No.

24

WACC

Media&Gender
Monitor
July 2013

TOWARDS 2015:
A COMMUNICATION RIGHTS AGENDA

EDITORIAL
The recently released World Bank World
Development Report 2012 on Gender Equality And
Development notes persistent gender disparities in
sticky domains identified as, economic activity,
earnings, house and care work responsibility, asset
ownership, and constraints to womens agency in both
the private and public spheres. The report underlines a
rootedness in deeply entrenched gender roles and
social norms as one reason behind the stickiness,
adding that the gaps tend to be reproduced across
generations.
Social norms are understood as those practices,
attitudes, behaviours, modes of reasoning, that are
institutionalized in our everyday lives, informing societal
worldviews of what is normal, natural, thus
acceptable, on the one hand, and what is deviant or
unnatural on the other hand. Social norms underpin the
continued discrimination against women, gender
violence and power relations of subordination of some
groups and dominance of others. The challenge
becomes how to expose and overturn those norms that
undergird, justify and normalize inequality.
Social norms are constituent components of culture,
which in turn is linked to communication in intimate and
complex ways; culture and communication inform and
re-inform each other. Communication processes
characterized by gender-exclusionary practices and
content that glorifies hypermasculinity or
hyperfemininity, for instance, inform a logic that accepts
skewed gender power relations and the resultant
injustices as natural, normal, therefore beyond
reproach.
This brings us to questions about the state of
communication rights from a gender perspective, and
the status of communication rights for different groups

of women in particular. Communication rights are

essential human rights that enable democratic
participation, the exercise of civil and cultural rights, and
access to, use and contribution to knowledge.
It is perhaps easier to understand the status of
communication rights for women (as an undifferentiated
category) by considering the findings of the Global Media
Monitoring Project (GMMP) on gender in the world news
media. The research carried out over the period 1995 to
2010 reveals a continued marked communication rights
deficit for women in general, with a snails pace progress
to closing the gap.
Complicating the gender concept to bring into view
intersectional identities determined by class, race,
ethnicity, sexuality or other differences would reveal a
communication rights deficit that becomes more acute the
further away a group is located from the core of dominant
power structures.
Awareness about different aspects of womens
communication rights has grown remarkably during the
past two decades. Civil society initiatives at the same
time continue to break new ground, and the current issue
of Media & Gender Monitor (MGM) profiles illustrative
work by WACCs project partners in Asia, Africa, Latin
America and Eastern Europe.
Vigilance is necessary to ensure that communication
rights, for women and marginalized groups especially,
secure space and remain on the agenda in the processes
underway, in the lead up to the 2015 events of the Beijing
+20 review, adoption of a post-2015 development
framework and the World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS) 15-year review.
I hope that the current issue of MGM inspires you to
step up efforts to raise the prominence of womens
communication rights concerns in the ongoing
agenda-setting debates.

Sarah Macharia, Ph.D. Editor

Women make up only 24% of the persons

heard, seen or read about in the world news
media
Who makes the news? The Global Media
Monitoring Project 2010
Media &Gender Monitor No. 24. Pg. 2

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Page

Title

4-5

Gender in journalism: Status of gender in media

codes. Research findings.

Comprendre le genre: Kit de ressource pour les

professionnels des mdias et acteurs de la socit
civile de lAfrique.
Seck Mdoune et Amie Joof-Cole, FAMEDEV,
Senegal

Journalistic professional development: New

Russian language resource
Solange De Santis

8-9

Towards 2015: On guard for womens

communications rights.
Sarah Macharia

Media&Gender Monitor
WACC, 308 Main Street
Toronto, Ontario, M4C 4X7
Canada
[email protected]
www.whomakesthenews.org

10-11 Comunicaciones que dignifican e identifican a la

Mujer: Visin desde los valores Afrocolombianos.
Elsi Angulo, DESPERTAR, Colombia
12-13 Manual. Towards gender-aware journalism:
Creating good practices (Hacia un periodismo con
conciencia de gnero: Creando buenas practicas)
De la Azotea, Argentina
14-15 Justicia de gnero en medios de comunicacin
ecuatorianos: Estereotipos y representaciones
sobre las mujeres.
Centro Internacional de Estudios Superiores de
Comunicacin para America Latina (CIESPAL),
Ecuador
16

Promoting gender-ethical journalism in Bosnia

and Herzegovina
Novi Put, BiH

17

Building capacity for gender-responsive

journalism in Pakistan
Saima Benyamin, WEO, Pakistan

18-19 WACC partner initiatives

20

Whats happening? Get involved!

Cover photo by Vu Viet Thanh for the Research Centre for Gender,
Family and Environment in Development (CGFED) , Vietnam. The
purpose of communication is not only to provide information, but also
to orient public opinion.
Editor: Sarah Macharia, Ph.D.
Designer: Jessica Mitra
Media &Gender Monitor No. 24..Pg. 3

Media and Gender Monitor (MGM) is a

bi-annual publication from WACCs
Initiative Communication Rights and Public
Voices: Gender and Communication.
The Initiative supports civil society
organizations to conduct gender-focused
media monitoring and to engage with media
professionals on gender issues in media
policy and practice. Learn more about our
work here.
MGM is distributed to more than 3,000
individuals and organisations worldwide. It
aims to articulate concerns about media and
communication broadly, from a gender
perspective.

