Access to reliable information, fair gender representation, financial support for media (development) organisations and empathetic and skilful leadership are the crucial elements to help the media sector during the crisis and make it emerge stronger in the long run.
This statement was originally published on freepressunlimited.org on 12 May 2020.
Media need to reinvent journalistic methods and focus on crisis mitigation in their organisations.
The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented measures to protect citizens in almost all countries in the world is enormous. Apart from the economic, political, and societal consequences, it exposes and aggravates all the inequalities that already existed and discriminates more against those who were already marginalized, impacting women the most. In previous epidemics like Ebola in West Africa, women faced greater exposure to the virus, in large part due to pre-existing gender norms in their environment. And sadly, we see that happening again, but now on a global scale.
While the GEM (Gender Equality in the Media) programme of Free Press Unlimited supports a long-term vision, the current pandemic requires a swift response to the immediate issues the media organisations face, which, if left unaddressed, will put the existence of the independent media and as such the position of women in danger.
Reliable information
We believe that reliable information, fair gender representation, financial support for media (development) organisations and empathic and skilful leadership are the crucial elements to help the sector during the crisis and make it emerge stronger in the long run.
Free Press Unlimited, directly or through its media development partners, seeks to deliver a coherent support package to media to help them navigate this crisis, facilitate necessary changes, and in doing so support women in society and the media. Learn more about our vision to promote gender equality in and by the media during the COVID-19 crisis.
