October 29, 2013

WEB SITE DEFINITION

Janeth Rodriguez

Marymount University

Webdesign Student

Women's Institutes for Freedom of the Press

Current Website:

Redesigned Website:

Purpose of the website:

  1. Gain financial supporters
  2. Sell and distribute a greater number of publications
  3. Increase readership
  4. Keep WIFP’s Associates up-to-date

Intended audience/viewers:

  1. media
  2. Associates, past interns, and various connections from the four decades of WIFP’s existence
  3. protective interns and activists
  4. potential supporters
  5. potential subscribers to publications

Website goals/objectives:

  1. provide a way for people to locate WIFP and see what we are doing
  2. Increase readers
  3. keep associates informed
  4. increase intern applications
  5. activities from the first four decades of WIFP’s existence
  6. increase readers’ use of website and access to WIFP research resources

3. CONTENT OUTLINE:
Home page:
Title:The Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press
Subtitle: WIFP
5 Primary links

  1. About Us - Founder, Associates, Interns
  2. Latest Findings - Latest notifications
  3. Publications – Link to Newsletter
  4. History – document some of the activities from the first four decades of WIFP’s existence.
  5. Internships – Increaseintern applications
  6. News and Events – see what we are doing.

6 Secondary links

  1. Location – provide a way for people to locate WIFP
  2. Contribute/Donate
  3. Contact Us -provide a way for people to located WIFP and see what we are doing.
  4. Facebook
  5. Twitter

Our goal is toincrease communication among women and reach the public with our experience, perspectives, and opinions. Women’s contributions to society must be heard and be taken into account if democracy is to function and the world’s political decisions are to be viable.

We seek to democratize the communications media by expanding freedom of the press (which includes its modern day electronic forms) to enable all people; rich and poor, male and female, to have the equal opportunity to speak directly to the whole public about their own issues and concerns. Access to the public constitutes political power and in a democracy it must be equal.

WIFP encourages projects that move us toward these democratic communication goals. It is a place where new ideas about making communication more democratic are encouraged, examined, researched and published.WIFPsees a unique role for women as the majority in democracy: to build a communication

Primary pages #1

Title: About Us
Subtitles for each subtopic on the page:

The Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt research, education, and publishing organization. Our organization was founded in 1972, by Dr. Donna Allen, to increase communication among women and reach the public with our experience, perspectives, and opinions. Women’s contributions to society must be heard and be taken into account if democracy is to function and the world’s political decisions are to be viable.

WIFP operates as a national and international network of Associates: media women and media-concerned women, as well as some men who join with us. Interns in our internship program undertake projects and engage in research and writing.

We seek to democratize the communications media by expanding freedom of the press (which includes its modern day electronic forms) to enable all people; rich and poor, male and female, to have the equal opportunity to speak directly to the whole public about their own issues and concerns. Access to the public constitutes political power and in a democracy it must be equal. Freedom of the press is a citizen right of democracy, it should not be a right based on wealth.

WIFP encourages projects that move us toward these democratic communication goals. It is a place where new ideas about making communication more democratic are encouraged, examined, researched and published. WIFP sees a unique role for women as the majority in democracy: to build a communication system that permits everyone to be heard equally.

Primary pages #2

Title: Latest Findings

The WIFP is a place where new ideas about making communication more democratic are encouraged, examined, researched and published. Through our latest findings page, we will publish articles that discuss a wide variety of women’s media topics and issues dealing with women’s rights. Authors include members of our staff and interns, as well as guest authors and speakers at our events.

October 2 – 5, 2013 Minneapolis, MNUSA

Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference
more information

October 4 – 6, 2013 Carbondale, ILUSA
Global Fusion 2013: A Global Media and Communication Conference
more information

October 8 – 9, 2013 Washington, DCUSA
Women Money Power Summit
more information

October 11, 2013 Global
International Day of the Girl Child
more information

October 17 – 20, 2013 Los Angeles, CAUSA
LA Femme Film Festival
more information

November 1 – 3, 2013 San Francisco, CAUSA
The Point is to Change It: Media Democracy and Democratic Media in Action
more information

November 1 – 19, 2013 Global
19 Days of Activism Prevention abuse and violence against Children/Youth
more information

November 2 – 3, 2013 Washington, DCUSA
Amnesty International 2013 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
more information

November 7 – 10, 2013 Cincinnati, OHUSA
National Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference: Negotiating Points of Encounter
more information