Gender in journalism: Status of gender in media codes

Research findings

Except from the Learning Resource Kit for Gender-Ethical Journalism

and Media House Policy.
Sarah Macharia & Pamela Morinire (Eds.)
Published by The World Association for Christian Communication
(WACC) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), 2012.
The resource kit places central emphasis on gender-focussed media
codes as well as on reporting guidelines as instruments to promote
gender-ethical journalism. This emphasis is not meant to minimize the
roles played by systemic factors within and outside the media environment that contribute to gender biases and inequalities in journalistic
output. Rather, the concern with codes and guidelines is driven by an
understanding that these factors interact with age-old journalistic routines to produce and maintain the gender inequities and inequalities
seen in media output. Robust, gender-focussed media codes of ethics
can potentially institutionalize a different kind of practice that is cognisant about and responsive to gender concerns. The instruments are a
first step towards professionalising practice from a gender-ethics
perspective.
Research was conducted in 2011 to establish the status of gender in
media codes of ethics globally. The research found that there exist
more than 400 general media codes of ethics worldwide. (1) These
codes are crucial in making journalists accountable provided that the
codes are known to the profession, enforced and that their application
is monitored. Despite the abundance of codes, analyses point to significant gaps in compliance. The gaps are explained as stemming
from, inter alia, lack of clear articulation, insufficient understanding
and absence of practical guidelines for implementation.
Codes nevertheless remain essential to guide media professionals in
ethical thinking, to increase professional accountability and equally
important, to enable the public to hold media accountable for their
practice. (2)
Survey findings: Gender in media codes and industry guidelines
Media professionals, members of journalists unions and associations,
gender and communication civil society groups and researchers in
over 100 countries were invited to complete the survey whose
immediate objective was to unearth gender-related ethical codes, industry policies and guidelines. The survey was complemented by
desk research that also reviewed gender-related journalist professional
development resources.

formulation of the relevant clauses. An analytical

framework centred on the length, focus, level of
detail and tone of the gender-specific clauses was
thus applied to understand the codes and develop
a classification system. (3) Classification is
useful for enabling comparison, revealing lacunae and overall, promoting a greater understanding of the codes.
A simple database was created in which the
codes were documented and the gender-specific
clauses recorded. Codes that were entirely focussed on gender were entered into the database and
described. The typology of codes emerging from
the analysis can potentially provide direction to
strengthen existing codes or develop new ones
from a gender perspective, a central objective of
this resource kit.

The survey uncovered relevant industry guidelines, media house,

broadcasters and codes of ethics from 65 countries. Codes that did
not make reference to gender (or sex) were excluded from the
sample. Over 30 gender-centred journalism training resources were
assessed, and these are included in the list of resources annexed in
Book 1 of the Learning Resource Kit.

The typology clusters codes on the basis of the

number of statements about gender (or sex), the
focus and depth (or lack thereof) of explanation
and, the overall tone of the prescriptions. The
typology begins from the most basic formulation
single clause, no or minimal explanation, mild
tone to the most elaborate multiple clauses,
extensive explanation, strong requirement to
comply.

From a gender-focus perspective, it was observed that a basis for classifying the codes was present given the shared characteristics in the

See Book 1 for further information about the

typology.
Media &Gender Monitor No. 24. Pg. 4

Summary of key survey findings

1. Numerous survey respondents either stated they were
unaware of any stipulations concerning gender in codes
governing professional ethics, or averred that relevant
codes were in effect non-existent. This finding is in direct
contrast to insights from the desk research; there in fact
are industry and association-level codes containing
clauses relevant to gender-ethical practice in the same
countries that survey respondents were categorical such
provisions did not exist. The contradiction suggests a
larger problem of non-dissemination, non-publication and
a pervasive general lack of awareness of the codes in contexts where they are, in effect, present. Undoubtedly,
factors within and outside media environment thwart
wide dissemination and awareness of the codes, including
competing interests, lack of commitment by both media
policy makers and practitioners, and other structural barriers.
2. Macro industry and association-level policies are more
likely to underscore gender concerns in journalistic professional practice while such awareness tends to fade out
as the policies are concretized into implementable mediahouse level codes and guidelines. An examination of the
different categories of documents revealed that gender
considerations in journalistic practice are more often than
not absent in media-house level codes and guidelines. In
the few instances where gender-fairness, balance or sensitivity are underscored, the clauses are often generalized
and ambiguous. Prescriptions common across all policy
levels include use of non-sexist language, diversity in
role portrayal and, gender equality and equity in story
assignment. Evidently lacking is grounded direction, the
how-to, a gap the resource kit attempts to address.
3. Practical guidelines on reporting with a gender lens
concentrate on a handful of thematic concerns. The first
is reporting on gender violence, an issue that appears to
have attracted the highest attention with regard to resources for journalists covering stories under this theme.
The second is on reporting politics from a gender lens,
and particularly writing on women in news pertaining to
elections, government and politics in general. A third
area is reporting on HIV and AIDS. The research found
little evidence of focus on other thematic areas, yet, gender bias and stereotypical coverage cut across reporting in
all story topics.
The resource kit makes a significant contribution to the
field by providing concise gender-aware reporting guidelines on an array of key topic areas. In view of the links
between media discourse and lived realities, the guidelines are essential to provide practical, quick reference
tools for media professionals, to in turn, encourage a

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24..Pg. 5

critical approach that disrupts the often unquestioned

routines at the base of gender-unfair, unbalanced and
discriminatory reporting.
4. Mechanisms for implementation or enforcement of
regulations are often lacking. The research found widespread non-enforcement or lack of follow-up in pursuing
redress or corrective action when regulations are flouted.
5. On the one hand, journalism training resources are rich
in terms of: (i) providing analyses of gender in media
reporting and programming practice, and; (ii) offering
practical exercises to help students develop gender-aware
critical skills in journalism. On the other hand, gender
as a concept denoting socially constructed notions of
femininity and masculinity leading to power inequalities
between women and men continues to be misunderstood
in media practice.
The kit is important in bridging the gap between journalism training resources and tools immediately available to
media professionals as a continuous learning and
reference resource.
Download kit here

Notes
(1) http://www.rjionline.org/MAS-Codes-of-Ethics
(2) http://journalismethics.info/research_ethics/codes.htm
(3) A similar approach to studying codes of ethics is proposed

by Gaumnitz and Lere, A Classification Scheme for Codes of

Business Ethics, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 49, No. 4
(February, 2004): 329-335.

