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SESSION B.6 : EXERCISE

NEWS, GENDER AND POWER.

Your group should consider the following position and seek to explore all its ramifications for women, both in the media and as consumers of media products.

Ask one of your group to record conclusions and any recommendations & report back to the larger group for further discussion.

1. POSITION TO CONSIDER:

For some feminists seeking to uphold 'objectivity' as a journalistic ideal, the issue is clearly one of male 'norms, values and long held beliefs'. It is asserted that these are allowed to subjectively distort 'what really took place'.

Although clearly seeking to tell the truth, reporters reduce the roles, opinions and presence of females involved through their unconscious bias.

Effective or good journalism they maintain is gender-neutral. Holders of this position call for journalists to observe a rigorous adherence to systemised methods of gathering and processing 'concrete facts' dispassionately so as to ensure that news accounts are strictly 'impartial'.

Issues you might like to consider are;

  • Is this bias confined to male reporters or are some women journalists also caught in this bias trap?
  • Can the 'truth' of the 'real world' be discovered by this method of assembling 'facts'?
  • Can biased journalism be avoided so long as news accounts accurately reflect reality?
  • And is there a community media way to resolve this?

The discussion within your group may also throw up other aspects of this approach or general observations around women and the media. Report these also.

You have about 30 minutes to explore this topic.


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