Moldova media pledges to promote gender equality
33 Moldovan media outlets commit to promote gender equality and present more balanced coverage of women, particularly of women in politics and women entrepreneurs.Date:
Television, radio, print and online media outlets in Moldova made a ground-breaking commitment to promote gender equality in their news coverage. Representatives from newsrooms across the country took part in a UN Women-supported workshop where they agreed to a more balanced reflection of women and men in their stories, including an allocation of at least 30 per cent of editorial space or airtime to women as protagonists.
By making the Media for Gender Equality commitment participating Moldova media outlets pledged to report consistently on women entrepreneurs and women`s involvement in politics and public administration. In addition, they plan to promote the importance of participation of both parents in children's education. Reporters also agreed to use gender sensitive, non-sexist language and balanced images when reporting on the work of women and men.
Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia of UN Women, said that media can be a crucial ally in ensuring equality between women and men: "UN Women relies on media representatives to be champions in eliminating gender stereotypes and promoting gender equality.”
32 media outlets took part in the roundtable Gender Equality and Media: A Challenge for Moldova carried out by the Association of Independent Press (API).
"I appealed to media institutions to make concrete commitments and specific measurable gender indicators in different areas. Some newsrooms assumed ambitious commitments, some more modest, but it is important that journalists and editors understand the importance of concrete commitments," said Petru Macovei, Executive Director of API.
Part of activities within the UN Programme Women in Politics, implemented by UN Women and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the East Europe Foundation and the Center "Partnership for Development", with financial support from the Government of Sweden, the roundtable marks the end of the Mass-media institutions support program in ensuring gender equality, which ran from June 2015-July 2016.
Her Excellency Signe Burgstaller, Ambassador of Sweden in Moldova said that “Sweden strongly supports national efforts to combat persistent gender stereotypes in society, but also media commitments to promote gender equality and properly reflect the image of women in public and political life."
In addition, the Women in Politics programme will continue to monitor some media groups’ performance.
The event concluded a 10-month process of monthly self-assessments conducted by API, individual and group capacity building sessions, and exchanges of examples of balanced reporting. UN Women helped to ensure that the Media for Gender Equality commitments have specific time-bound targets for each media outlet, based on their own assessments of what they can accomplish by the end of 2017.
"Gender balance should be a natural journalistic principle," said Ms. Liliana Palihovici, Vice-President of Moldova’s Parliament. “A fair and balanced representation of women and men in the media can lead to an improved social cohesion and increase citizens’ confidence in the media.”
Iulia Sirotiuc, editor at the TV 7 station, said that TV 7 journalists accepted this program as a challenge: "We`ve been working hard to invite an equal number of men and women on our programs and talk shows.”
The newsrooms that signed the commitment "Media for Gender Equality" are:
- Audiovisual media: TV 7, Moldova 1, Radio Moldova, SorTV (Soroca), Radio Orhei, Media TV (Cimişlia), Noua Televiziune de Sud (Taraclia), Drochia TV, Radio Chisinau, Radio Moldova Tineret;
- Print media: "Jurnal de Chisinau", "Natura", “Vocea Poporului” ("Voice of the People"), the news agency IPN, “Cuvantul”/ “The Word" (Rezina), "Gazeta de Sud" (Cimişlia), "Glia Drochiană" (Drochia), “Observatorul de Nord” "(Soroca), "Unghiul" (Ungheni), "SP" (Balti), “Gazeta Satelor”;
- Online media: Gagauzinfo.md, Realitatea.md, Ziuadeazi.md, Unimedia.info, Everydayjournalism.md, Ialovenionline.md, Rasputin.md, Stirilocale.md, Trm.md, Diez.md, Zugo.md.