"This article analyses female journalists’ perceptions of their own role, their power in the newsroom, their influence over the news agenda and the challenges they face on a daily basis in two large media-saturated countries and emerging democracies, India and South Africa. India and South Africa
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are both nations that are trying to overcome historical legacies of patriarchal structures and gendered attitudes about women’s role. The authors conclude that female journalists articulated their experiences of newsroom culture as hegemonically masculine. While it appears that female journalists believe that women have made some strides in covering political news, they still see their influence as limited and continue to battle pre-existing professional stereotypes." (Abstract)
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"Based on interviews with 18 managers (8 female, 10 male) of media outlets in 12 countries, the research findings show that there is a wide range of motivations for media managers to promote gender equality in the workplace. The main argument used is the fact that the managers believe in gender equa
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lity and want to set an example to promote gender equality in society. Furthermore, business motives play a role, as well as personal reasons. The argument of the ‘business case for gender equality’, arguing that promoting gender equality in the workplace is good for business is regularly used to convince media outlets of the importance of gender equality in their organisation. This research shows that in encouraging managers of media outlets to promote gender equality, the business argument might work, but other angles should be used as well [...] Success factors to promote gender equality identified in this research include: Commitment and clear communication by management; Employing a flexible approach, adapting to the local context and culture; Institutionalizing the efforts through for example a gender policy; Using guidelines and measures to guarantee safety of female journalists; Implementing accountability mechanisms to constantly monitor progress." (Executive summary)
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"Representation of women in media has been a noted gender equity issue globally for decades. Given the increasing encroachments into press freedom in Melanesia, female journalists and media workers face serious challenges. With this in mind, the Melanesia Media Freedom Forum (MMFF) hosted a special
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session focusing specifically on the issues affecting women in the media in Melanesia. This article focuses on the discussions of female Melanesian journalists and the unique challenges they face in terms of representation in the media workforce, having their voices heard in the media, and the threats to their personal safety." (Abstract)
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"The aim of the study is to investigate Estonian female journalists’ experiences with harassment resulting in self-censorship. We carried out three studies: one in 2015, a second in 2016 and a third one in 2018. The data were gathered by in-depth interviews (2015 and 2018), journalists’ diaries
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(2015) and a questionnaire (2016). The sample consisted of eight sports journalists (2015), 12 female journalists from different fields (2018) and 181 respondents (115 female, 66 male, 2016). The results of the three studies revealed that comments made towards female journalists aimed at degrading their authority (emphasizing age, experience or gender); and argued that female journalists should work elsewhere or find a more “female” profession. Female journalists did not read comments on their stories not only because of the lack of time, but to avoid harassment and insults. Secondly, to avoid harassment from sources or audiences, journalists showed signs of self-censorship as they avoided writing on topics that bring along more attention, such as refugees, minority groups, and corruption cases, or avoided writing on topics that include sources with whom they have had negative experiences." (Abstract)
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"Online harassment of women journalists imposes self-censorship and threatens women’s participation in online journalism. This is of grave concern for the development of freedom of speech and plurality in the media (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe [OSCE], 2019). Part of this i
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ssue’s complexity was summarized by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Deputy General Secretary, Jeremy Dear: “In some parts of the world, it’s a result of what women write and in others it’s because of the mere fact that they write” (IFEX, 2019). Perhaps more often, these two motivational factors are working together creating a significantly more threatening online environment for female journalists than for their male colleagues. When such discontent appears within the ungoverned spheres of the Internet, the dimension of it seems to grow exponentially. The result is a climate of fear, silence and self-censorship – and potentially women’s absence in the future online public sphere. This chapter presents an explorative theoretical approach to understanding the processes at play when women journalists are threatened and harassed online. Looking primarily to research within gender- and feminist- theory, computer communication and cyber psychology studies and literature on antipress violence, I argue that female journalists’ predisposition to online harassment is largely connected to online governance (or lack thereof), an enduring patriarchy and a rise in threats against journalists." (Abstract)
