Media on Women Portrayal and Conflict

Reporting

Principles and Values of Engendered Peace Journalism Made Popular through Community

RadioMin-WoW and Isis Intenational-Manila

Session Topics

Who controls Media? Women in Media Workforce Male-stream Media and Work Culture How it Affects Portrayal of Women Media on War and Conflict

Gender Fairness as Good Editorial PolicyRe-framing our stories

Participatory Media Approach

Who Controls the Media?

“Today, the majority of media companies world-wide are managed by men. While some women have advanced into media leadership, men make most of the decisions about what does and does not constitute as news. In addition, women are not moving into leadership positions in the media in numbers that reflect their numbers in society.”

Leading in a Different Language: Will Women Change the News Media?

A report by International Women's Media Foundation, 2001

Women in the Media Workforce

40% women journalists world-wide. (International Federation of journalists June, 2001)

3% - 5% of editors, heads of departments or directors.

Asia : 21% of women are represented in the media workforce but this varies very much from country to country.

Nepal 6%

Japan 8%

India 12%.

On the bright side, in Thailand, 50% of all the journalists are women. (IWMF, 2000)

Women in Media

From these figures we can easily say, mainstream media is controlled by men mostly coming from the upper class.

Since in today's globalised world, majority of the mainstream media networks are owned by less than ten global media conglomerate, we can also say that majority are owned by white men.

Male-stream Media and Work

Culture

Family responsibilities having an impact on the work of women journalists

Not recognizing their rights to maternity leave

Promotional opportunities are affected by childcare

Putting up with sexist remarks and gestures from colleagues or sources

Experiencing sexual harassment

MediaWatch

Is a Canadian not for profit feminist organization that works to eliminate sexism in the media. It advises Canadian media to reflect on the full spectrum of diversity and experiences of contemporary women, a view that would not be out of place in Asia.

MediaWatch has the noted the following distinct trends in media portrayal of women and girls.

DismembermentAdvertising often markets the separate parts of a woman’s body: a disembodied pair of legs, close-up of her buttocks, and in this case a close cleavage shot.

Clowning and ExaggerationWomen in Media are frequently shown in extremely unnatural and unrealistic positions that make them look silly or childish or not to be taken seriously. In contrast to men who are always portrayed as serious, powerful and strong.

Other Trends observed by

MediaWatch are:

Superiority and Domination

Coy BehaviourMale approval The voice of authorityIrrelevant sexualisation

Media ‘s view of women and

issues

Rape is seen as an atrocity that spoils a girl/ women (for other men)

Only young, virginal girls get raped; the rest are asking for it

There’s no such crime as marital rape because of the sanctity of conjugal rights

Men are breadwinners; women are home makers and should take care of the home and children

Media’s portrayal of women

Women only work for “lipstick money” or until they ensnare the boss.

Women are naturally docile and weak; they need men to take care of them.

Women are not seen in the streets, markets or rallies.

Women are covered in media mainly as crying mothers and victimes.

Women are never asked about their opinion.

Does this give justice to women’s work and involvement?

Women in the News

85 % of all interview sources were men, 15 % women.

Of these 15 % every second was interviewed as an 'ordinary American', not as a resource person.

Women are more often seen on so-called soft news, society and entertainment. But not in the hard news.

As professionals or politicians, women made up 9 % of all the interviews versus 91 % men.

George W. Bush alone made up 9% of all the interviewees in 2001.

Gender Profiles of Resource Persons in the threemajor evening TV -news in the USA: (FAIR – Fairness and Accuracy in reporting, 2001)

It’s Effects on the Audience

It is depressing for our women listeners to hear all these horrible stories of women becoming victims of sexual violence and harassment.

It can discourage women not to go out any more because they are afraid.

We also have to talk about the success-stories of women who fight against violence, whether as an individual or as a group in a rally or forum.

Only then, listeners can get the complete the picture.

Missing the Women’s Perspective

In Japan the coverage if the Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 had male reporters, male commentators and male experts analysing the situation. Where were the women? They were shown huddled in a shelter cooking or wailing. While in truth many were involved in relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Silencing Women’s Voices

The silencing of women’s voices is among the most insidious outcomes of “manstream” media evolution. Male-controlled and dominated, the media in most Asian and Pacific societies has influenced the gathering and distribution of information from a perspective that is, pre-dominantly male.

“The power of media in warfare is

formidable. It can be a mediator or an

interpreter or even a facilitator of

conflict. If only by editing away facts that

do not fit the demands of air time or

print space”Elizabeth Rehan, Ellen Sirleaf, Women, War and

PeaceElizabeth Rehan, Ellen Sirleaf, Women, War and

Peace

Media on War and Conflict

How media portrays conflict stories

Media mostly just follow events. They don’t explain what led to those events.

They concentrate on bad news. They are problem-focused.

They are often sensational and emotional in tone.

Who are the news makers? They tend to focus on powerful people, political leaders, the rich and the famous, who live in town and cities.

They often reinforce stereotypes.

Framing Stories

When telling every story, we not only choose who and what to include inside the frame but who and what to leave out.

Our choices are shaped by Personal valuesProfessional standardNews ethics of the organization

Our Role as Journalists

We are reporting about the lives of other women; their experiences, situations, activities, and status in society.

