Women's Media Action Group

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 106 5WMA
Held at	: Women's Library   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://www.lse.ac.uk/Library/Collections/Collection-highlights/The-Womens-Library ›
Full title	: Women's Media Action Group
Date(s)	: 1977-1990
Level of description	: fonds
Extent	: 3 A boxes
Name of creator(s)	: Women's Media Action Group Alliance for Fair Images and Representation in the Media Women's Monitoring Network
Detailed catalogue	: Click here to view repository detailed catalogue

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

The Women's Media Action Group (WMAG) was a voluntarily run feminist collective which campaigned against sexism and stereotyping of women in the media. It grew out of a previous organisation, Alliance for Fair Images and Representation in the Media, (AFFIRM), which was established in 1977. WMAG dissolved itself in 1989 due to lack of support. The organisation felt that the reason for this was that they had a negative mission, i.e. they campaigned against an issue instead of promoting a positive viewpoint. Meetings were held fortnightly and a newsletter was produced six times a year.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

The archive consists of Papers of Alliance for Fair Images and Representation in the Media (AFFIRM), Women's Media Action Group (WMAG) and the Women's Monitoring Network.

The collection includes policy documents including minutes, manifestos, programmes of action and press releases, correspondence of members with various individuals and groups including Lord Hill, the Home Office, etc on the images of women in the media, papers related to symposia organised by the group and the book 'Is This Your life?' administration papers and general correspondence.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

Arranged into series representing AFFIRM, WMAG and the Women's Monitoring Network.

Conditions governing access:

TThis collection is available for research. Readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit. Appointments may be required to access the audio-visual material in the collection.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Finding aids:

Archival Information

Archival history:

The archives of the Women in Media Group were held in the homes of various members of the organisation before being deposited with the Women's Library (formerly the Fawcett Library). The papers were deposited by a former member of the organisation in Nov 1997. Some personal papers of Margaret Deyes, founder of AFFIRM were already integrated.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The records were deposited with the Women's Library (formerly the Fawcett Library) in three accessions, firstly in May 1989 by the BBC, then in Jun 1996 by the group's archivist and then in 1999, also by the group's archivist.

Allied Materials

Related material:

The Women's Library Printed Collections holds the newsletter of the Women's Media Action Group.

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
This document was generated by Javascript from an HTML form which structured the input according to the elements of ISAD(G) Version 2. Collection description by Maxine Willett, Assistant Archivist, The Women's Library, Oct 2002. Edited for AIM25 by Sarah Drewery.

Rules or conventions:
In compliance with ISAD (G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, December 2001; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
Dec 2008