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"This study examines the experiences of female journalists in Nepal in the context of rapidly growing expansion of broadband Internet. By examining the findings of the qualitative in-depth interview of 48 female journalists, it argues that online platforms are threatening press freedom in Nepal, mai
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nly by silencing female journalists. The study also indicates that the problem is particularly severe in such a patriarchal society as a significant number of incidents of abuse go unreported, largely due to a culture of shame as well as ineffective legislation. Over the course of this article, I have attempted to show how social issues raised by second-wave feminism and online feminism are similar. The findings show that some of the female journalists experiencing harassment tolerate it by being ‘strong like a man,’ while many of them avoid social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to keep free of such abuse. The study also suggests that individual efforts to tackle the vicious issue of misogyny might not be enough and collective effort from legislation, media organisations, and feminists is required to address the issue." (Abstract)
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"This article, through conducting a study of the sexual harassment (SH) of media workers, investigates the extent and types of SH experienced by the editorial staff of Norwegian newsrooms at the time the #MeToo campaign arrived in Norway, and what effects such experiences have on journalists’ prof
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essional lives. We are also interested in what Norwegian media houses are doing to address these challenges. The leading research question consists of three interrelated parts: To what extent are journalists exposed to SH? What coping strategies do they use? How can newsrooms be better prepared to fight SH, from the perspective of the safety of journalists? A mixed methods approach, which combines findings from a quantitative questionnaire with qualitative in-depth interviews, was used to answer these questions. The findings show that female, young, and temporary media workers are significantly more frequently targeted than others and that those who had experienced SH handled the situation using avoiding strategies to a significantly greater extent than those who had only been exposed to unwanted attention experiences. The findings feed into a discussion of what strategies media houses can use to be better prepared in the fight against SH." (Abstract)
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"In-depth interviews with 75 female journalists who work or have worked in Germany, India, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America reveal that they face rampant online gendered harassment that influences how they do their jobs. Many of the women report that if they aim to engage
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with their audience online – which is a job requirement for many of them – they frequently face sexist comments that criticize, attack, marginalize, stereotype, or threaten them based on their gender or sexuality. Often, criticism of their work is framed as misogynistic attacks and, sometimes, even involves sexual violence. The journalists have developed a variety of strategies for dealing with the abuse, including limiting what they post online, changing what stories they report on, and using technological tools to prevent people from posting offensive words on the journalists’ public social media pages. Results show that this harassment disrupts the routinized practice of reciprocal journalism because it limits how much these women can interact with the audience in mutually beneficial ways without being attacked or undermined sexually. While experiences of harassment were consistent across the countries studied, cultural differences were evident in how much the journalists were expected to engage online. Results are discussed in relation to the hierarchy of influences model that aims to explain how multiple forces influence media content." (Abstract)
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"Safety of female journalists in and beyond the newsroom continues to stimulate debate on how risky environments can trigger self-censorship among journalists, yet few studies have investigated women journalists’ experience of risk in specific work contexts. This chapter examines the perception of
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risk among female journalists who cover political demonstrations, and how they negotiate such risks. Anchored in theories of media and gender, self-censorship and resilience, the chapter dwells on political demonstrations that have become pervasive in the more than 30-year rule of Uganda’s current president. Data were collected through focus group discussions with female reporters and structured in-depth interviews with newsroom managers. Findings indicate that covering political demonstrations is perceived as risky for female journalists, who are also increasingly aware of their vulnerability. This perceived vulnerability produces a deterrent effect on women’s enthusiasm to cover riots. Nonetheless, women rely on techniques that spur collective resilience, which in turn helps to avert self-censorship. Although focusing on political demonstrations, the instantiated perceptions would likely resonate with other situations in which female journalists work. Thus, applying a gender lens to future self-censorship and resilience studies may open new frontiers of understanding, especially of what gender-specific self-censorship and resilience practices thrive in different contexts." (Abstract)
