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Discussion forum — tell us what you think about issues relating to media, women in media and journalism
The Network of Women in Media, India, is an association which aims to provide a forum for women in media professions to share information and resources, exchange ideas, promote media awareness and ethics, and work for gender equality and justice within the media and society. Local groups linked to the NWMI are currently functioning in 16 centres across the country.
 

NWMI CONDEMNS THE PHENOMENON OF 'PAID NEWS'
AT KOZHIKODE MEETING

Nearly 120 women journalists from across India met in Kozhikode from 5 to 7 February 2010 for the eighth annual conference of the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI). At panel discussion on media and democracy, which was open to the public, eminent journalists Mrinal Pande, the new Chairperson of Prasar Bharati and T.N. Ninan, Chairman and Editorial Director of Business Standard, as well as editors of several leading Malayalam newspapers, spoke about the phenomenon of "paid news" within the context of the ongoing deterioration of ethics and standards in the media and suggested several steps that could be taken to curb this trend.

Well-known social and political activist Aruna Roy, who inaugurated the conference, also spoke about the need for a more constructive intervention from the Fourth Estate on several key issues confronting the country today, including attacks on tribals and minorities.

Read full text of statement issued at the end of the NWMI conference

Global Media Monitoring Project 2009-2010

Members of the Bengal network monitoring media for the GMMPThe fourth Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) 2009-2010 got under way on Tuesday, 10 November 2009. The Network of Women in Media, India, coordinated the project in India.

22 volunteers from different walks of life, located in different parts of the country, monitored 26 newspapers in 10 languages, 13 TV channels in 6 languages, and 6 radio stations in 5 languages. Seven of them were professors / teachers who involved their students in the monitoring. In addition, students in 19 colleges scattered across the country (many outside the large metropolises) participated in the monitoring.

Click here for more details on the GMMP

For updates on the monitoring process in different parts of the world, visit the GMMP website, Who Makes the News

Assembly of South Asian Women in Media

Nandita Das giving the keynote addressNearly 200 women working in media in eight countries across South Asia recently met and interacted at the first regional conference of the newly established South Asian Women in Media (SAWM). The conference on the theme, "Women in Media: Challenges, Opportunities and Partnership," was held in Lahore, Pakistan.

Read more

Perspectives on South Asian women and media

Pakistan: crossing borders, sharing words, joining the dots
By Pamela Philipose

Women in the media
By Zubeida Mustafa

Women in the newsroom
By Ammu Joseph

Gender Sensitization Workshops with Local Media: An Initiative of NWM-Mumbai
By Kalpana Sharma and Sameera Khan
(April-May 2009)

The Seventh Annual Meeting of the Network of Women in Media, India

Present in the seventh annual conference of NWMI was Irom Sharmila, who has been on an indefinite fast demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958About 60 women journalists from different parts of the country (Mumbai to Kolkata, Kerala to Assam) gathered in Imphal, Manipur, from 5 to 7 March 2009, for the 7th annual NWMI meeting. The first gathering of such a large number of Indian women journalists in the Northeast, representing a variety of media in several languages, was also the first exposure for many of the difficult and complex realities of life in Manipur and the first opportunity to see for themselves how events and issues in Manipur and other states in the region are so inadequately covered by the media in the rest of the country.

Mainland media women in marginalised Manipur: Report of the seventh annual meeting of the NWMI

Also read

We need to learn from the Northeast: Statement by the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI)
issued at the end of the NWMI meeting held in Imphal (Manipur) in March 2009

Articles on the situation in Manipur by NWMI members

Anupama Jayaraman Memorial Award presented

Ms. Alifiya Khan of Mumbai is the winner of the third Anupama Jayaraman Memorial Award for young women journalistsThe Network of Women in Media, India has pleasure in announcing Alifiya Khan of Mumbai as the winner of the third Anupama Jayaraman Memorial Award for young women journalists. Alifiya is a senior correspondent at The Hindustan Times, Mumbai. Her articles on public health services in particular drew the attention of the jury. The theme for 2008 was `Human Rights and Social Justice.’

