Missouri newspapers and the Equal Rights Amendment, 1972--1973

In 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment received approval from Congress and was sent to the states for ratification. In Missouri early constituent support made ratification seem inevitable but, within the first sixteen months the ERA failed to pass either chamber of its General Assembly. This paper analyzes the role of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Kansas City Star, and Springfield Leader and Press in the ERA debate in Missouri from March 22, 1972 through May 31, 1973. What this research reveals is that, despite the concerns expressed by ERA proponents, these three newspapers regularly covered the battle for the ERA in the Missouri State Assembly. The tone of that coverage varied significantly according to newspaper from highly positive toward the ERA to mostly negative. These findings suggest that newspapers played an equivocal role in the debate over the ERA in Missouri and that they were likely not a critical part of the antifeminist backlash that developed in Missouri in response to the ERA.