As WSCIJ Unveils “Who Leads The Newsroom and News?”
- By Halimah Olamide
Newsrooms that reflect the society makes newspapers stronger.
This was the submission of the former Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, Mr. Emeka Izeze as he spoke at the unveiling of the latest report by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalsim, Who Leads the Newsroom and News?
Izeze, who is also the boss of Frontfoot Media, spoke just as other media industry captains discussed the male-female parity in newsrooms and the effect of editorial coverage.
Izeze recalled how at The Guardian, the company became more intentional in its determination to ensure a good gendre parity in the newsroom.
“Whenever we advertised for reporters, women were not having applying. We then became intentional about recruiting women because be believed that our newsroom must reflect our diversity. “When you have a newsroom that looks like the society, your newspaper becomes stronger.” Izeze stated at the event.
Dickens Olewe, Programme Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, emphasised the fact that the issue of newsrooms reflecting the society they report and providing a gender-balanced view in their reports is an area where journalism had struggled.
He expressed the hope that the report would frame not just the problems but the offer solutions to cross correct and find ways for female journalists to rise through the ranks.
Dr. Theophilus Abbah Programme Director, Daily Trust Foundation, commended WSCIJ for its work and recommended that media organisations should implement policies and improve the representation of women in news reporting.
Abah noted that the report was compiled through empirical data, advising WSCIJ to circulate the document among news media organisations and professional bodies.
According to Juliana Francis of Eagles Online, the report is a tool to engage policymakers and data for journalists reporting gender issues.
She highlighted the abundance of female expert sources across sectors and urged journalists to seek relevant female voices in their reports.
The need for female journalists to carve a niche for themselves in the face of cultural, ethnic, and religious barriers was the focus of Yusuf. In her opinion, the media industry is highly competitive hence, female journalists must strategically position themselves for leadership positions.
Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin of Media Career Development Network stressed the importance of media leveraging technological innovations.
He expressed the belief that technology has enhanced the delivery of news and eased the burdens associated with extended work hours in newsrooms which reportedly affects gender representation in the media.
He called for equity in the media industry and urged media leaders to address the crisis of mass communication students opting for career paths order than journalism.
Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, Professor of Mass Communications at the University of Lagos, said stakeholders must be proactive to engage media regulators to design gender-friendly policies. She urged WSCIJ to engage Ministries of Women Affairs, relevant National Assembly Committees, and media owners. Another academic, Jacob Shagbaor-Suemo, Head of the Mass Communication Department, Nile University, Abuja, stated that journalism is interest-driven, as he advocated for training and empowerment of female journalists. Other contributors to the discussion tasked media leaders to increase commitment to parity, offer tailored leadership training for female journalists and deliberately recruit and mentor of female journalists.
In her closing statement, Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director/CEO of WSCIJ, noted that the report was the fifth since the inception of theReport Womenprogramme in 2014. She highlighted that media leaders must become intentional as the WSCIJ continues to provide them with opportunities for self-reflection with interventions like the Report Women programme and the ‘Who leads the newsroom and news’, report amongst others.
She reiterated WSCIJ’s commitment to engage newsrooms with the report and provide an expert source guide platform that will make profiles of female sources across select sectors readily available as sources of news parity between men and women was an ethical, editorial, business and sustainability issue the media must address while it holds society accountable.