A global network of women communicators & researchers. With 14 national chapters and members in 54 countries, IAWRT strives to meet the urgent global challenges faced by women in and around the media. It was established in the aftermath of World War II, see The History of IAWRT or IAWRT@ 60
Women have been making news as writers or journalists for hundreds of years. Europe has records of female editors or writers back to the 1600’s, women journalists operated in India under the British Raj and in China in the 1800’s, and probably well before that, but journalism has been a male dominated profession until the last century. In many countries it still is.
Nupur Basu,(pictured) an Indian and international journalist and documentary filmmaker for the last 35 years, has been witness to women entering the profession in ever increasing numbers in the last three decades.
No man said women have the right to live without fear of death as punishment
Media women can prioritise revealing the impact on women when telling stories, along with the impact on the other half of the population, but we cannot make assumptions.
Elections and the future direction of IAWRT
The IAWRT board is urgently seeking member input about improving election procedures for the international board and for views on the organization's work.
2017 may be yet another test of the corporate will of social media giants, with Facebook and Google making promises about cracking down on fake news.
A respected Iraqi woman journalist Afrah Shawqi al-Qaisi was released by kidnappers in January, nine days after being abducted by gunmen from her home.
Cybercrime law used against whistleblower website
Police arrest an editor and raid offices of a popular East African website, Jamali forum, in an attempt to identify contributers.
The member of the month for January 2016 is Ilang-Ilang Quijano. Click on the link below to read more about her story.
By IAWRT-Tanzania Chapter
The Report on Gender Equity and Social Justice in Public Media, compiled from monitoring by chapters of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT), has shown that women and girls are not engaged fully as sources of information or in decision making bodies at different levels compared to male counterparts.
The dynamism and innovation of Archana Kapoor, the head of the IAWRT India chapter, has been recognised in the 2016 Devi awards. They are run by The Sunday Standard, a publication of the New Indian Express Group, to recognise hard work and achievement, against all odds.
The President of IAWRT, Gunilla Ivarsson, participated in high level round-table discussions at the International Development Cooperation Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday December 7th in the lead up to the first General Assembly of the Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG). ESP
The member of the month for December 2015 is Iphigénie Marcoux-Fortier, who was elected to the IAWRT Board, in September. Click on the link below to read more about her story.
The Global Media Monitoring Project 2015, reports little progress towards media gender parity in news in the last five years. “… the decade 2005 to 2015 has been one of stagnation” according to gender and media scholar, Margaret Gallagher. “There has been no change in women’s share of news-making roles in the traditional media (newspapers, radio, television) since 2010, and indeed almost none since 2005 [and] the new digital media (Internet and Twitter news) offer little comfort."
A very practical hand book for reporting and monitoring gender sensitivity in conflict reporting has been released by Swedish women’s organisation called The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation. The compact 14 page booklet is very hands-on, providing a tool for journalists and others who want to understand conflicts in a larger context.
April, 25-27, 2016, Beijing China: Registration now open. This year's event is themed “Let us Talk Radio”. With an insatiable quest for newer, highly mobile and more immersive experiences, radio content creators and journalists are adding new dimensions to the media landscape. Radio is riding a 'Digital Wave' wooing audiences across social media platforms, providing content on multiple mobile and stationary smart devices. .
The first International Development Cooperation Meeting on Gender and Media will be be held from 7 to 10 December 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Alliance on Media and Gender, a partnership involving over 800 media, civil society, academic, private and governmental organizations, incuding IAWRT, will also hold its first general meeting.
Money up for grabs for investigative reporters (applications from female reporters are especially welcome): CALL for ideas: Investigative journalists in Europe interested in privacy, the environment, finance or lobbying can apply for a by-subject cross-border grant with Journalismfund.eu. The application deadline is 25 November 2015.