COMPRENDRE LE GENRE
Kit de ressource destin spcialement pour les professionnels
des mdias et acteurs de la socit civile de lAfrique.

Seck Medoune et Amie-Joof Cole, FAMEDEV,

Dakar, Senegal.

Ce Kit est la fois pratique mais aussi

thorique. Il est la rponse une demande
formule suite aux insuffisances constates lors
de la dernire dition 2010 du Projet Mondial de
Monitorage des Mdias (GMMP).
Le GMMP initi par lAssociation Mondiale pour
la Communication Chrtienne (WACC) et dont le
Rseau Interafricain pour les Femmes, Mdias,
Genre et Dveloppement (FAMEDEV)avait la
charge de coordonner dans les pays
francophones de lAfrique centrale et occidentale
a clairement montr que aussi bien la
reprsentativit des femmes dans les mdias que
la visibilit des actions menes par les femmes
taient trs faibles.
Suite ce constat, une rflexion ardente fut
mene pour aboutir llaboration de ce Kit
pour accompagner les professionnels des mdias
et les acteurs de la socit civile dans leurs
activits quotidiennes de collecte et de traitement
de linformation. Au-del dune simple analyse
et de compilation dinformations, ce Kit a pour
fonction gnrale daccompagner dans leur
formation pratique et quotidienne, les
professionnels des mdias et acteurs de la socit
civile de lAfrique.
Lobjectif de ce Kit rside uniquement dans la
volont de diffuser les concepts lis au genre, tout
en gardant lesprit limportance des mdias
lorsquil sagit de faire ressortir les rles
attribus aux genres et de renforcer les
dimensions du genre, ainsi que la justice et
lgalit sociales.
Il permet de familiariser le personnel des
mdias avec les concepts cls du genre, dont

notamment la rpartition des rles et

ressources, ainsi que le renforcement des
capacits et la participation des femmes, et
avec les stratgies et mcanismes ncessaires
en vue dinclure le genre dans les plans du
dveloppement. Il permet galement dtablir
un lien entre le genre et les mdias, briser les
strotypes du genre et dterminer le rle des
mdias ce niveau. Il permet de familiariser les
participants avec la dfinition du genre et la
relation entre le dveloppement et le genre.
Finalement, il permet de faire la lumire sur
limportance du genre et des mdias et acqurir
la capacit de relier les questions du genre
entre elles et avec les mdias.
Tlchargez le kit ici
Pour plus de renseignements, veuillez contacter
FAMEDEV : [email protected]. www.famedev.net

Publi par le Rseau Interafricain pour les Femmes, Mdias, Genre et Dveloppement (FAMEDEV) en 2013.
Media &Gender Monitor No. 24. Pg. 6

Journalistic professional
development: New Russian
language resource
Solange De Santis
Gender inequality "affects each member of society,"
says U.N. agency
The United Nations Population Fund in Belarus
has created a Russian version of the Learning Resource
Kit for Gender-Ethical Journalism published by WACC
and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ),
which is also available in English, Arabic, French and
Spanish. UNFPA published the kit for students and
teachers of journalism at Belarusian universities, according to UNPFA Communication/Advocacy Assistant
Paulina Ivanko.
UNFPA used the kit in a seminar in early June for
journalists on "gender and the media."
According to Ivanko, "many people treat gender
inequality and the issue of gender itself as unimportant,
meanwhile it's a part of our life that affects each member of the society in many ways. Because of the low
levels of understanding of gender in society, sometimes
the word "gender" acquires negative connotations.
"We want to provide our nationals with modern
and sound information on gender and therefore to give
them choice to decide whether they share the idea of
gender equality or treat it with reserve. In this regard it's
critical for journalists, university students and professors of the departments of journalism to understand
'gender' and write about it in an educated manner, to
avoid simplification, as the media is the main instru-

We are delighted with UNFPAs initiative to translate

the kit into Russian, and in so doing, increase the possibility
of reaching Russian-speaking journalists, educators and
communicators. The interest expressed to translate the kit
into additional languages is indicative of its pertinence as a
training, learning and reference resource on genderresponsive media practice.

Dr. Sarah Macharia WACC

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24..Pg. 7

ment to form public opinion and to change situations

for the better," she added.
"We are grateful to the World Association for
Christian Communication for cooperation and support and will be happy to spread the Russian version
of the resource kit for wide use," Ivanko said.
The kit is the result of collaboration between
WACC and IFJ to redress gender disparities in news
media content. It aims to provide an answer to the
gender gap in news content and lack of selfregulatory mechanisms - where these do not exist to confront gender bias.
The kit is organised in two books that may be
used independently. Book 1 discusses conceptual
issues pertaining to gender, media and professional
ethics. Book 2 presents gender-ethical reporting
guidelines on several thematic areas.