Telling their experiences over the radio has a big impact on the lives of our subjects.

However the listener, and the women we are reporting on learn very little about us.

Our Responsibility as Journalists

Most journalists care little about what might happens to their subjects after the media coverage.

They are primarily interested in spectacular and adventurous stories that pay well.

We cannot protect our subjects and their communities after the radio media coverage.

Gender Fairness

as

Good Editorial

Policy

Women Empowering Communications

Conference, Bangkok, 1994

Pushing for a Media that…

encourages dialogue and debate;

advances women and people’s creativity;

re-affirms women’s wisdom and knowledge

sees people as subjects rather than objects or targets of communication

is responsive to people’s needs

www.waccglobal.org

Inter Press Service Asia-Pacific Johana Son, Regional Coordinator

“Mainstreaming gender is a good editorial policy as it reflects a more accurate picture of the world and makes for a better story. If women make up half of the world, they must be seen in news stories that claim to be about people’s lives. Even in a news agency like IPS, where gender is a regular item on the news menu, sometimes one has to remind writers to look for women’s voices – not because it is a gender thing, but because it improves the story.”

www.ipsnews.net

” Gender, Media and Tsunami”

by Ammu Joseph, India Together, 2005

“The media – and media professionals – stand to gain by recognising that there is a gender dimension to virtually every event, process, institution and/or individual experience covered by the media, including disasters and conflicts. And that women, including poor and illiterate women, have knowledge and opinions on practically everything. Failure to tap women – including those now attempting to resume life after the disaster (tsunami) – as sources and resources can only impoverish media coverage and diminish our understanding of the post-tsunami scenario, as well as many other similar situations.”

www.indiatogether.org

Spaces for Intervention

Gender Sensitivity: The gender-sensitive reporter understands how gender relations play out and is better equipped to uncover the underlying roots of the conflict and the solutions culled from people.

Do No Harm: As we cannot control the impact of our stories on the people and communities we report about, we have to make sure beforehand that our reporting does not cause and harm to them.

Trauma Sensitivity: People who experienced trauma need special care and protection of their dignity in order not to by re-traumatized by Media.

Gender Sensitivity

Ensure fair and balanced reporting which means that both male and female views / perspectives and voices are reflected in all stories

Give equal prominence to the achievements of women across all issues covered

Achieve balance in the presentation of women and men as experts, authorities and commentators.

Use non-sexist, gender-fair terms and phrases. Women need to be visible.

Do No Harm

Refrain from stereotyping along gender, race, religion, ethnicity, language, sexuality, age and class.

Recognize that domestic violence is a public problem that crosses all lines of race, class, and culture.

Don't Divulge the survivor's real name, address, or other information that identifies her/him.

Not including materials which incites violence.

Find affected women and children and include their untold stories, opinions, goals, and solutions.

Trauma Sensitivity

Determine if the survivor is in the right frame of mind for an interview.

Recognize the survivor’s right to decide whether or not to be identified, Make sure the consent given is free and informed.

See women as actively changing their situation and not just as suffering victims. Highlight the survivor’s efforts in defending her-/himself instead of the attacker’s moves.

Eliminate details or descriptions that sensationalize the story or ridicule the survivor or blame her for the rape.

Choose your words carefully:

Words that perpetuate biases and prejudices (easy, nymph-like, sex kitten, prostitute, pretty, attractive, sex maniac) pass judgments on survivors and/or suspects.

Terms like “Muslim” or “Christian” to describe criminals, suspects and survivors are branding them.

Labels like “terrorist”, “extremist”, “fanatic”, or “fundamentalist” are given by “us” to “them”. No one uses them to describe her-/himself.

How to say it?

Basic points to

reflect on...

(Re)Framing stories with a gender lens

Where is the woman in the story?

How can gender information strengthen the story?

How do gender roles and power relations between men and women further explain the issue?

How are the impacts of events and processes different for women and for men?

Where are the points of collaboration between genders?

What are common grounds and shared interests?

Your conflict stories should reflect:

Who is affected by this conflict; who has distinct stake in its outcome? What is their influence, affluence?

What triggered the dispute? What issues do the parties need to resolve?

When did the conflict begin? how long have the circumstances existed that gave rise to the dispute?

Where? What geographical or political jurisdictions are affected by the dispute? How has this kind of thing been handled in other places?

Your conflict stories should reflect:

Why do the parties hold their positions? What needs, interests, fears and concerns are at stake?

How are they resolving the conflict? - Negotiation, mediation, arbitration, armed warfare - What are the costs/benefits of the chosen method?

What Optionshave the parties explored? How do the various options related to the interests identified?

What Common grounds are there between the parties? What can they build on?

Participatory Media Approach

Allows the people you report about to participate in your story and to overcome the power gap between subject and journalist. Try to incorporate their ideas and suggestions into the media story.Ask the community to come up with their own program or story. Lend them your journalistic and technical skills.Give them free reign to produce their own radio program or story.

Community Media

The subjects of the media stories become the creators of their own stories. Community radio is based on the principle of participation. This is our chance to challenge the dominant stereotypes in mainstream media.

By engendering the media, we can make a difference.

By engendering the media, we can make a difference.

Media can be more than news. It can contribute much to gender parity and peace building in many ways.