How the Telugu media sold its soul for cash

The Network of Women in Media, Hyderabad, writes to the chief electoral officer of Andhra Pradesh calling attention to the trend of selling news space to political parties and candidates during elections which, as they point out, is not only a gross dereliction of duty by the Fourth Estate but actually endangers democracy.

Read more

Also read

Fighting paid election coverage

Dalit women filmmakers behind the cameraNWMI co-hosts launch of "Affirming Life & Diversity"

Local networks affiliated to the NWMI in four cities -- Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai -- were associated with the launch of a multi-media publication produced by non-literate, Dalit women film-makers from Andhra Pradesh that brings together rural images and voices on food sovereignty.
Media & women's empowerment in the Northeast

Report on a workshop on "Empowerment of Women through Media" in Tezpur University, Assam, organised in collaboration with the NWMI through its new chapter in Assam.

Also read:
Connecting to the Northeast

The Sixth National Meeting of the Network of Women in Media, India

Mallika Sarabhai giving the keynote address to the annual NWMI meeting at Pune125 media women from all over India, besides other guests, media students and enthusiasts, gathered for the three day long national meet of the Network of Media, India, at Pune, on 8-10 February to discuss important social and media related issues, exchange ideas, views, work and strategies, felicitate women achievers in the media and attend workshops. Mallika Sarabhai was the chief guest and the keynote speaker at the event.

For details click here

Discussion on media, security forces and democracy

Beyond vice and victimhood: Towards a balanced media representation of sex workers

Panel discussion on media ethics and sting operation

NWMI resolution on discrimination against media based on language

The sixth conference of the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) that concluded today expresses deep concern over the Hindi media being barred from a press conference addressed by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray.
Report on NWMI's 5th Annual Meeting

click here...(.pdf, 3.1MB) — includes a short history of the NWMI and brief descriptions of previous network meetings.
NWMI statement on racist portrayal of women from the Northeast by Mail Today

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NWMI letter to West Bengal CM condemning Taslima Nasreen's ouster from the state

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NWMI statement on the Taslima attack
The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) strongly condemns the recent violent attack on Bangladeshi writer, Taslima Nasreen, in Hyderabad. The attack highlights the security concerns that writers in general and women writers in particular face from fundamentalist forces of all hues.

Read more

Women journalists call for public debate on broadcast bill and content code

The Network of Women in Media, India, registers its concern about the Broadcast Bill (Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill, 2007 and Content Code (Self-Regulation Guidelines for the Broadcasting Sector). As media professionals aware of the important role of media in society, we welcome the long-delayed effort towards media regulation, which is a feature of all mature democracies that respect the fundamental human right to freedom of expression, of which freedom of the press/media is a crucial part. The Supreme Court of India has also clearly stated that the airwaves belong to the public and that their use is to be regulated by a public authority in the interests of the public.

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Bills, Codes and Women
Excerpts from an article posted by Ammu Joseph on WIMN: The draft Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill, 2007 (a.k.a. Broadcast Bill) and the Self-Regulation Guidelines for the Broadcasting Sector (a.k.a. Content Code) unveiled by the Ministry in the third week of July have raised quite a bit of heat and dust within the Indian media community.

Much of the discussion has focused on the Code, particularly the section relating to news and current affairs programming, and its likely effects on freedom of expression. Although initial reactions from the media industry reflected some unhappiness with the Bill’s provisions relating to media ownership, that issue has subsequently (ominously?) slipped out of sight.

Read more

Calling all media women…
We need regular contributions to our various sections to keep the site vibrant and dynamic. News, experiences, articles, interviews, links, everything is welcome -- as long as it fits in with the focus and format of the website.

