Jenn Pozner
Jenn Pozner is a media critic, journalist, and Founding Director of Women In Media & News (WIMN), a media justice group which increases women’s presence and power in public debate through media analysis, education, and advocacy. Her book, Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV — the first book to expose how reality TV has functioned as backlash against gender and racial justice — was called “required reading for every American girl and woman” by MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry, and "insightful, funny, fun" by “Colbert Report” writer Cecelia Lederer. She is currently working on BREAKING (the) NEWS a non-fiction graphic forthcoming from First Second Books.
Her media analysis has appeared in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Village Voice, Newsweek, Ms. Magazine, Bitch Magazine, Elle Canada, Macleans, Politico, The Daily Beast, The Establishment, Salon, and Jezebel, among other news outlets and anthologies. In addition, Jennifer has served as an adviser and featured commentator for numerous documentaries, including the award-winning film Miss Representation, and has delivered media commentary on CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, FOX, NPR, CBC, Al Jazeera, and Comedy Central. And, because she’s a glutton for punishment, she’s gone head to head with some of the most blustery boys of cable news, including Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Joe Scarborough.
As a media literacy educator she has conducted keynotes, workshops, and media trainings on gender, race, class, and sexuality in the media at more than 400 schools, non-profits, businesses, and conferences across the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and Turkey, as well as the United Nations, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Brooklyn Museum. She conducts media trainings for gender and racial justice groups such as Women for Afghan Women, NOW, YWCA, SPARK, Hollaback, Chicago Foundation for Women, and the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario. And, as an incurable comedy nerd, Jennifer produced and co-wrote the satirical media literacy web series Reality Rehab with Dr. Jenn ,which has been used in classrooms domestically and abroad.
Prior to founding Women In Media & News, she directed the Women’s Desk at FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting), where she wrote for Extra! magazine and contributed to CounterSpin radio, and was a Media Watch columnist for Sojourner: The Women’s Forum, then the oldest feminist newspaper in America.
She is the inaugural winner of the “Voice of Women” Award at the 2017 Women’s Choice Awards, which honored her work to “shape the positive portrayal of girls and women in entertainment and media.” Forbes magazine named @jennpozner one of “20 Inspiring Women To Follow On Twitter,” and the New Leaders Council honored her as one of 40 Under 40 progressive leaders making positive change in America several years ago.