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"Corrupt practices, political financing and institutionalised patriarchal systems have seen the media fail to provide equitable coverage of women’s issues or indeed include women as decision-makers organisationally. Both the audience and media stakeholders are acutely aware of the lack of ethical
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practice by the media and both are attuned to how this has become gendered in prevailing conditions of economic failure, conflict and weak governance in Iraq. The overall mood was one of pessimism from all stakeholder groups about the current state of and prospects for the media in Iraq. The lack of opportunity in a non-meritocratic society such as Iraq both generates and sustains the prevalence of highly gendered policies and practices across the Iraqi media landscape. This is seen in both stakeholder groups: media stakeholders were likely to disparage their female colleagues; audiences were likely to reject female depictions that they felt were not representative of all Iraqis. Traditional and religious attitudes dominated much of the discussions and many of the challenges facing women and women journalists were attributed to these fixed mind-sets. Again, both stakeholder groups were in agreement that employment rituals and practices were shaped by patriarchal perceptions of a women’s role in traditional societies." (Conclusions)
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"Gender-based violence against women journalists has increased dramatically, both offline and online. These professionals face more barriers to performing their roles in safe conditions. Slow progress has been made by governments and news media industries to protect women journalists. Most of the pr
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ogressive actions to address this widespread problem have been achieved by journalists, non-government organizations (NGOs), and scholars. Thanks to the work done by these actors, violence against women journalists has been unveiled and caught the attention of human rights courts. Grounded in both communication studies and feminist theory, this chapter analyzes the structural conditions enabling gender-based violence against women journalists in Latin America to explore how it affects the collective right to freedom of expression and to consider responses to this crisis from activist movements." (Abstract)
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"Online harassment and abuse against women journalists has become a major hazard to the profession. One that threatens women journalists’ ability to do their jobs. It violates their right to freedom of expression as much as it hampers free and open access to information for all members of society.
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This #SOFJO Resource Guide formulates an answer to that threat. It aims to assist States and non-State actors across the OSCE region in taking real actions to improve the safety of female journalists online. The practices presented are all examples of ways in which international standards and commitments can be realized. This #SOFJO Resource Guide provides the key actors with a brief selection of the most relevant and achievable steps. Taken together, these steps form an interrelated structure in which women journalists can continue their profession online in a safer manner." (Back cover)
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"Female journalists make up only between five to 10 percent of the total journalists in Indonesia. Consequently, this often gives women little bargaining power in the workplace. This research analyzes the prevalence and nature of sexual harassment experienced by Indonesian female journalists, as wel
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l as their coping techniques. In doing so, in-depth interviews with 10 Indonesian female journalists were conducted. Results show that the majority of respondents have encountered some type of sexual harassment, ranging from unwelcome sexual advances, sexual jokes, offensive flirtations, or actual sexual assaults. Based on the in-depth interviews, there were six main coping techniques used by the respondents: 1. Denial; 2. Ignoring the harassment; 3. Relying on the protection of male coworkers; 4. Appearing more masculine; 5. Being friendly and approachable to others; and, 6. Confronting and reporting. Data is analyzed using a feminist perspective, specifically the sociocultural theory. Though the participants in this study have learned to cope with such treatment, the overall persistence of sexual harassment may lead to such negative implications as further decrease of the number of female journalists, lack of diversity in the media, and the inability for journalists to be watchdogs." (Abstract)
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"This report identifies five major challenges for developing national plans for safety of journalists and how stakeholders are tackling them. The points addressed concern gaining engagement around safety of journalists by state actors, uniting and focusing efforts of disparate stakeholders into a du
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rable, well-anchored structure, increasing commitment to security and protection by the media sector, integrating a gender perspective throughout safety mechanisms and supporting stronger tools for combating impunity. In the face of increasing threats that journalists encounter from state and non-state actors, collaborative efforts are making headway to improving safety." (Back cover)
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"In this RISJ factsheet we analyse the gender break-down of top editors in a strategic sample of 200 major online and offline news outlets in ten different markets across four continents.Looking at a sample of ten top online news outlets and ten top offline news outlets in each of these ten markets,
