Journalists face a variety of threats to their safety and freedom. All too often, women journalists face specific obstacles and threats, from unequal representation and gender-based discrimination to gender-based violence, which often go unaddressed.
However, a growing number of MFC governments are funding innovative initiatives to fill this gap by providing tailored solutions that recognize the unique challenges women face in the journalism industry.
Article 19’s project Equally Safe: Towards a Feminist Approach to the Safety of Journalists, an initiative currently funded by Global Affairs Canada, aims to improve journalists’ safety by offering new research, case studies from 6 countries, practical guidelines, and advocacy tools. These will help civil society, journalists, researchers, and policy makers to apply an intersectional feminist approach in their work
The program is reshaping journalist safety and gender equality in the newsroom. By adopting a feminist framework, the initiative acknowledges that the challenges women journalists face are not just physical but also structural, rooted in longstanding gender biases.
Dilrukshi Handunetti, Journalist and administrator of South Asian Women in Media, Sri Lanka said, “Women should not be negotiating for their space within their place of work. The time for responses designed by men, for men, is over.”
Bia Barbosa, Project Coordinator, Reporters Without Borders added, “Women are silenced before they are murdered. Failing to understand how violence has different impacts on women journalists and men journalists, or even LGBTQI+ journalists, means that protection policies overlook the specific protections that women journalists need.”
Senior freelance journalist Nirasha Piyawadani, from Sri Lanka, emphasized the importance of an intersectional approach by highlighting, “If the aggrieved party is an English-speaking journalist attached to a foreign media outlet, the response is empathetic and will likely yield a tangible result. But the same cannot be expected if a regional journalist is faced with an unsafe working condition.”
The disparities in responses to threats or crises reinforce the need for policies and programs that are sensitive to the diverse experiences of journalists based on their identity.
Another initiative funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Journalists for Human Rights, Canada World: Voice for Women and Girls program in Turkey and Tunisia, is a four-year initiative aimed at improving the status of women’s and girls’ rights in the DRC, Syrian communities in Turkey, Tunisia, and Kenya. The program targets media, civil society and women’s rights organizations, academic institutions, decision-makers, and other key stakeholders, with the goal of developing the media sector and fostering partnerships.
By focusing on the professional development of women journalists, the program seeks to ensure they have the resources, networks, and recognition to thrive in their careers. The program has resulted in significant changes, and amplified women’s voices in public life, a notable example being Syrine Mrabet’s journey from participating in workshops to becoming a parliament member in Tunisia.
The Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF), funded by several MFC governments, also supports local, regional and global not-for-profit organizations working to bolster journalists’ legal protection and/or enhance media freedom through relevant investigative journalism and strategic litigation.
One organisation it has funded was Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP) in Colombia, undertaking legal initiatives to counter gender-based violence targeting women journalists. FLIP is also the current co-chair of the MFC’s Consultative Network.
Since 2021, FLIP and UNESCO, through the GMDF, have collaborated to enhance media freedom, providing journalists with access to legal assistance and bolstering their safety. In 2022, FLIP documented 44 instances of online aggression specifically directed at women journalists, which were predominantly gender-based stereotypes, insulting comments and degrading remarks about their professional roles. Through their work, the Administrative Court of Cundinamarca acknowledged the existence of a troubling pattern of violence against women journalists on social media platforms. This highlighted the urgency of the issue, and the need for tangible actions to combat the violence female journalists were facing.
The Constitutional Court of Colombia subsequently recognised that women journalists face a double standard of discrimination based on both their gender and profession. Consequently, the court ordered political parties, movements, and leaders found guilty of violence against women journalists to implement preventive measures. This included sanctioning online gender-based violence and establishing a mechanism to address individual petitions and legislation.
Diana Santos from FLIP emphasised the importance of this. “This decision recognizes that online violence is a phenomenon that increasingly affects the privacy and security of women journalists, setting an important precedent for addressing the differential impact of online violence on women journalists within the political exercise that currently jeopardizes women’s participation in the public sphere and democratic life.”
To learn more about other initiatives funded by the Global Media Defence Fund, find more case studies here. They have also recently launched an interview series; their first interview featuring Charlene Miwa Nagae of Tornavoz discusses the gender-specialized legal defence her organization provides to women journalists. These global initiatives show that support for women journalists is critical in ensuring that they not only survive in their careers but also thrive and lead the way in shaping the future of journalism.
