Persuasive Writing

                     "ARE WOMEN THE TARGETS?"     

                           Should the Media pull women journalists out of war zones?                                                                      

Should female journalists be sent out to cover conflict, critical zones? How safe is it? What are the problems that she might have to undergo? Who is responsible for her if something went erroneous: The channel or the woman herself?

   If media are a mirror of society as they should be, they certainly need to reflect better the fact that gender equality is a fundamental human right. “Gender Equality does not mean that men and women have to become the same, but that their rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female.” ABC of women worker’s rights and gender equality, ILO.

    It is essential that the media promote gender equality, both within the working environment and in the presentation of women. Journalism is no exception. But since the very beginning, journalism is considered to be a male-dominated profession. Many of the stereotypes have reflected a mental block not only in terms of what society may expect from women, but also on a much serious note, in terms of what women may expect from themselves.

    I stand for the topic. I think if women are comfortable and aware of the pros and cons that are associated with it, then they have all the right to make their own decision and go forward with it.

   Today, more women than ever are working in media. In some countries like Russia and Sweden, they form a majority of the journalism workface. According to the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), a global survey taken every five years since 1995, by 2005, 57% of all television news presenters were women, yet only 29% of news items were written by female reporters. Meanwhile only 32% of “hard” news was written or covered by women. Women are more often found reporting on “soft” subjects, such as social issues, the family, or arts and “living” (up to 40% women).

   Females molested. abused, sexual assault and violence are some of the terms we hear frequently when talking about women and girls in the news and media. But even after all of this, women choose to be silent and not confess it in front of the rest of the world as it could lead to a deterioration in future assignments, further effecting their career immensely.

   

    How much of the risk faced by female war reporters due to their profession – and how much due to their gender?

    Amidst one of the most turbulent years in female history, war correspondents have been thrown into the spotlight. Some instances, such as Alex Crawford’s exclusive coverage of the fail of Tripoli for Sky News, were testament to the tenacity of women in the field.

     Last month, Marie Colvin’s death, alongside French photographer Rémi Ochlik, in a bomb blast in Syria shocked the industry. And last year, the attack on CBS correspondent Lara Logan in Tahrir Square illustrated the particular dangers of that women face. Logan later gave an interview of 60 minutes, of how she had her clothes ripped off her body, was beaten and “raped with their hands”.

  

       A few steps should be taken to improve the current status of women by each organization to ensure safety of the woman while making sure that it does not hamper her work, career and success. A few recommendations by INSI for a woman’s safety working in war zones are as follows. Women journalists should be encouraged to discuss their particular needs for support and protection by their male colleagues – male and female- and ensure that these are met. Colleagues and managers should be aware of the unnecessary pressure women can experience to prove that they are capable of doing the job. It must be made explicitly clear to everyone that sexual harassment and uninvited sexual advances are unacceptable. Male bosses should be aware of it and acknowledge the threat and fear of rape. If possible, women journalists should be allowed a say in who they would like to work with in a team. Women journalists including freelancers should also, if possible have the opportunity to train in self-defense.

       To address the issue, International News Safety Issue (INSI) conducted an investigation in 2010 to check whether female reporters found the task of reporting danger conflict zones especially difficult. The survey included women freelancers, travelling reporters, staff members and women based in foreign bureaus. The INSI survey suggested that a total of about 82% respondents reported physical attack and about 55% spoke of sexual abuse. However, a major percentage of female journalists covering conflict zones believe that they should be treated equally among their male colleagues. The conclusion brought out from this statement held true to most of the journalists who were interviewed.

      Several women who were interviewed believe that their job as journalists in life-threatening zones was not challenging due to their gender. Conversely, the trick for journalists for either gender is to fly below the redar. “A TV camera already draws a lot of attention and makes you stand out”, says BBC foreign affairs correspondent Orla Guerin. “You need to dress in a way that doesn’t compound that. The aim is to connect with people, not antagonize them.”

      However, Guerin and Holland argue that nationality can be one of the biggest problems. “Being from the wrong ethnic group, in the wrong place, can be a death sentence.” Guerin says. “There are no hard and fast rules, for men or for women, and no guarantees. Everyone is at risk in a war zone. You have to rely on instinct – and luck.”

   

     After all of this, I know and can totally imagine what a huge responsibility it really is for the media. They go through a lot and I respect them for it. I stutter to even think of accepting these challenges and actually going up there. It is very easy for us to sit in our comfort zone and to debate over it. We are actually no one to decide whether women should go cover war zones or not. But they should be prepared of the consequences. Hats Off to all the women journalists fighting out there, just for the fact that we get to know about the latest happenings.