REFLECT REALITY Handbook Reflect Reality is a resource and toolkit for newsrooms, journalists and business professionals to increase women as sources in the news media. It includes strategies and best practices from more than two dozen individuals and organizations working around the world to amplify women’s expert and authoritative voice. Reflect Reality was compiled and edited by Natalie White and Deborah Ensor, with help from Jennifer Cobb, Paula Orlando and Genevieve DiVito. It is a product of Internews and the United for News coalition. United for News and the production of Reflect Reality are supported with funding from the News Integrity Initiative at the City University of New York, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. ORIGINS OF THE PROJECT Around the world women represent one of the largest groups left out of the news media. According to the ABOUT Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), only 19% of experts cited in news stories globally are women. This devastating statistic has barely changed in REFLECT decades. REALITY We can and must do better. Imagine for a moment that women experts were fully represented in all media. Women and girls would be empowered and emboldened to fully participate in society, adding untold talent, skills and wisdom to a Origins of world that desperately needs them. Culture would shift and adapt as stereotypes are smashed. And the news and information we all consume would be inclusive of the project diverse voices, rebuilding trust in the critical resource of reputable media. By Jennifer Cobb Director of United for News United for News’ 2018 coalition retreat at the Carey Institute for Global Good, New York. Members gather to outline their plan to address the disparity of women’s voices in the news. United for News is a multi-stakeholder coalition of private sector, media and NGOs committed to supporting and sustaining media around the world. A joint venture between Internews and the World Eco- nomic Forum, our focus is in on leveraging the expertise of all our members and their communities to strengthen reputable media. 3 ORIGINS OF THE PROJECT One of our key concerns is rebuilding trust in media It is our deepest hope that by collecting this wisdom in a around the world. According to the Edelman Trust single, easy to access resource, journalists, newsrooms, Barometer, media is currently the least trusted institution organizations and individuals around the world will be in the world, and skepticism surrounding news orga- inspired to do their part to normalize the expert voices nizations and news reporting is widespread. While of women, so that media does fully reflect the reality we there are many factors needed to restore trust, one key, all inhabit every day. addressable element is ensuring that news and informa- tion reflect the communities they serve. Reflect Reality is our contribution to this challenge. On these pages, you will find a rich and deep set of resources to advance the voices of women in the news. These resources are drawn from the leading experts in the field – individuals and organizations working on the front lines in countries around the world to build greater representation for women’s voices. United for News is deeply grateful to our members for making this work possible. Bloomberg, Edelman, the World Association of Newspapers, the 50:50 Project, Newsgain, the Global Forum for Media Development and Internews bring tremendous insight and wisdom to these pages. We are also grateful to the contributors from around the world, whose insights offer nuance and depth to the work. United for News coalition members share strategies for how news producers can source more women in their stories at We are deeply grateful to our funder, the News Integ- the International Journalism Festival in Perugia Italy. From rity Initiative at the Craig Newmark School of Journal- left: Ros Atkins, Founder of the BBC’s 50:50 Project; Jenny ism at the City University of New York, for making this Holm, Program Manager at Internews; Laura Zelenko, Senior work possible. Executive Editor at Bloomberg; and Melanie Walker, Director of Women in News at WAN IFRA. photo credit: IFJ CONTRIBUTORS In addition to the United for News coalition, stake- holders around the world are engaged in the global Contributors movement to increase the voice of women in the news. We are immensely grateful for the contributions and testimonials of the following individuals. Sarah Macharia, Global Media Monitoring Project – Michelle Foster, Newsgain – Toronto, Canada Paeonian Springs Virginia, USA Jacqueline Gallinetti, Plan International – Leah Mushi, Internews – London, England Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Daniel Nkashama, Radio Okapi – Christine Dobby, The Globe and Mail – Gombe, Democratic Republic of the Congo Toronto, Canada Shari Graydon, Informed Opinions – Sarah Holmes, BBC – Ottawa, Canada London, England Laxmi Parthasarathy, Global Press Institute – Temur Durrani, Toronto Star – Washington D.C., USA Toronto, Canada Lynn Walsh, Trusting News Project – Evelyn Kwong, Toronto Star – San Diego, California, USA Toronto, Canada Giulia Dessi, Media Diversity Institute – Jo Sheldon, Edelman – London, England London, England Misako Ito, UNESCO – Melanie Walker, WAN IFRA – Bangkok, Thailand Toronto, Canada Chuck Rice, Developing Radio Partners – Melissa Stasiuk, The Globe and Mail – Asheville, USA Toronto, Canada Lisa Kimmel, Edelman – Julie Carl, Toronto Star – Toronto, Canada Toronto, Canada Angela Nicoara, Internews – Sara Schonhardt, Earth Journalism Network – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Washington D.C., USA Laura Zelenko, Bloomberg – NYC, USA We also would like to thank the following individuals for their guidance : Nathan Matias, Stephen Grove, Sam Farah, BBC – Lisa Kassenaar, Sophie Nadeau, Jenny Holm, Steve London, England Rubel, Mira Milosevic, Nina Goswami, Ros Atkins, Zofeen Ebrahim, Davinder Kumar, Stephanie Phang, Julianna Iootty, BBC – Jodi Schneider, Gabriela Christie. London, England 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE PROBLEM .......................................................................................................................... 8 Women represent just one quarter of people featured in our news — with little change in two decades .......................................................................................................................8 Arguments for gender equality in the news media ............................................................................................13 MAKING THE CASE .................................................................................................................. 15 Why is it important to increase women as sources in the news? ......................................................................15 It’s Good Journalism ....................................................................................................................................... 16 It Builds Trust .................................................................................................................................................... 17 Employers must champion equity to build trust in media ..................................................................................18 Building trust through transparency ....................................................................................................................21 It’s Good Business ........................................................................................................................................... 23 It’s Good for Society ....................................................................................................................................... 25 Stereotyping in the Media Limits Girls’ Leadership Potential ............................................................................25 CHALLENGES ........................................................................................................................... 29 Obstacles limiting the inclusion of women as sources .......................................................................................29 ‘People say women are not ready to talk’ .........................................................................................................30 ‘It’s related to our customs’ ..................................................................................................................................32 ‘I started to realize it was the same voices in every story’ ................................................................................33 Global Trends Preventing Women’s Involvement in Media ..............................................................................35 STRATEGIES ............................................................................................................................. 38 For News Producers ........................................................................................................................................ 38 ‘The more the newsrooms see value, the more it sticks’ .....................................................................................39 Bloomberg’s New Voices ....................................................................................................................................39 Planning and Analysis .........................................................................................................................................41 Tracking .................................................................................................................................................................44