Contact: Paulina Ivanko, Communication /

Advocacy Assistant, UNFPA Belarus.
[email protected]
Download links
Book 1: http://unfpa.by/filedownload.php?file=1972
Book 2: http://unfpa.by/filedownload.php?file=1973
www.whomakesthenews.org/index.php/
resource-kit#Russian

Towards 2015: On guard for womens communications rights

Sarah Macharia, PhD

even years ago Annabelle Sreberny wrote

The major lesson in political communication
for women is that incessant vigilance and
repetition is needed to keep gender issues
salient within WSIS debates and communication issues
alive within the Beijing debates(in Media
Development 2005:3) (1). Vigilance and repetition
could not be more urgent now as the 20-year review of
the Beijing Platform for Action approaches, the WSIS
15-year summit, and the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) target date and agreement on a Post2015 development framework.
In a recent Post MDG High Level Panel CSOs
teleconference I was struck by the sheer spread of
thematic concerns raised by callers-in as imperative for
inclusion in the Post-2015 agenda, from environmental
accountability to youth poverty, childrens education
and a host of multiple competing priorities. (2)
The multi-stakeholder consultations, rights and
people-centered approach adopted for the post-2015
framework process have opened space to imagine
possibilities of a new development agenda in which
every relevant issue stands a relatively equal chance of
prioritization.
The High-Level Panel eventually recommended a
Post-2015 agenda driven by five big transformative
shifts (report, May 2013), the fourth of which Build
peace and effective, open and accountable institutions
for all may perhaps provide the only opening for
communication-related interventions.
A review of the sea of documents coming out of the
post-2015 debates shows some lobby for certain
components of womens communication rights
concentrated largely on capacity-building on use of
different media forms, and on elimination of gender
stereotyping in media.
In my view, the greatest promise for womens
communication rights in the processes leading to the
2015 targets seems to lie in the World Summit for the
Information Society (WSIS) events, despite past
disappointments as discussed by Sreberny. To note, the
gender-related session in the first WSIS+10 Review
(Paris, February 2013) produced a remarkable list of
final recommendations. (3)

The Paris recommendations are noteworthy

in their articulation of an inclusive Information
Society as one that is guided by two landmark
commitments important for gender equality and
womens rights, namely, the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA,
1995) and the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW adopted in 1979). Reference to both
commitments was absent in the outcome
documents of the first and second WSIS phases
in Geneva (2000) and Tunis (2003).
The comprehensiveness of the Paris
recommendations is indicative of lessons learnt
on the need for attentiveness to check potential
erosion of past gains in any new framework.
Further, that women made up less than 15% of
the special guest speakers at the WSIS Forum
in Geneva this past May points to another
dimension of the struggle, that is, for gender
equality in representation in all agenda-setting
spaces.
Borrowing from Sreberny, continuous
vigilance is needed to keep gender concerns
prominent in the WSIS +15 processes and
communication rights issues alive within the
Post-2015 Development Agenda and Beijing
+20 debates.
Notes
(1) http://www.waccglobal.org/en/20053-women-reclaimmedia/539-Why-Sis!-Gender-WSIS-and-Tunis.html
(2) http://www.post2015hlp.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/
Graca-Machel-and-Gunilla-Carlsson-Post-2015-TC-May-2-2013Full-Report.pdf
(3) See UNESCO WSIS +10 website, http://www.unesco.org/
new/en/communication-and-information/flagship-projectactivities/unesco-and-wsis/wsis-10-review-meeting/

See recommendations on page 9.

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24. Pg. 8

WSIS+10 Review Event: Final Recommendations

Session 40: Reviewing gender equality and womens empowerment in the
knowledge society: Setting an agenda for WSIS+10*
In accordance with UN Declarations and Conventions, a people-centred, inclusive and
development-oriented Information Society must be guided by the principles of gender
equality, non-discrimination and women's empowerment as contained in the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action (Fourth World Conference on Women) and the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW).
Women are not only consumers or beneficiaries of ICT, they must be equal producers,
innovators and decision-makers in the knowledge society. To achieve this, we need to
fully integrate gender analysis and principles in WSIS related strategies and facilitate
their implementation. Efforts should go beyond techno-centric solutions towards
advancing womens innovative and meaningful use of ICTs for their empowerment
and development.
Establishing equality in womens access to ICTs, in all its forms, by taking into
account the differences in levels of access, opportunity and participation of women
and men and addressing the disadvantages and barriers that women and girls
experience in the knowledge society.
Integrating gender analysis and principles in national digital and e-strategy
frameworks and agendas and developing proactive policies and programmes across
all sectors for women as active and primary agents of change in owning, designing,
using and adapting ICT.
Developing and collecting gender and sex-disaggregated data, and undertaking
research and impact analysis on gender and ICT, including for evidence based policy
making and programming & adopting effective monitoring and accountability
frameworks, including actual targets within WSIS framework, for commitments on
gender equality and womens empowerment.
Building capabilities of women and girls to use ICTs for agency, empowerment and
citizenship. To empower girls and women throughout their life cycle, as shapers and
leaders of society, gender responsive educational programs and appropriate learning
environments need to be promoted.
Ensuring parity in womens representation in high levels and decision-making in the
ICT (public and private) sector and governance structures.
Building the skills and environments necessary for women to enter, remain and
progress in ICT careers.
While ensuring shared responsibility of all stakeholders to contribute efforts,
resources and investments to reach WSIS commitments on gender equality, it is
important for there to be mechanisms for holistic monitoring of gender commitments
across all spheres of the review process.
Promoting awareness and prevention of prevalent discriminatory and negative gender
stereotypes and violence against women in the online world.
Source: Final recommendations of the First WSIS+10 review event, Paris, February 2013

