Book 2 - Ebu

Preamble
Book 2 will be of interest to media practitioners – journalists, reporters and editors –
including educators and civil society engaged in gender-focussed media monitoring.
It provides practical guidelines for gender-ethical reporting on eight thematic areas,
namely: climate change; disaster reporting; economic news – accounting for women;
sexual and reproductive health; human trafficking; peace and security; political
news – reporting on women in government; and, sexual violence. What are the
gender dimensions of climate change that a journalist should be conscious about
when covering a related story What is the gender angle in seemingly “gender-neutral”
economic issues stories What are the common pitfalls to avoid when writing about
women in public office How can a journalist integrate a gender perspective when
writing about sexual and reproductive health issues What are the challenges in
reporting on violence against women The guidelines provide direction on these
and other questions. The guidelines can be adapted for different social contexts and
realities, and the basic principles running across them may be used to inform the
development of gender-ethical approaches to covering stories in other thematic areas.
Gender and media experts from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean region, Europe, Latin
America, North America and Oceania/Pacific region have made this kit a reality.
The resource brings together their knowledge and insights as media practitioners,
educators or communication researchers committed to playing a role in
professionalizing journalistic practice from a gender-ethics perspective. In this regard,
we thank Dr. Kathleen Cross (Canada), Lic. Marcela Gabioud (Argentina), Prof.
Maximiliano Guzman (Puerto Rico), Lic. Claudia Florentin (Argentina), Gladness
Munuo Hemedi (Tanzania), Ammu Joseph (India), Suvendrini Kakuchi (Japan),
Mindy Ran (The Netherlands), Sharon Bhagwan Rolls (Fiji) and Sabina Zaccaro
(Italy) for contributing to different sections of the kit and/or providing critical
comments to improve it.
A number of well-established media guidelines and journalists’ ethical codes specify
the need not to discriminate on the basis of gender. This resource kit will not replace
them. Rather, it will provide media professionals, media accountability bodies,
journalists’ unions and associations and employers with practical guidelines, where
they do not exist, to enhance women’s representation in media content, improve the
gender balance reflected in by-lines and encourage dialogue within media structures
and self-regulatory bodies together with civil society groups.
Gender portrayal is not a women’s issue. Portraying gender in a fair and ethical
manner will only occur when it becomes a concern for everyone in the newsroom
and beyond. Journalists, photographers, news editors, camerawomen and cameramen,
cartoonists, media employers, self-regulatory bodies, journalists’ schools, associations
and unions, all have a role to play in ensuring that media become an effective mirror
of society. Civil society actors can support this process through monitoring, dialogue
and positive partnerships with media.
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