Send your contributions to NWMI editor
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's new
Opportunities
> Summer development fellowships in the U.S. seeks applicants: Journalists from developing countries are encouraged to apply for a three-week summer fellowship at Stanford University, called the Draper Hills Summer Fellowship on Democracy and Development Program. Deadline: 8 January 2010
> Community Journalism programme: Video Volunteers is launching VIVIDH, a Community Journalism programme that will provide fellowships to 60 local activists from across the country and train them in video journalism. The long term goal of the CJ programme is to create a video news agency from the poorest parts of the world, a sort of Reuters for the slums and villages, that will enable news agencies to access fascinating personal stories of social change and human rights from the most rural and remote parts of the country. Nominations are solicited.
> 6th Asian Women’s Film Festival: The IAWRT-INDIA, in partnership with the IIC Project, is organizing the 6th Asian Women’s Film Festival in New Delhi on 7- 8 March 2010. Film makers can send in their entries by 20 December 2009.

> Knight International Journalism Fellowships in India and Bangladesh: A program of the International Center for Journalists is seeking experienced journalists to lead projects that involve mentoring and training journalists.

> Journalism fellowship in the US - Deadline: Varies by country, but usually June to September for the following year (Now for 2009-2010)
> Daniel Pearl Awards to honor world's best cross-border investigative journalism: The 2010 Daniel Pearl Awards competition has begun accepting entries. The contest is open to any journalist or team of journalists of any nationality working in any medium. Entries must involve reporting in at least two countries on a topic of world significance. Deadline: 15 January 2010

Newsmakers

> Teresa Rehman receives the Sanskriti Award for Journalism (2009): Currently Principal Correspondent of Tehelka, based in Guwahati, she has been recognised for her exceptional coverage of the entire Northeast region of India.
> Supriya Khandekar has been awarded the Young Development Journalist of the Year Award at the Developing Asia Journalism Awards (DAJA) organized by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) on Friday, 23 October 2009. She was chosen among 22 finalists from all over Asia and the Pacific region for the award.

News and views

National
> NWMI condemns the phenomenon of "Paid News" at Kozhikode meeting: Nearly 60 women journalists from across India and an equal number from different parts of Kerala met in Kozhikode from 5 to 7 February 2010 for the eighth annual conference of the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI).
> 11th Madurai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2009 -10: Organised by MARUPAKKAM & Media Research Centre, Department of Philosophy, The Madura College, the festival will take place from 15 to 19 December 2009 at The Madura College, Madurai.
> Misogyny in Telugu serials: Gone are the days of mother-in-law taunting the daughter-in-law to irritate. She now gets her kin knifed on a highway by henchmen. Padmaja Shaw says Telugu serials are empowering women by making them evil.
> How the media helped ‘out’ LGBT issues: The media’s positive reaction to the overturning of Section 377, and the debates it initiated across the public spectrum, gave the LGBT issue a much needed airing and buttressed the enlightened ruling of the Delhi High Court, says Siddharth Narrain.
> New voices of the Valley: With changing times and the burgeoning media landscape, women journalists in Kashmir are finally coming into their own. AFSANA RASHID gives an insider’s view to the challenges women reporters in the valley have to contend with.
> Muslims and the Indian media: Book review by Yoginder Sikand.
> Journalists take the brunt of violence in Assam by Nava Thakuria: An already violent culture area goes after the messengers.
> Indefatigable diva: She combined the reviewer’s instinct for recognising a dud, the story getter’s natural aggression and the TV anchor’s easy confidence. Sevanti Ninan describes the Amita Malik she knew.
> Women's coalition to defend cultural freedom: On 9 February 2009 various women's groups in Hyderabad came together to oppose the Ram Sene activists. Seven women's organisations decided to form a group called 'Women for Cultural Freedom' to oppose all illegal and unconstitutional activities and assert the freedom of speech and expression.
> Statement against attacks on women in Mangalore: The physical and verbal assault on women in a pub in Mangalore on Sat, 24 Jan, has generated outrage among those who believe that India is a democracy. This statement, signed by citizens across the country, including journalists, includes a comment on media's role in the episode. The statement is open for endorsement online.

> The mayhem in Mumbai — readers react: Was it necessary to provide 24-hour coverage of the hostage crisis? Did it do anything for the viewers, the security forces, the helpless hostages, Mumbai city or the nation?

> Watching the Watchdog: The electronic media did not live up to its own self-imposed code, notes media analyst Ammu Joseph.