November 14, 2013 Bettendorf, IAUSA
7th Annual International Women Authors Series Event – Author ChimamandaNgoziAdichie
more information

November 15 – 16, 2013 Bristol, RIUSA
National Conference on the Equal Rights Amendment
more information

November 25, 2013 Global
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
more information

November 26 – 30, 2013 AbidjanCote d’Ivoire
International Congress of African Women
more information

November 30, 2013 Washington, DCUSA
National Conference on the Equal Rights Amendment
more information

December 30, 2013 BangkikThailand
Global Forum on Media and Gender
more information

And next year in 2014:

March 22 – 25, 2014 Washington, DCUSA
Fourth Annual Poetry Fesival – Poems of Provacation & Witness – Split This Rock
more information

March 28 – 95, 2014 Boston, MAUSA
A Revolutionary Moment: Women’s Liberation in the late 1960s and early 1970s
more information

April 24 – 25, 2014 Vancouver, British ColumbiaCanada
First International Conference on Intersectionality
more information

Primary pages #3
Title: Publications
Subtitles for each subtopic on the page: Origins

The WIFP publishes theDirectory of Women’s Media, abooklet serieson media democracy, a print newsletter and a quarterly online newsletter for Associates,Voices for Media Democracy.

Primary pages #4
Title: History
Subtitles for each subtopic on the page: Historical Origins, Archived Materials

Historical Origins

The goal for the Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press Historical Originals Program is to make available originals of early and pioneering media of the current women’s movement, as long as supplies last. We want to get them into libraries, archives and individual private collections where they can be shared by women of the present and future and where they can be written about by historians, be examined by students, scholars, and provide inspiration for today’s movement.

Primary pages #5
Title: Internships
The Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press is a non-profit research, education and publishing organization. We are dedicated to stimulating and sharing new ideas and perspectives on restructuring the communications system. We believe that such changes are a prerequisite to full democracy.

WIFP operates with no paid staff. The Director of WIFP currently has part-time employment which allows her to carry on her life’s work with the Institute. Our network of Associates are all independent and are spread throughout the world.

The internships at WIFP are also unpaid, but we will help the intern meet academic requirements. Internships can be for any length of time, or period of the year.

Interns usually spend four hours for two days in the office (currently Monday and Wednesday, 10 am – 2 pm) for a total of eight hours a week. The rest of the time interns work from home or the library. They also have opportunities to attend press conferences, luncheons, meetings and various other functions on Capitol Hill and around the city. The number of hours a week beyond the eight hours is worked out individually according to the needs of the intern.

Interns work on projects mutually agreeable to both the intern and the Institute.

Intern projects can include, but are not limited to:

  • writing (women & media related)
  • editing (such as the Directory of Women’s Media; and the print issue of Voices for Media Democracy)
  • computer/online specialist (particularly in relation to our website and publication production)
  • archival work (such as categorizing historic women’s papers for research)
  • public relations (creative ways to share our work with others)
  • fundraising, grant writing
  • projects the intern brings to our organization or that grow out of the experience here.

It is usual for interns to share in a number of these projects rather than focus on only one. All interns have an opportunity to attend meetings, conferences, press conferences, briefings, and activities that relate to WIFP.

WIFP is a support network for media women, and women concerned about media, who believe that the world’s communication systems must be based on the fundamental principle that people should be able to speak for themselves. WIFP interns gain an understanding of the impact of mass media and issues relating to media democracy and media justice. They also gain a thorough knowledge about the women’s media movement.

Interns need to be self-motivated and operate well without a great deal of supervision. The number of interns at one time varies from one to six. We receive the most intern requests during the summer months, therefore must be particularly selective during that period.

To apply for an internship with WIFP, write the Director, Dr. Martha Allen, at 1940 Calvert Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009-1502 or send an email to allen [at] wifp.org with your attachments. Tell about yourself, include your resume, and explain the reasons you are interested in an internship with WIFP. What attracts you to participate in the internship program of our particular organization? After examining our web site, what aspects of the WIFP approach and media philosophy particularly resonate with you? Please touch on these in your cover letter rather than sending us a generic internship request letter. Concern for issues relating to media democracy and extending women’s voices are the overriding prerequisite for an internship with WIFP. We very much look forward to hearing from you.

Sidebar to appear on primary pages

  • Twitter feed
  • calendar of events