When your headline victim-shames, change your gender narrative and use of language
As the 16 Days of Activism continues to set the tone on gender mainstreaming, at LightRay Media, we believe the language used in the media either empowers or disempowers. It can also inspire a call to action or normalise the status quo of no action. It can challenge and speak truth to power or become a lap dog instead of a watchdog.
As media organisations, your biases are revealed in the headlines of your stories, narrative spin, gender voices or lack of it, the tone, manner and language we deploy. 2023 is the year that holds the media to become more accountable in its reportage going forward. The media, creates the kind of society it creates and foster. Just a kobo for your thought.
Changing the Narrative Perception and Angle on Reportinf Gender Based Violence
As the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence gallops, may we remember to change the narrative perception of merely seeing children as victims only. Children are more than ‘victims’.
Let us tell our stories in such a way that we give them voices as mini humans. Although they are sometimes limited by their size, age, and inexperience, we should begin to present them in a manner that shows that they too can fight for themselves because we tell their stories from a place of strength and not of pity and helplessness.
When children grow up to read articles about what we wrote about them later in future, let them see that as they read into the past about who they were, they come away knowing that they were fearless even in their youngness, innocence, and inexperience.
When other children read about other children, may our reports inspire them to take agency and walk the path of amplifying their voices no matter how small, young, or inexperienced they are.
As the media, our goal is to help them see themselves in the media as someone with a voice, and the power to express it and take down oppressors with solutions embedded in our stories on how they can do so!
Lady E Ejiro Umukoro
Gender Review Policy Advocate
& Convener 100 Women in Media Leadership.
Comments