Journos, see the issues, not skirts! – The Herald

Name: Journos, see the issues, not skirts!

Name of publication: The Herald

Name of Journalist: Ruth Butaumocho

Date: 06 July 2012

Country: Zimbabwe

Theme: Media

Skills: Portrayal, Headlines

Genre: Opinion & Analysis

Gem classification: Gender Aware

Description
During the session, several women particularly aspiring politicians said they often struggled to receive media coverage and legitimacy in the media and subsequently by the public. This, they said, was not largely due to the quality of news they wanted to share with the public, but they were perceived to be weak newsmakers. One of the women, a district chairperson in Chirumhanzu, said some journalists often hold them accountable for actions of their husbands and their children though they rarely extend the same practice to male politicians. “They ask female politicians questions they will never dare ask a man within the same situation. “If anything they often focus on female candidate’s behaviour outside the office and do never show interest on the work that we are doing in the community,” she explained. Her case is not unique, because there are several women who are faced with the same predicament in their endeavour to engage the media, and have their meetings, events and campaign rallies covered. After haggling and pestering for coverage and should they be lucky to have their event covered, reading a woman’s story, you will realise that more often than not, the story will not say much about the event but will be full of perceived feminine traits.

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