Lack of diversity in newsrooms fuels under-reporting on gender

Human rights activist Linda Bauman says low reporting on gender issues in local media is fuelled by a lack of diversity and insufficient training in local newsrooms.

She says the media needs to see gender equality as a central issue, not just a side topic.

“There are plenty of gender-related events and issues that the media could cover, such as policy changes, community initiatives and cases of gender-based violence. The problem might not be the availability of events, but rather how they are prioritised in the news,” she says.

Bauman was responding to a recent report released by media ombudsman John Nakuta showing that private media is under-reporting on issues of gender.

“When private media under reports on gender issues, it limits public awareness and discussion on these important topics. Media is vital for bringing attention to social issues, and without proper coverage, it becomes harder to push for changes that support gender equality,” she says.

Media lecturer Wonder Guchu says the primary tenets of news is what makes news.

“If there is nothing newsworthy about gender, should journalists write stories about people who are not saying anything meaningful?” he asks.

Guchu says gender issues have become synonymous with issues pertaining to women.

“In actual fact, these days gender is about how one feels about their sexuality. This is why to me, the issue of under-reporting on gender issues does not make much sense,” he says.

Guchu says journalists should not compromise news values to pacify donors.

“My honest feeling about this is that donor funding is trying to shape and dictate how newspapers and journalists must do their work,” he says.

He has accused some media houses of receiving donor funding for covering “so-called” gender issues.

“I do not think it is democratic to force every media house to cover the so-called gender issues,” he says.

“After all, do we not talk about independence reporting? So, what will this mean for whoever forces every media house to do whatever the funders want? Is this not a narrative being forced on the journalist and publishers?” asks Guchu.

Guchu is concerned that if things continue this way, the much-hyped press freedoms will be eroded, not by the government, but by wealthy organisations using a gullible few.

“Imagine if this was the government questioning how the media is covering stories, this could have been taken up to mean censorship,” he says.

Social and economic justice activist Nafimane Hamukoshi says the underreporting can hinder the progress of gender equality initiatives.

“It limits public awareness and discourse around critical issues affecting marginalised groups, and a lack of representation in media narratives perpetuates stereotypes and diminishes the urgency of addressing gender-based violence, discrimination and inequality,” she says.

“While there are numerous events and initiatives aimed at raising awareness about gender issues, the challenge lies in ensuring that journalists actively engage with these topics and report them comprehensively,” says Hamukoshi.