Media literacy and GIME: One leads to the other

The struggle to ensure that women and men are given equal voice in and through the media is embedded in the broader struggle for press freedom. Until recently, much of GL’s work focused on media producers (editors and journalists) as well as media shapers (NGOs and decision makers). The 2003 Gender and Media Audience Study ushered in a new area of work around media consumers, eventually leading to the development of a gender and media literacy kit.

The media literacy course involves understanding how the media is constructed and what avenues exist for media consumers to criticise the media (for example letters, call in shows and complaints to regulators). In addition, the course covers how citizens can use new information and communication technology to create their own media.

Over the last four years, GL has run pilot media literacy courses in South Africa using its training kit: Watching the Watchdogs. Similar courses have been piloted throughout the region over the last two years. The kit was developed in a binder format with notes to trainers and a generic set of tools including “core” exercises that can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the target audiences. The modules allow for maximum participation and creativity on the part of learners, as well as adaptation to local circumstances.

GL undertook research on the gender provisions of media laws and policies (which were found to be weak) as well as the gender composition of media houses and media content (which is unbalanced). Having done that, GL decided to tackle the slow progress in empowering women in and through the media by specifically looking at gender in media education. The findings of the Gender In Media Education (GIME) research can be found here and is currently being launched in countries in the region.

The GMDC is now working on incorporating the identification of gender entry points into the courses in the Watching the Watchdogs toolkit. This will then be added to a gender mainstreaming handbook for journalism and media educators.