Media Consultation with representative bodies of more than 2,000 media persons in Delhi
Population First holds consultation with representative bodies of more than 2,000 media persons
Population First held a consultation meeting for India’s top media houses at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on December 12, 2014. The consultation process was designed to engage bodies of journalists to look at enhancing and intensifying their efforts towards promoting gender sensitivity in the media.
Print, TV, radio, public broadcaster Doordarshan, new age journalists and leaders of various associations are members of these journalists’ bodies. Together these clubs represent more than 2,000 top journalists from the entire South Asia.
Representatives from the Press Club of India, Indian Women Press Corp and Foreign Correspondent Club of South Asia came together on one platform to promote gender sensitivity in the media. The consultation meeting was supported by the Chandigarh Press Club.
General Secretary of Editors’ Guild, the apex body of leaders of journalism, Press Trust of India (PTI), Press Council of India and Thomson Reuters were present for the consultation process too. Press Council member, Rajeev Ranjan Roy attended the meeting for a short while.
Beginning the discussion, Dr A.L. Sharada, Director, Population First, suggested that major press clubs should look at having crèches apart from toilets and other infrastructure for women.
During the course of the meeting, representatives from these bodies decided to set up a working group with a deadline to chart a course of action emerging from this exercise.
One of the key participants Ena Singh, Deputy Country Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), proposed to set up a small group of journalists to work out modalities for setting up a larger working group.
It was suggested that the small group should be headed by Ajay Upadhyay, Editor, Guild General Secretary, Rajlaxmi, President, Indian Women Press Corp, Shobha Jain, Nita Bhalla, Reuters Thomson and Ranghvendra Verma, Secretary, Foreign Correspondent Club as members to start the process. Population First will also be part of this group.
Rajlaxmi proposed that almost all of 35 people who had come for the consultation should be members of this working group.
Speakers made suggestions in term of offering working action plans and making a sustained effort to work for gender equality and justice in the long run.
Upadhyay assured the audience that the guild was ready to support all efforts made towards gender sensitivity. He said a large number of workshops need to be organized to sensitize journalists about gender sensitivity.
Aku Shrivastava, Editor, Novodaya Times, suggested initiating a dialogue with the Indian Newspapers Society (INS), a body of media owners, so that the message reaches the right quarter for action to be taken.
Dr. Sharada, shared that there was a deluge of entries for Laadli Media and Advertising Awards after the gang rape and murder of Nirbhaya in Delhi.
She shared that there were brilliant stories but many of them could not be considered for an award as there was either a problem of language or of presentation. She added that the most heart touching were stories other than those of rape post Nirbhaya. She cited examples of The Times of India, The Week and Femina, which ran features on gender sensitivity. These coverage’s graduated from a rape incident to the development of women. Dr. Sharada urged the gathering to provide two or three action points.
Singh appreciated media for a sustained and focused coverage of the Nirbhaya rape case. She added that a shift was noticed in reporting. The coverage moved from merely reporting from a superficial level to a deeper level. There was a demand for accountability in criminal justice system. There was an attempt to move away from individual cases to systemic failures. The reporting was now more factual. The Media looked at the girl and her family from the point of view of a survivor instead of a victim and the name of the survivor was never revealed. The perpetrator of the crime was brought into focus for scrutiny instead of the survivor.
Singh said words of media became action agenda for those in positions to do something in this regard. She said the pre-Nirbhaya scene sometimes was not very happy to note. Singh quoted a report of 2009 in which unnecessary details of a survivor were shared by the media. Singh said this pressure for accountability has to be sustained beyond individual cases.
Verma suggested that if it was not feasible to facilitate group trainings for journalists, individuals could be reached out from various media houses so that those organizations have a resource person for training other staff members.
Press Club of India representative, Dinesh Teewari said workshops should be conducted in small towns where journalists do not have a deeper understanding of the issue. Trainings can be organized at the district level clubs. Teewari suggested that since Press Club of India can offer a column inviting articles on gender sensitivity in their publication.
Presenting another side of the issue, PTI representative, Anup Bhatnagar, said there was a need to exercise caution while writing about cases against men, as around 60 cases of harassment of women have fallen flat in the Supreme Court. A large number of participants clarified that women are not able to take their case to a conclusive stage due to discrimination in society.
A freelance journalist writing on gender issues, Annapurna Jha said those writing on women and developmental issues do not get as much importance in an organization as somebody covering terrorism or politics gets. Editors have to devise a way where developmental issues get a fair share of attention too.
Anuradha Raman, writing on gender and media issues in the Outlook magazine, said gender should not remain an issue only. But, women or other genders should fall into the category of ‘interesting people.’ Raman was representing Krishna Prasad, Press Council of India member and Editor-in-Chief, Outlook magazine.
Upadhyay, said gender sensitivity should be introduced at the journalism school level. Upadhyay further added that the media has to observe neutrality in gender affairs. It is important what kind of quotes are interwoven in stories and what kind of sources are used. It comes with practice and training may drive home gender sensitivity. For this purpose trainings and workshops have to be organized. Journalists have to be introduced to guidelines at regular levels. He said male chauvinism is being challenged by participation of more women in economy, society and technology. Upadhyay opposed any attempt to bring in legislative controls in media, lest it should interfere in freedom of Press.
Bhalla said denial of finances to a woman, domestic violence, discrimination have been old known sources of discontent. She said media coverage sometimes leads to a scare all around. Bhalla said it was disgusting to know that the mother of the Uber taxi driver accused of raping a woman was harassed by media.
Bhalla pointed out that the media attention is more focused on incidents in urban areas. The media is not able to sustain a debate as to why there is massive gender discrimination. Indian society believes man is a provider and can be aggressive. The debate on rape in marriage has just disappeared.
Rajlaxmi said unless conditions of equality are not created, gender justice is a far cry. Ad hoc and fragmented approach is not sufficient to promote gender sensitivity. An institutional approach is required. Gender justice in the public sphere should be the demand.
Ravinder Bawa, Correspondent, Chinese Central TV, said even within organizations, women are not given their due. Even if a reporter brings a report upholding gender sensitivity, the desk will turn the story upside down to take away the sensitivity part. Desk has to be trained in gender sensitivity. She pointed out there was a lot of material available on internet that is highly gender insensitive. Bawa pointed out newspaper logos graphically showing a woman downcast after a rape incident, are doing a disservice to the cause of dignity of the survivor.
Shrivastava pointed that there has to be well-targeted research studies on these issues. They have to be regularly fed to the media.
An independent journalist running a website on foreign affairs, Shobha Jain pointed out that media organizations have to provide proper facilities to women apart from them giving challenging duty hours. She said TV has been very frivolous for ensuring its TRP. Women have to be made a part of decision making, Jain said.
SK Jain, a BJP media cell office bearer, praised media for its boldness in demanding accountability. Jain said he was ready to ask his party to support media efforts for gender sensitivity. Manuj Sharma, Film maker, said he was open to any training on how to portray gender sensitivity in films.