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24..Pg. 9

Elsi Angulo, DESPERTAR, Nario, Colombia

Desde sus comienzos la Fundacin para la Educacin, la Cultura y el Deporte de las

Comunidades Negras e Indgenas de la Costa Pacfica de Nario DESPERTAR ha
mantenido un claro inters por el trabajo con los jvenes y por la insercin de la juventud en las
nuevas tecnologas de la comunicacin, como forma de inclusin social, que contribuya a superar
la marginalidad a la que histricamente ha estado sometida la poblacin afrodescendiente en
Colombia. Sin embargo, el acercamiento desde lo tnico a los medios de comunicacin no es
grato y en menor medida cuando se entrecruzan factores tnicos y de gnero. Es comn
identificar el uso por parte de los medios de comunicacin de estereotipos racistas, sexuales y de
discriminacin, de manera particular frente a las mujeres afro e indgenas, an en contextos en
donde estas minoras tnicas, constituyen la mayora de la poblacin como ocurre en el municipio
de Tumaco.
En este sentido, el reto para DESPERTAR con el apoyo de WACC fue iniciar un proceso
local en Tumaco que aporte a dignificar la corporeidad de la mujer afrocolombiana, en
contraposicin a los mensajes estereotipados. En este trabajo era necesario trabajar con los
medios de comunicacin y desde los medios, as como con las mujeres, en especial con las
jvenes y adolescentes, cuyas capacidades de liderazgo tienen el potencial de generar cambios
culturales, en la manera en que las mujeres nos vemos y nos proyectamos. Fue as como se
convoc a 10 medios locales de comunicacin y se trabaj de la mano con 25 jvenes de colegios
del Municipio, quienes involucraron a sus familias y maestros. Durante el proceso de
sensibilizacin y capacitacin llevado a cabo en el marco del proyecto, se lograron evidenciar
cambios en la percepcin de los participantes frente al tema tnico y de gnero. La lnea de
partida, daba cuenta de una baja percepcin ante el problema. Es decir, tanto para los medios de
comunicacin como para las jvenes resultaba normal ver imgenes de mujeres
afrodescendientes en oficios domsticos, desempaando labores de limpieza y cocina, o en

Comunicaciones que dignifican e identifican a la Mujer:

Visin desde los valores Afro-colombianos

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24. Pg. 10

imgenes publicitarias basadas en la exageracin de su atributos

corporales, o bien, como vctimas de la pobreza, del
desplazamiento, de la exclusin y de todos los males que
aquejan a nuestra sociedad.
La visibilizacin y anlisis abierto de estas situaciones,
constituy el primer paso para que los mismos medios de
comunicacin reconocieran el papel que juegan en la creacin y
manipulacin de las representaciones que una sociedad crea
acerca de s misma y de otras y que contribuyan a elaborar
unos modelos y, al mismo tiempo, unas normas a travs de la
imagen y ciertas definiciones que reflejan una lectura de
nuestras sociedades que, a menudo, permanece estancada.
Reconociendo esta situacin de partida, el proyecto pas
por la realizacin de talleres de sensibilizacin a periodistas y
directores de los medios para el manejo adecuado del tema, el
diseo y produccin de piezas publicitarias que dignifique la
corporeidad de la mujer, la emisin de un programa radial y la
produccin de un peridico hecho por mujeres, desde su
visin de dignificacin de la corporeidad en los medios de
comunicacin. Vale la pena resaltar que tanto en la
formulacin como en la ejecucin, el proyecto siempre
mantuvo clara la estrategia de trabajar con los medios y desde
los medios de comunicacin. Este fue sin duda uno de los
mayores logros alcanzados, pues ms all de las actividades
comprometidas, se dio continuidad a la elaboracin del
peridico denominado Afroinformativo y al programa radial
Radio Etnia en Tumaco, que cuenta cada da con mayor
audiencia.
El proyecto permiti colocar por primera vez en el
contexto pblico del Municipio, el tema del uso del lenguaje
como un elemento generador de estereotipos racistas,
particularmente frente a las mujeres afrodescendientes e
indgenas y gener la necesidad de tratar la problemtica, de
sensibilizar y capacitar al respecto.
Progresivamente, se han venido identificando cambios en el
uso del lenguaje por parte de los medios de comunicacin. Por
otra parte se logr avanzar en el proceso de autoreconocimiento de las mujeres afrocolombianas desde la
diferencia tnica y la valoracin de la diversidad que esto les
confiere. Este es un paso primordial para superar el racismo
estructural que existe en la sociedad colombiana.
En trminos generales se identifica en el contexto un
reconocimiento y valoracin de la cultura afrocolombiana y
caractersticas fenotpicas tnicas. Se destaca por ejemplo la
tendencia entre las mujeres a llevar el cabello afro natural,
como un smbolo de la diversidad y de la identidad. Este
hecho que parece simple, tiene un significado profundo.
Media &Gender Monitor No. 24..Pg. 11

Significa la aceptacin y el reconocimiento pblico

de la condicin tnica, de la diversidad y de la
diferencia positiva.
El trabajo con jvenes y adolescentes de los
colegios permiti identificar y fortalecer a lderes
naturales y procesos de liderazgo incipiente. Los
talleres entregaron herramientas para el
empoderamiento tnico, en la medida en que
hicieron que jvenes se autoreconocieran como
afrocolombianas y negras, sin temor al estereotipo
peyorativo que se ha generado en torno al tema
tnico.
Otra consecuencia importante del proyecto, fue la
articulacin del proceso con otras organizaciones
locales. A nivel pblico, se destaca la positiva atencin y
participacin de una instancia del gobierno a nivel
nacional, el Programa Presidencial para Comunidades
Negras, Raizales y Palenqueras. Esta vinculacin, que no
estuvo pensada inicialmente por nuestra organizacin,
plante adems la necesidad que se inicien unas polticas
pblicas en comunicacin que incluya el componente
tnico y de gnero.
DESPERTAR cree que para que la imagen de la
mujer afro sea plural y est mejor representada en su
diversidad, es urgente seguir trabajando sobre los
estereotipos existentes, no tanto desde dentro y como
desde fuera. Hace falta defender la permanencia de las
mujeres en la escuela ms all de la educacin primaria,
para que stas puedan progresar socialmente, pero,
sobre todo, para que sepan hacerse or en un mundo en
el que la comunicacin es algo primordial. As mismo,
creemos que es necesario centrar nuestros esfuerzos en
torno a un liderazgo femenino afro fuerte y
democrtico, con el objetivo de incrementar su impacto
positivo en todas las acciones relativas a la imagen de la
mujer.
La mujer afro tiene una opinin que transmitir, pero,
ante todo, debe permitirse a s misma dejar atrs la
historia de marginalidad y levantar con dignidad la
bandera de la diversidad y del valor de la diferencia.
www.ongdespertar.com
Email [email protected]