> Unpacking the Pixel: Kalpana Sharma assesses 60 hours of continuous media coverage of the Mumbai crisis and notes the significant gaps.
> Current global financial crisis and the Indian media: Some months ago, India's media and entertainment sector was the darling of most investors. Today, with the ad market looking ready to settle into a deep slumber and the global financial meltdown adding to the gloom, things don't look rosy anymore.
> National Commission for Women: NCW has recommended amendments to the Indecent Representation of Women Act, broadening the definition of "indecent representation" and introducing more stringent punishment under the law. Is the NCW taking the debate on representation of women in the media forward in a meaningful way?
South Asia
> Al Jazeera’s path-breaking The Listening Post programme looks at enduring challenges facing media freedom in Sri Lanka
> Asia's other eclipse: By Nalaka Gunawardene, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
> New Sri Lankan media monitoring website: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is pleased to announce the immediate availability of its mainstream media monitoring site.
> Blow to free media once again
> Statement by Sonali Samarasinghe Wickrematunge on World Press Freedom Day
> IFJ and SAMSN release seventh annual report: The report on press freedom in South Asia, produced by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) for the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN), documents alarming trends in working conditions for journalists.
> Is the foreign media portraying a skewed image of Pakistan or are they simply reporting the reality? This article was published in The Herald, Pakistan.
> Paradise Lost? Ammu Joseph's post on the recent flogging incident in Pakistan
> ‘By our lady correspondents’ — Nirupama Subramanian: A new initiative in Pakistan focuses on the famous and not-so famous women in journalism, their profiles and contribution to the growth of media in the country.
> South Asia worst region for capturing journalists' killers, says CPJ's impunity index
> Pakistan: Senior reporter gunned down
> Writers Under Siege: Groundviews invited renowned Sri Lankan poets, novelists and other writers to respond to the violence, impunity and the vicious clampdown on the freedom of expression in Sri Lanka through prose or verse. Two award winning poets — Indran Amirthanayagam and Sivamohan Sumathy were the first to write in.
> Sri Lanka: 'Govt Targets Media Under Civil War Cover' by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta
> Information to entertainment: A new study reveals significant changes in the way the people of Bhutan view the media. According to a draft report of the Media Impact Study 2008, Bhutanese now see media as source of entertainment whereas, just five years ago, they viewed media as source of information.
> In the Balance: Press Freedom in South Asia 2007-2008. An IFJ Asia Pacific report. The report, released ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, highlights the serious challenges that continue to confront the media in a region that is home to more than one-fifth of humanity.
> REAL NEWS — 'The promise' unfolds
International
> Gender Links, South Africa, is launching "Glass Ceilings: Women and Men in Southern African Media," the most comprehensive audit ever undertaken of women and men in Southern African media houses. The following articles are based on the research:
Women still hitting glass ceilings in media
Women make a difference in media
Sexual harassment still rampant in newsrooms
Women still missing from top media posts
> Twitter is not for teens, Morgan Stanley told by 15-year-old expert: A report on young people's media habits written for an investment bank by teenage intern causes huge interest among media executives and investors.
> Ethics and Gender: Equality in the Newsroom, Brussels Declaration
> World Press Freedom Day 2009: World Press Freedom Day serves as an occasion to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate the benefits of a free and independent press; and to defend the media from attacks on their independence. Message of UN Secretary — General Ban Ki-moon
> A Sanctuary of Dissent: Pacifica Radio, born on 15 April 1949, is the oldest independent media network in the United States, and its sixtieth birthday comes as a deepening crisis engulfs mainstream media. Column by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!
> Documentary on the first Pacifica Radio station: KPFA on the Air by filmmakers Veronica Selver and Sharon Wood, narrated by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker.
> RSF Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2008
> Bad Days for Newsrooms—and Democracy: The decline of newspapers is about the rise of the corporate state, the loss of civic and public responsibility and the intellectual poverty of our post-literate world. Now information is conveyed mainly through rapidly moving images rather than print.
> Why so few women in media?
This qualitative study seeks to explain why so few women enter and stay in the media. Interviews with editors, women and male journalists, and members of other institutions suggest that what is on paper, i.e. legislation to bring about more gender equality, has in reality not brought about any dramatic progress in the media and in its coverage of gender.
> Gender equality most important struggle on the planet: Stephen Lewis, Co-Director of AIDS-Free World

> Internet clogged by 2010? Consumer and corporate Internet usage could outstrip network capacity both in North America and worldwide in a little more than two years, says a new study.

