A case study from Ecuador

Sandra Lopez, GAMMA

A gender-focused citizens communication observatory seeks to change societal worldviews that sustain inequality. It provides a space for citizens’ critical engagement with media, leads them in analyzing the impact of media messaging on discrimination, violence, abuse and exclusion of women. An observatory combines: media monitoring research; training in critical analysis and interpretation of media content; dissemination and awareness-raising, and; enabling citizen input into local policy debates.

Following below is a case study of the Citizens’ Communication Observatory coordinated by GAMMA¹ in Ecuador, drawing lessons for civil society organizations wishing to learn from this experience to build constructive partnerships with their local media.

The ASMITA - Nepal Experience

Manju Thapa, ASMITA

Over the past 20 years, Asmita Women's Publishing House Media and Resource Organization (ASMITA) in Nepal has been engaged in work to encourage the local media to become more accountable, democratic and gender sensitive. ASMITA has built a strong rapport with mainstream Nepalese media through continued advocacy for gender sensitive content and various interactions and media literacy campaigns with the media persons. It has gained some success in this regard.

Media literacy campaign

Influential media producers argued that they would be willing to listen to comments on their media products if the comments were raised by common media consumers too, and not only by the experts and analysts (1). Such feedback helped shape the idea of developing a media literacy campaign to groom conscious and active media consumers. Media content analysis and subsequent regular inter-actions with media producers on the basis of the findings are the major components of the campaign.

Cathey Ouma, WACC Africa Region

The Africa Region of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC-AR) had an opportunity to share on the findings of the Global Media Monitoring Project 2010 at a conference for Women Leaders and Ambassadors of Hope which was organised by Churches United Against HIV and AIDS (CUAHA), in Nairobi Kenya from 5-7 October 2010. The main purpose of the three-day conference was to recognize that women church leaders are in the right position to be agents of change and ambassadors of hope in their communities within the framework of being an HIV and AIDS competent church.

Sarah Macharia

“The evidence gathered points to news media support of a social imaginary that excludes and discriminates against women. As we know, exclusion and discrimination are the pillar of subordination” (Nidya Pesántez in Who makes the news, GMMP 2010 report, WACC)

The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) research findings provide a lens to understand how skewed gender power relations are structured through news media discourse and imagery.  In this article, we consider an argument for gender justice as an ethic in journalistic professionalism, as an approach through which media practitioners and the broader body of communicators may contribute towards building a culture of peace.

It is often said that peace is more than merely the absence of war. The twin concepts of ‘peace and security’ imply freedom from personal, structural, economic and cultural violence. A feminist definition of peace holds central the values of equality, justice and freedom from discrimination on the basis of any type of difference – whether gender, race, ability, class, ethnicity or other. The pursuit of peace implies the continued struggle to dismantle hierarchical social relations that prop up, justify and perpetuate inequitable power relations of dominance and subordination.

(Highlights from WACC partner projects)

Women’s Media Watch, Jamaica

There is somewhat of a backlash towards women working on women’s rights and gender equality, and this is because in Jamaica young men are in crisis. For example of the over 1,500 murders that take place each year the majority involve young men as perpetrators and victims. The society generally feels that young men need far more attention than young women.—Hilary Nicholson, Women’s Media Watch, Jamaica.

Nicholson’s comment is made in the context of an assessment of challenges experienced by Women’s Media Watch (Jamaica) when implementing the project designed to build awareness of the impact of media on human relationships, human rights and gender inequality. Supported by the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), the project also purposed to counter sexism and violence in the media, with a particular focus on gender-based violence.

Observatório Negro, Brasil

O projeto Qualificação e Mulheres Negras para o Direito Humano à Comunicação com objetivo de qualificar 30 mulheres negras de comunidades populares da Região Metropolitana do Recife, e mais adiante ampliando as atividades com as trabalhadoras domésticas, fortaleceu o entendimento da necessidade e importância da qualificação para o monitoramento da mídia nas ações de combate ao racismo. Dentre as atividades realizadas constaram reuniões preparatórias e de planejamento das atividades junto às mulheres participantes; oficinas sobre identidade, mito da democracia racial, estereótipos da população negra na mídia, democratização racial na comunicação, liderança e feminismo; dia de monitoramento de mídia global; seminário mulheres negras nordestinas no combate à discriminação racial na mídia; produção do guia de enfrentamento ao racismo na mídia.

Sarah Macharia

‘I always look forward to it because it gives me a sense of solidarity. .. I feel that I am not alone, and a lot of people are working together… so it’s about solidarity, it’s about understanding things together, it’s about changing things together, so in a lot of ways it gives me courage…’ (Gitiara Nasreen, GMMP Coordinator for Bangladesh)

Nasreen’s sentiments are echoed by media monitors in more than 130 countries worldwide, participants of the Fourth Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) in November, 2009.

William Bird, Media Monitoring Africa*

There are many great aspects to the GMMP. 

First, it involves media monitoring, which as a dedicated media monitoring organisation is something that always excites us. 

Lilian N. Ndangam, WACC

This year marks the first time online news has been included as part of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP).

Several monitors and coordinators shared their experiences on monitoring day with the global GMMP network.