Author Profile
Susan J. Douglas

Susan J. Douglas is a professor of communications at the University of Michigan and a senior editor at In These Times. Her forthcoming book is In Our Prime: How Older Women Are Reinventing the Road Ahead..
Senior Editor Susan Douglas writes frequently on gender issues, media criticism and national politics.
Douglas is the Catherine Neafie Kellogg Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Michigan and is also chair of the department. She is author of Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message That Feminism’s Work is Done (2010),The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How it Undermines Women (with Meredith Michaels, The Free Press, 2004); Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination (Times Books, 1999), which won the Hacker Prize in 2000 for the best popular book about technology and culture; Where The Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media (Times Books, 1994; Penguin, 1995) and Inventing American Broadcasting, 1899-1922 (Johns Hopkins, 1987).
Where the Girls Are was widely praised, and was chosen as one of the top ten books of 1994 by National Public Radio, Entertainment Weekly and The McLaughlin Group.
Douglas lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband and daughter. She received her B.A. from Elmira College (Phi Beta Kappa) and her M.A. and Ph.D from Brown University. She has lectured at colleges and universities around the country, and written for The Nation, The Village Voice, Ms., the Washington Post and TV Guide, and was the media critic for The Progressive from 1992-1998.
Douglas has appeared on the “Today Show,” the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Working Woman,” CNBC’s “Equal Time,” NPR’s “Fresh Air,” “Weekend Edition,” “The Diane Rehm Show,” “Talk of the Nation,” and various radio talk shows around the country.
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Ageism Has No Place in the Presidential Election
Science tells us that age and health are two very different things. MORE
Views · October 23, 2019
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Want To Fix the Debates? Shut Down the Trump-Style Theatrics.
The sensationalist, ratings-first format needs to change—and candidates should boycott debates until it does. MORE
Views · September 9, 2019
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Why the Weinstein Story Has Been So Huge
Until we confront rape culture as a whole, the #MeToo testimonies will continue. MORE
Features · October 30, 2017
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Why Toxic Masculinity Hurts Men as Well as Women
Feminists and progressives need to highlight toxic masculinity's poisonous effects on not just the marginalized, but men as well. MORE
Views · July 18, 2017
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Even by Trump’s Own Standards, His Budget Is Terrible
Trickle-down tax cuts and slashes to social spending aren't the path to a competitive economy. MORE
Views · June 12, 2017
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Another War, Another Blitzerkrieg
It's time to question CNN's decades of enthusiastic war coverage. MORE
Views · May 16, 2017
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How Trump’s Arts and Research Cuts Hurt His Supporters
Trump's budget poses a particular threat to those who voted for him. MORE
Views · April 14, 2017
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Trump vs. the Media: Who Will Win?
The media and Trump are in an all-out battle. Here’s what the mainstream press is doing well and what it needs to do better. MORE
Views · March 17, 2017
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If Nixon Could Tweet
The similarities between our current president and Tricky Dick don't bode well for the country—or for Trump. MORE
Views · March 2, 2017
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The GOP’s Healthcare Plans Have Awakened the Wrath of a Powerful Constituency: Older Americans
Baby boomers won't take cuts to Medicare and Social Security without a fight. MORE
Views · January 19, 2017