E
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DERECHO DE LAS
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MASLENFEMI HUMANAS
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MANUAL
TOWARDS GENDER-AWARE JOURNALISM:
CREATING GOOD PRACTICES
(Hacia un periodismo con conciencia de gnero:
Creando buenas prcticas)

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24. Pg. 12

oncerned about the dearth of

gender-aware training and
resources for journalists, De la
Azotea embarked on an
ambitious initiative to build capacity and
produce journalistic professional development
materials relevant to the Argentinean context.
Hacia un periodismo con conciencia de
gnero: Creando buenas prcticas covers
masculinities, strategies for reporting on
gender violence, sexual and reproductive
health and human trafficking, and brings
together texts from relevant national and
provincial rights legislation.
The manual is the first reference tool of its
kind relevant at the local and national levels,
which is freely available and communicates
collectively-generated knowledge grounded in
local practical experiences.
The manual was distributed to several radio
stations, newspapers, 50 journalists and 120
students in the two local journalism schools. It
was presented at the 8th Mar del Plata book
fair in November 2012, attracting reviews
from across the Latin America region.

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24..Pg. 13

De la Azotea equipped journalists with skills on

reporting stories from a gender-aware perspective.
The journalists learnt about the need to ensure
diversity of sources, for instance, seeking input from
organisations working on issues affecting womens
lives. Debates from the training were reported in the
major local newspaper.
Organizations addressing gender violence
continue to benefit indirectly from a new awareness
in media which reinforces their anti-violence efforts.
De la Azotea is a non-profit civil society association
established in 2003 by a group of women and men committed
to creating alternative media for people and groups
marginalized from mainstream media. The Association runs the
community radio FM de la Azotea 88.7. Its interventions are
anchored in a participatory approach to communication.
Download link/ Descargar aqui
Contact:
www.radiodelaazotea.com.ar
[email protected]

Justicia de gnero en medios de comunicacin ecuatorianos: Estereotipos

y representaciones sobre las mujeres
Centro Internacional de Estudios Superiores de Comunicacin
para America Latina (CIESPAL), Ecuador
Proyecto Investigacin, capacitacin y redes sociales
para la justicia de gnero en los medios de comunicacin
del Ecuador

El documento presenta los resultados del monitoreo a dos

tipos de medios de comunicacin: prensa y TV. El estudio
realizado incluye seis diarios de circulacin nacional, y tres
programas de tres distintos canales de televisin, cuya seal
abarca si no todo, s buena parte del territorio ecuatoriano.
En el caso de la prensa, se seleccionaron dos semanas: la
una tpica, correspondiente al mes de julio del 2012, y la otra
atpica, de marzo del mismo ao, debido a que en ella se inclua
la celebracin del 8 de Marzo, Da Internacional de la Mujer.
En el caso de la TV, fue difcil ubicar la muestra
correspondiente a los mismos dos perodos seleccionados para
la prensa; por ello, se escogi una semana continua de tres
programas cuyos contenidos, se presupuso, podran convertirse
en terreno propicio para el anlisis: dos dedicados a informar
sobre sucesos diversos y hechos judiciales, En Carne Propia
(Canal 1) y Sorprendente (RTS), y el uno, dirigido
preferencialmente a las mujeres, construido a partir de un panel
de discusin sobre temas diversos que les competen, y con el
explcito propsito de cambiar mentalidades, sobre todo
machistas.
El objetivo fue conocer las representaciones que estos medios hacen sobre las
mujeres, mediante el conocimiento de los estereotipos que podran incluir los contenidos y
las tendencias expresadas por el discurso de cada programa, en cuanto a conservarlos
o cuestionarlos.
Se obtiene, as, un panorama diverso y, no obstante, homogneo, en la medida en que en
los tres programas se hace evidente la tendencia a conservar o reforzar estereotipos y, en
consecuencia, las representaciones sobre las mujeres continan apegadas a parmetros del
sistema patriarcal, que responde asimismo a un pensamiento androcntrico que an es
predominante en la sociedad ecuatoriano, a pesar de buenos propsitos, como es el caso de
As somos, y de alguna intencin de desafiar estereotipos, como evidencia el programa
Sorprendente.
El estudio fue realizado por personal del rea de Investigacin del CIESPAL que,
desde 2009, con el cambio de la misin institucional, que promueve el derecho a
la comunicacin, se propuso tambin incluir el enfoque de gnero tanto en ese derecho como
en los estudios que se efecten.

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24. Pg. 14

Vale indicar, al respecto y como antecedente, que desde 1960, inicio de sus
actividades, el CIESPAL realiza estudios nacionales y regionales sobre los medios de
comunicacin y otros temas relacionados con la Comunicacin Social, que le han
significado ser institucin pionera en la investigacin sobre Comunicacin en Amrica
Latina.
El cambio de direccin institucional en 2009, signific tambin el rea de
Investigacin establecer como ejes de trabajo el estudio de las TIC (ciberactivismo
poltico y web 2.0), interculturalidad, gnero y otros temas que son parte inherentes del
derecho a la Comunicacin.
En el caso especfico de temas relacionados con el enfoque de gnero en
la Comunicacin, uno de los trabajos fue el anlisis de noticias de las primeras planas
de dos diarios nacionales para conocer la representacin de las mujeres, como parte
del Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), en noviembre del 2009.
En el proyecto sobre ciberactivismo de organizaciones polticas y sociales,
igualmente se analiz la presencia de diversas organizaciones de mujeres en el
ciberespacio.
Con estos antecedentes, se presentan en el documento los resultados del estudio
titulado Justicia de gnero en medios de comunicacin ecuatorianos; Estereotipos y
representaciones sobre las mujeres, como parte del proyecto Investigacin,
capacitacin y redes sociales para la justicia de gnero en los medios de comunicacin
del Ecuador, que incluye los componentes de capacitacin y conformacin de redes
sociales de carcter presencial.
Correo E. [email protected]
www.ciespal.net

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24..Pg. 15

Las representaciones sobre

las mujeres continan
apegadas a parmetros del
sistema patriarcal, que
responde asimismo a un
pensamiento androcntrico
que an es predominante
en la sociedad ecuatoriano,
a pesar de buenos
propsitos, como es el caso
de As somos, y de alguna
intencin de desafiar
estereotipos.