Research

> Who makes the news? In November 2009, the world news media will once again come under scrutiny during the 4th Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP). Volunteers from women's rights organisations, media associations, academia, etc., across the world will collaborate in a one-day global research on gender in their local news media. The GMMP is the largest and longest longitudinal study on gender in the world’s news media.
> Written-off — How the Indian news media deals with its freelance journalists: In late February last year, an informal survey of freelance journalists in India was carried out. The questionnaire itself was ad hoc, but the trends that emerged were clear — most freelance journalists are perceived as the stepchildren of the Indian news media. The entire survey was carried out online over a 15-day period in March-April 2008. Read More...
> Global Report on Status of Women in News Media: The International Women's Media Foundation is launching a research project to examine the news media industry structure worldwide from a gender perspective. It will document the levels of involvement by women in the news media at professional, decision-making and governance levels. Read More...
Reading list
> Muslims and the Indian media: Book review by Yoginder Sikand.
> Mirror to media: Paranjoy Guha Thakurta's Media Ethics: Truth, Fairness and Objectivity, and Ather Farouqui’s Muslim and Media Images: New versus Views are books that look at ethical issues in journalism and the depiction of Muslims in the media.
> Getting the Balance Right: Gender Equality in Journalism — The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) recently unveiled a publication on gender equality designed to engage journalists in the fight against gender discrimination. Read more...
> How To Become A Good Journalist — a book on journalism by Raza Elahi
> A tale of how television changed India: 'India on Television' by Nalin Mehta discusses how television has changed the contours of the Indian psyche. Satellite television has engendered a transformation in Indian political culture and expressions of Indian nationhood. Read More...
> Headlines from the Heartland
> Communicating Disasters: Asia Pacific Resource Book (.pdf, 156 KB)
> Whose News? and Making News
Resources
> Handbook on covering HIV/AIDS on TV: "Getting the Story and Telling it Right: HIV on TV", a handbook for television producers and trainers by K.P. Madhu et al, UNESCO Series on Journalism Education.
> Reuters' stylebook and code of ethics: The international news service, Reuters, has published their style guide for the first time. The handbook contains sections on standards and values, the 10 absolutes of Reuters journalism, a general style guide and sports style guide, a guide to Reuters' operations, specialised guidance dealing with sourcing, legal dangers, Internet-based reporting, dealing with threats and complaints etc.
> Multilingual manual on investigative reporting launched: Investigative journalists who speak English, Arabic and French can now access a free manual that focuses on the basics of finding, structuring and composing an investigation.
> Extensive online 'toolbox' of resources available for journalists: Journalists looking to increase their skills and knowledge and to find relevant resources can check out the Society of Professional Journalists' (SPJ) recently updated "Journalists' Toolbox."
> Tips help photojournalists cover conflict effectively and safely: Photojournalist Michael Kamber of the New York Times recently published a blog post about conflict photojournalism for Lens, the photojournalism blog of the Times.
> New multilingual tool tracks food prices in poor countries
> Civil society initiative on media policy: This set of documents has been put together in the hope that they will help inform the ongoing (if sporadic) public debate on media regulation in India, with particular reference to the broadcast sector.
> The Hastings Center Bioethics Briefing Book for Journalists
> New guidelines for HIV/AIDS reporting
> Violence against women: A fact sheet
> Gender and Media Diversity Centre
> Virtual Resource Centre (including Online Clippings Library)
> Interjunction: Media meets academia
> AlertNet video outlines tools for journalists
> Monthly features service on HIV and AIDS launched by Panos' Global AIDS Programme
> Online resource for reporters worldwide covering issues related to HIV and AIDS
 
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