women's page editors were often demoted or fired. Paxson was twice demoted when her paper replaced its women's section, first at the ''St. Petersburg Times'' and later at the ''Philadelphia Bulletin''; both times, a man was made editor of the new section. Paxson once described her own firing and demotion to a group of other professional women, one of whom commented, "Marj, you have to accept the fact that you're a casualty of the women's movement", an opinion with which Paxson said she agreed. She wrote in 1983 that when newspapers changed "women's sections to general interest feature sections, women's editors paid the price. We were not considered capable of directing this new kind of features section. That was man's work."

Awards

Paxson won a 1969 Penney-Missouri Award, often described as the "

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

of feature writing", for General Excellence at the ''St. Petersburg Times;'' an AWC Headliner Award for her work on ''Xilonen'' in 1975; and an AWC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. She was inducted into the association's Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2020 she was posthumously inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.

Death and legacy

Paxson donated her papers and $50,000 to the University of Missouri to create the National Women and Media Collection, which documents media coverage by, about and for women in the United States, in 1986, the year of her retirement. The collection is held in the Western Historical Manuscripts Collection by the State Historical Society of Missouri. She was selected in 1989 to participate in the Washington Press Foundation's '' Women in Journalism Oral History Project'', one of four women's page journalists to be included in a group of over 60 interviewees. The others were Anderson, Jurney, and Vivian Castleberry. According to journalism researcher Jan Whitt, Paxson "changed the concept of women's pages in Houston and Miami." She died on June 17, 2017, and was buried in Muskogee's Greenhill Cemetery. She was never married and had no children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paxson, Marjorie 1923 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 20th-century American women writers American women journalists Associated Press reporters Editors of Michigan newspapers Editors of Pennsylvania newspapers Editors of Texas newspapers Journalists from Florida Journalists from Houston Rice University alumni United Press International people University of Missouri alumni Women's page journalists 21st-century American women