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we find: Only 23% of the top editors across the 200 major outlets in our sample are women, despite the fact that, on average, 40% of journalists in the ten markets are women; Every single market covered has a majority of men among the top editors, including countries like Brazil and Finland where women outnumber men among working journalists; The percentage of women in top editorial positions varies significantly from market to market. In Japan, none of the major news outlets in our sample have a woman as their top editor. In South Africa, 47% of the top editors are women; When we compare the percentage of women working in journalism with the percentage of women in top editorial positions, we find a strong and positive correlation. Despite this, in nine out of ten markets, there are considerably more women working as journalists than there are women among the top editors; Looking more broadly at gender inequality in society and the percentage of women in top editorial positions, we find no meaningful correlation. Countries like Germany and South Korea that score well on the UN Gender Inequality Index have very few women among the top editors." (Key findings)
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"The range of actions that social partners and audiovisual stakeholders can take to improve gender equality and diversity is broad. From ambitious strategies and plans to smaller-scale initiatives that have a direct impact on the organisation of work. The good practices presented in this report have
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proven their efficiency. The lessons learned from their implementation can serve as inspiration, if not reference, in other national contexts. The high value of the regular production of statistics and qualitative analyses of the levels of representation of women and other under-represented groups on screens and in the audiovisual workforce has been demonstrated. It is particularly important to monitor developments and assess the impact of actions. Social partners and sector stakeholders, with the support of public institutions, have a joint interest to work together towards a more systematic approach to the collection of European-level gender data. Specific tools and funds also need to be made available to audiovisual stakeholders to help them implement concrete initiatives that promote equality and diversity in their workplaces, on sets and in studios, and in relation to their audiences." (Conclusions, page 69)
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"L’éventail des actions que les partenaires sociaux et les autres acteurs du secteur peuvent mettre en oeuvre pour promouvoir l’égalité des sexes et la diversité est vaste. Il couvre aussi bien des stratégies coordonnées et à long terme que des actions à plus petite échelle qui ont un i
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mpact direct sur l’organisation du travail. Les bonnes pratiques présentées dans cette publication ont prouvé leur efficacité. Les enseignements tirés de leur mise en oeuvre peuvent servir d’inspiration, voire de référence, dans d’autres contextes nationaux. La production régulière de statistiques et d’analyses qualitatives sur les niveaux de représentation des femmes et d’autres groupes sous-représentés à l’écran et dans les effectifs de l’audiovisuel est des plus importantes. Elle est particulièrement nécessaire afin de suivre les évolutions et d’évaluer l’impact des actions entreprises. Les partenaires sociaux et les autres acteurs du secteur, avec le soutien des institutions publiques, ont un intérêt commun à travailler ensemble à une approche plus systématique de la collecte de données sur le genre dans le secteur audiovisuel au niveau européen. Des outils et des fonds spécifiques doivent également être mis à la disposition des acteurs de l’audiovisuel pour les aider à mettre en oeuvre des initiatives concrètes qui favorisent l’égalité et la diversité sur les lieux de travail, sur les plateaux et dans les studios, et en relations avec le public. Promouvoir l’égalité des chances entre les femmes et les hommes et soutenir une plus large inclusion de profils divers dans les effectifs de l’audiovisuel et sur les écrans sont des actions primordiales aux valeurs européennes. Il y a un intérêt créatif, sociétal et économique à ce que le secteur audiovisuel reflète mieux les réalités de sociétés diverses et changeantes." (Conclusions et perspectives)
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"Das Spektrum der Maßnahmen, die Sozialpartner und Interessenvertreter des audiovisuellen Sektors ergreifen können, um die Gleichstellung der Geschlechter und die Vielfalt zu verbessern, ist breit. Von ehrgeizigen Strategien und Plänen bis hin zu kleineren Initiativen, die sich direkt auf die Arb
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eitsorganisation auswirken. Die in diesem Bericht vorgestellten bewährten Praktiken haben ihre Wirksamkeit bewiesen. Die aus ihrer Umsetzung gewonnenen Erkenntnisse können als Inspiration und auch als Referenz in anderen nationalen Kontexten dienen. Der große Wert der regelmäßigen Erstellung von Statistiken und qualitativen Analysen über den Vertretungsgrad von Frauen und anderen unterrepräsentierten Gruppen auf Bildschirmen und in der audiovisuellen Belegschaft hat sich gezeigt. Es ist besonders wichtig, die Entwicklungen zu überwachen und die Auswirkungen der Maßnahmen zu bewerten. Die Sozialpartner und Interessenvertreter des Sektors haben mit Unterstützung öffentlicher Einrichtungen ein gemeinsames Interesse daran, zusammen auf einen systematischeren Ansatz für die Erhebung geschlechtsspezifischer Daten auf europäischer Ebene hinzuarbeiten." (Schlussfolgerungen, Seite 78)
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