Promoting gender-ethical journalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Team Novi Put, BaH

egative stereotypes about women prevail

across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BaH). While
working with vulnerable women and girls, the
non-governmental organisation Novi put
noted the tendency in BaH media to marginalize women
and to use language that aggravated gender-based
discrimination.
The project Promotion of Gender Ethical Journalism in
Bosnia and Herzegovina funded by the World Association
for Christian Communication (WACC) has enabled Novi put
to not only increase media commitment to gender-ethical
journalism, but also the usage of gender sensitive language
in reporting.
During events attended by civil society, media
representatives and the general public, Novi put displayed
examples of media content as evidence of gender bias and
stereotypes, violation of the human rights of women and
girls, and sensationalism.
The evidence illustrated the need to urgently
adopt a gender-ethical approach to journalism.
Confronting project participants with the bare
facts produced positive results, among them, a
consensus on the need to improve the quality
of cooperation between media and womens
civil society organisations. Further, on the need
for all parties to make efforts towards
overcoming the problem of gender-insensitive
media, and to build awareness of media
audiences about gender equality given the
medias role in aggravating negative and sexist
perceptions of women.
Media representatives attending the events
stated that they had never considered gender
ethical reporting to be important; they prioritized
other issues given the extremely difficult
political and economic situation in the country.
They also stated that the lack of gender
sensitivity cuts across media worldwide. This
observation is documented in the results of the
last edition of the Global Media Monitoring
Project (GMMP) in 2010. The GMMP uncovers
the widespread misrepresentation and
underrepresentation of women in all media
worldwide, albeit with varying degrees of
acuteness across regions.

A platform for further cooperation has

emerged as a result of the participation of
NGO and media representatives at the
events. Novi put has also succeeded in
securing partnership with media in order to
convey messages about gender equality. It
will continue in collaboration with other nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to work
with media in order to advance gender
equality.
The events helped to identify ways in
which BaH media could contribute to the
promotion of NGO activities, advocacy and
awareness raising.
BaH media will benefit from the expertise,
knowledge and research findings of NGOs
when reporting on topics that civil society
organisations address in the course of their
work.
[email protected]
www.newroadbih.org

...........................
Why should we monitor news media? Learn more at
#GMMP http://bit.ly/17gaChQ (Video)
Media &Gender Monitor No. 24. Pg. 16

Building capacity for gender-responsive journalism in Pakistan

Saima Benyamin
Women Empowerment Organisation (WEO), Pakistan

The project goal was to build the capacity of media

professionals and womens rights activists to highlight gender
issues in their work in order to reduce discrimination and gender
violence. Overall it was an excellent experience for our staff,
volunteers and partner organizations.

Successes
Women living in the project area gained knowledge and
awareness about their rights, gender issues and violence against
women. Now, ordinary women of the target communities have
close contact and network with civil society organizations and
media to amplify their voices against discrimination and gender
violence. The media and women rights activists networked with
each other to speak up against gender discrimination and
violence against women.

Challenges
To provide awareness and education to the women of our
society about their rights was a great challenge for the project
given the male dominance in Pakistani society. We observe
resistance to attempts to build womens awareness about their
rights, strong expectations that women should obey male
relatives and a social order in which the right to make decisions
for women is reserved for the men.

Lesson learnt

A little effort can make

enormous change. We
learnt that if one is
convinced to do good
work, she will find many
like-minded people
willing to help.
In our society women live
under discriminatory laws,
customs and social practices.
The Muslim context where
women and girls are to a
significant extent restricted from
leaving the home made it difficult
to get the women to attend
project activities.
Another challenge was to
work with the media on the issue
of gender responsive journalism.
It is commonly held that media
do not depict incidents
accurately and there persists a
general distrust of media.

Surprises
We were pleasantly surprised
to see community leaders
embrace and support our work;
they wholeheartedly agreed that
Pakistani women should enjoy
equal rights. The positive
response from media
professionals was equally
encouraging.
Women Empowerment Organization
(WEO) is a non-profit and nonpolitical organization established in
2006 by women from grassroots
communities dedicated to uplifting
marginalized and oppressed women
in Pakistan.
Womens rights activists and journalists discuss how to highlight issues of importance to women
in the media through positive coverage
Women Empowerment Organisation, Pakistan.

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24..Pg. 17

Email: [email protected]

WACC PARTNER
INITIATIVES

Ensuring Women's Fair Representation in Media for Rural

Development
Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha (BNPS), Bangladesh
[email protected]
Poverty in Bangladesh is primarily a rural phenomenon. Women are
more vulnerable to poverty due to their unequal access to economic
resources, political participation and decision making process. While
women are engaged in various productive and reproductive activities in
rural areas of Bangladesh, GMMP 2005 and 2009-10 results show that
their work remains underreported in media. Underreporting and nonrecognition of womens contribution to the national economy ultimately
result in misleading the setting of priorities in the national development
planning process and the allocation of adequate resource for gender
equity.
The project is monitoring prime time news coverage of 10 newspapers,
5 television and 2 radio channels to understand womens presence or
absence thereof, in Bangladeshi rural development news. The project will
raise awareness among journalism students and journalists, related
advocacy groups, and policy-makers about the findings. Networking with
journalism departments of various universities, journalists and media
houses, relevant government agencies, grassroots womens
organizations, and womens rights advocacy groups will ensure that the
recommendations ensuing from the findings are implemented for
sustainable change, through course curricula and report writing, and
gradually reflected in the formulation of government development policy
and planning.
Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha (BNPS) is an activist women organization,
working since 1986 to establish equal rights for women from family to state levels.
Established by a group of women activists, BNPS works at the national level on
policy and legal reforms and at the community level organizing and mobilizing
grassroots women and the poor.

