WHO MAKES THE NEWS?

On 15th February 2006, the Global GMMP 2005 Report containing global, regional and national quantitative and qualitative results was released in London at the Foreign Press Association.

16th February - 8th March 2006: national launches of the global report and activities relating to the promotion of gender equality in and through the media took place in many of the countries that participated in the research in 2005.

"Who Makes the News?" Three Weeks of Global Action on Gender and the Media is endorsed by both UNESCO and UNIFEM.

UNIFEM promotes women's human rights, political and economic empowerment and gender equality in over 100 countries around the globe. In 2006, UNIFEM is observing its 30th Anniversary.

UNESCO welcomes and whole heartedly supports the timely and challenging Three Weeks of Global Action on Gender and the Media "Who Makes the News?" which marked the release of the Global Media Monitoring Project 2005, organized by the World Association for Christian Communication. With the face of journalism rapidly shifting under the ever-pulling tide of the Internet, and the increasing concentration of media ownership, the future of female leadership in the media seems at times to have drifted haphazardly ashore. Though more women continue to join the global journalistic workforce, the amount of those women who currently hold managerial positions remains a dismal figure, representation of women and men in the news on television, radio and in newspapers remains unbalanced and stereotyped.

Will women have equal voice and equal opportunities in the news media of the future? Are future generations of women reporters and anchors destined to be blocked from the positions of power? The debate is still open and ongoing, but most women journalists feel that they can and will influence the industry once women reach a critical mass in decision-making positions. The Three Weeks of global Action on gender and the media "Who Makes the News?", conducted by WACC is an exemplary campaign of global solidarity and partnership to monitor the representation of women and men in the news media with the objective of promoting gender in the media.

Launch partners include UNESCO's Women Make the News Initiative, UNIFEM, Amnesty International's Violence Against Women Campaign, Article 19, the International Federation of Journalists, the Media Diversity Institute, the Television Trust for the Environment, the Stanhope Centre, and One World Trust.

For more information, please consult the Take Action Pack, the Advocacy Toolkit, the Event section, and the FAQs.