ADDIS ABABA– With their number standing low, women journalists are contributing less in reporting women’s issues in the media, said Women Journalists who also argues the issue has become a onetime campaign.
According to Yeshimebet Demeke, Senior Editor at Ethiopian News Agency told The Ethiopian Herald she is more passionate about women’s issues. When I was working as a reporter, I used to give coverage to women’s issues on economic, social, political, and other spheres.
Now being an editor, I encourage other women journalists to work on women’s issues, which is in fact their issue. The issue of women has received less attention compared to other matters. Only few women journalists do accord some coverage to the matters concerning women issues in their news and article stories.
The issue of women gets high coverage on March 8, but it should be getting constant attention throughout.
For instance, women had significant role in the victory of Adwa, they had helped Ethiopian soldiers by preparing food, inspiring soldiers by music’ did not get much credit though.
The name of Itege Tayitu might be popular and well-popularized , however, other heroines had not been recognized There is an editorial policy in the media that calls attention to women’s issues, but there is a gap in the practice, she said adding that women journalists have a power to show the existing challenges of women as they share common experience. “ They should play their roles to solve or to find out solutions for the prevailing problems of women.”
Lidiya Tesfaye is a Senior Editor at Addis Maleda Newspaper., She said that women journalists are severely underrepresented in the newsrooms, television and radio stations. Due to this reason, handfuls of women journalists are trying to give news coverage about women’s affairs.
In addition to, Media can speedily and widely spread feminism ideologies but, underrepresentation of women journalists in the news production leads to have less media coverage of women concerns. Media can shed light on women’s issues but there is also lack of commitment to discuss women’s issues to come up with effective solutions.
“When we do news for women, our sources of information are mostly men, but better than men, women are more aware of the problems they have about themselves however, they are hardly give interviews.”
Women’s issues should not be a matter of time; it should always be our job to solve their challenges and to promote their participation.
The Ethiopian Herald March 07, 2020
BY ESSEYE MENGISTE