Palestinian Media Monitoring Project

Women for Womens Rights, Palestine
[email protected]
The Global Media Monitoring Project
(GMMP) 2010 found that women comprise
only 24% of the people heard or read about in
the news. The GMMP report argues for the
need for change towards news media policy
and practice that are more gender-aware and
gender-responsive.
Evidence gathered through media
monitoring has potential to propel change, yet,
such evidence on Palestinian news media
appears to be lacking. Media monitoring could
provide a measure to indicate progress in
womens status over time. Stories centered on
women could support advocacy for gender
equality and women's rights.
The Palestinian Media Monitoring Project
aims to build the capacities of Palestinian
womens rights activists to monitor the
representation of the women in economic
news stories. The monitoring outcomes will be
used to advocate for the full respect of women
rights within Palestinian society.
Women for Women Rights' Center (WFWR) is a
grassroots non- government organization
established to contribute towards building a
Palestinian democratic society that respects
gender equity and equality and fundamental human
rights. WFWR works to strengthen womens
economic, social and cultural rights, to raise
women's mutual learning and awareness and to
deliver policy and strategy change through
advocacy, networking and information
sharing.

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24. Pg. 18

Media monitoring and accountability: Mainstreaming gender in media

content and structures
African Woman Child and Feature Service, Kenya
[email protected]
Recent studies on gender mainstreaming in media content and
structures have revealed disturbing results. In Kenya, only 19 percent of
those whose views are read or heard in the media are women. One reason
behind medias continued tendency to exclude women is the lack of action to
demand accountability. The project is monitoring gender portrayal and
representation in electoral and political news stories. The monitoring findings
will be shared with key media managers in charge of content generation and
human resources, with the ultimate objective to influence change in both inhouse policies and journalistic practices.
African Woman and Child (AWC) Feature Service was founded in 1994 by
journalists concerned about the absence of women and childrens voices and issues
in the media. It is the only media NGO that constantly engages media editors,
through the Editors Guild, to discuss topical and pressing issues in Kenya. AWC
has trained journalists on various thematic areas including reproductive health,
reporting gender, reporting conflict and parliament.

Observatorio Ciudadano de la Comunicacin: Ciudadana desde la

lectura crtica de medios con perspectiva de gnero
Grupo de Apoyo al Movimiento de Mujeres del Azuay (GAMMA), Ecuador
[email protected]

The project is designed to address three intersecting problems. The

first problem is the normalization of the subordination and exclusion of
women through gender-biased media messaging which ultimately
obstructs the possibilities available to women to exercise their rights.
The second problem is the general tendency of citizens to internalize
gender-biased media content without critically questioning the
normative underpinnings. The third problem is the dearth of spaces for
debate about the media from a gender perspective. The project
combines media monitoring and involvement of citizens in critical
reading and dialogue with the media. The monitoring focuses on news
media reporting on politics and government.
Based in Cuenca, GAMMAs central focus since 1994 is social
communication, research and training from a gender perspective. GAMMAs
strategy sets off from an unmasking of the workings of patriarchal culture, to
then rupture assumptions that discrimination, subordination, exclusion and
violence are normal and natural. GAMMA is committed to establish a
culture of respect for life in order to build a society where all people and
society can develop and thrive.

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24..Pg. 19

Monitoring womens presence in

political news stories: Challenges for
2014.
Centro de Comunicacin Virginia Woolf
Cotidiano Mujer, Uruguay
[email protected]
In 2014 the quota law requiring that a
minimum of 30% of political positions be
held by women will come into effect in
Uruguay. Presently women make up only
13% of parliamentarians, placing the
country in position 15 out of 19 in Latin
America.
The project is monitoring media
coverage of political and electoral news
stories from a gender perspective, with the
participation of select media houses.
Cotidiano Mujer will work with the
journalists to promote reflection and
analysis on a gender-focused approach to
news production. The project will also
engage with women politicians to
strengthen their strategies for participation
and image in the public sphere. Journalists
and politicians will have an opportunity to
discuss preliminary results from the
monitoring with a view to deepen analysis
and validate the findings.
The project is designed to directly
benefit women electoral candidates
campaigning towards the 2014
departmental and 2015 national elections,
and the gender commission of the national
journalists union.
The monitoring will be useful for other
actors working to strengthen the
participation of women politicians through
the campaign More Women: Better
Policy over the next two years.
Centro de Comunicacin Virginia WoolfCotidiano Mujer was established in 1985, as a
feminist cultural space focused on political
communication and human rights of women.
Its mission is to contribute a feminist
perspective in social, cultural and
political transformation efforts in
order to make possible a gender
equitable and just democracy.

WHATS HAPPENING? GET INVOLVED!

Communication together by Chetan Soni, India.

Commendation winner at WACC Photo Competition 2010.

[email protected]

www.whomakesthenews.org

Global.Media.Monitoring.Project

@whomakesthenews

Media&Gender Monitor
WACC, 308 Main Street
Toronto, Ontario, M4C 4X7
Canada
[email protected]
www.whomakesthenews.org

Media &Gender Monitor No. 24. Pg. 20