- Safiu Kehinde
Wole Soyinka Centre of Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has decried the spate of gender-biases in media industry as it called for more women engagement.
The group had, in a visit to the Guardian Newspaper on Monday, made the call, stressing the need to prioritize parity between women and men in the leadership of its newsroom and news.
In the event tagged ‘Report Women!’, the group’s Executive Director, Motunrayo Alaka decried the presence of few women in media leadership and less engagement of women in news coverage as she provided report made by the centre to back up her claim.
According to the report, one in four person in the leadership of the newsroom and news are women.
Alaka noted further the significant disparities in media leadership where only 26.9% of management positions and 24.2% board roles occupied by women.
She, however, called on The Guardian to take deliberate steps to feature more women in leadership roles and news content.
Meanwhile, Director of News and Editor-in-chief of Television Continental Communications (TVC), Stella Din-Jacob, commended the progress of gender equality globally and locally.
While sharing her experience as a leader, she emphasized on the importance of nurturing female reporters, stressing that more women in leadership helps to challenge and change existing stereotypes.
Speaking on the importance of mentorship and professional development, the Managing Director of Media Career Development Network, Lekan Otufodunrin, urged female journalists to pursue leadership roles despite the challenges which he tagged as overcoming the ‘glass ceiling’ that many women face in the news media industry.
“The glass ceiling is real, although invisible. Mentorship and professional development are crucial for female reporters to break through,” he said.