In the weeks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, overturning abortion rights for the first time in nearly 50 years, the consequences have quickly reverberated in American lives. States have banned or restricted access to abortion. Individual stories of real-life impact made national headlines. There are growing concerns about what this decision means for other civil rights.
And with every big news story unfolding, readers flock to women-centered publications that support abortion rights to see how it shapes their lives.
Jezebel, a feminist website started by Gawker Media in 2007, saw an 18% increase in traffic after leaking a draft decision published by Politico in May. The 19th edition, which deals with gender and politics, named after the 19th Amendment, reports a 63% increase in his reading of abortion-related articles. And Zakat, the women’s site of New York Magazine, said traffic to articles on abortion rights nearly tripled in June compared to the previous month.
The surge in readership has underpinned part of the digital media world’s decline in recent years, with many sites geared toward women shutting down. Now, readers are searching for a feminist perspective, turning to writers who have extensively covered the struggle for abortion rights over the years.
“We are able to cover this in an unwavering and honest way, a perspective that many traditional media outlets cannot,” said Editor-in-Chief Laura Bassett. Jezebel.
Bassett previously covered women’s rights and health for nearly a decade at The Huffington Post. She succeeded Jezebel in her September 2021. One of her first moves was to hire a Texas-based reproductive rights reporter in anticipation of the Supreme Court ruling, she said.
“This year will be the birth year of this legendary feminist blog. “And you either meet at this moment or you don’t.”
Jezebel helped inspire new publications for women in the 2000s and 2010s. However, many of these blogs and her website suffer from the tricky business model of digital media, making it difficult for even the big mainstream publications to survive.
Most are now closing their doors. Founded by former Sassy and Jane editor Jane Pratt, xoJane closed in 2016. (the magazine for then-teenage style icon Tavi Gevinson) has closed, and after 15 years, the popular blog Feministing, she closed in 2019. That same year, Vice Media discontinued its female-focused vertical, Broadly. Bitch Media, a feminist publisher and magazine founded in 1996, has closed. in june.
The rest of the publication has found its moment. Readers outraged by the erosion of abortion rights across the country provide updates and analysis in response to their reactions to help other women understand what the new law means for their state. It seemed like they were looking for a medium that would give them practical information on how, or even how to get them. Abortion itself.
Founded in 2020, Alexandra Smith, audience director for The 19th, said the increase in traffic was “exponential.” She said search traffic continued to rise after the June 24 court ruling, and readers are now looking for information about how the ruling will affect access to Plan B and IUDs. said. They also wanted to read about other civil rights implications, such as marriage equality.
“We didn’t launch with a focus solely on providing daily news updates, as many other sources have already covered that,” she said. So I see people looking for this context, looking for implications for other parts of their lives, and it’s kind of a niche that we could have filled.”
The content of the 19th is made available to readers free of charge, and is available to other publications who wish to reissue it.
New York Magazine spokeswoman Priyanka Mantha said The Cut increased its coverage of abortions in anticipation of Dobbs’ decision, including putting together a cover story for its May 23 issue.This magazine can help abortions,” provides guide Access to abortion, legal assistance and assistance. Mansa said traffic to abortion rights coverage on The Cut spiked in June, but engagement dropped in July.
Jezebel has spotlighted local news coverage with a focus on explainers and news updates. According to Jezebel’s owner, his G/O Media spokesman Mark Neschis, Jezebel’s most traffic to his website for the entire year came in June when the Supreme Court ruled that was.
“In a way, I think we’re writing something that everyone can read, but are you trying to expand Jezebel’s audience to the pro-life crowd? No, it’s not,” Bassett said. I was.
She hopes the website can keep readers engaged in the ever-changing landscape of abortion access and the looming November midterm elections.
“We’re not reporting the same thing day after day, week after week. It’s like an evolving beast, so I don’t think this is going away any time soon,” Bassett said. “I think it will continue to be the top topic in this country for a while.”
Feminist author and writer Jessica Valenti has focused on delivering a daily roundup of abortion-related updates to Substack Newsletter readers in recent weeks. everything in her headafter hearing from many that they were overwhelmed by the torrent of news across the country.
“Just trying to distill everything that’s going on at the state level, national level, I think these random local stories can help and give people the big picture they’re looking for without spending hours online. she said in an interview.
Valenti, co-founder of the defunct blog Feministing, said her newsletter had more than 30% more unpaid subscribers since the Supreme Court ruling, while paid subscribers surged 70%. . .
She thought people were signing up for paid subscriptions.
“People are so angry right now,” Valenti said. “They want a place that’s raging with them.”
