WOMEN鈥橲 rights activists and media scholars consider developing a gender-sensitive reporting strategy and an effective system to monitor journalistic practices in print, broadcast and digital media as a priority agenda for media sector reforms. They have expressed their concern at a roundtable discussion on gender-sensitive reporting and said that the majority of media outlets do not have a gender policy. The policy vacuum results in biased and sensationalised reporting. Considering the biased representation of women, their concerns are not misplaced. Victim-blaming is not uncommon in reporting on issues of gender-based violence and gender inequality. Despite a legal bar on disclosing the identity of rape victims, the media have disclosed the identity of victims on a number of occasions. Sensationalised and objectified representation of women for profiteering has also been a concern. The media reforms commission, formed in November 2024, with plans to revitalise the tradition of public interest journalism and strengthen media freedom should, therefore, make gender policy a priority concern.
In addition to patriarchal bias in reporting, there are other concerns. In recent times, the media sector has seen a significant growth, with 45 television channels, 25 FM radio stations, 32 community radio stations, 1,248 daily newspapers and more than 100 online news portals. Women, however, account for only 4 per cent of the work force and they seldom have access to leadership and decision-making. Studies have showed how patriarchal bias in human resource management and labour policy, particularly reluctance at granting maternity leave or ensuring child care, led to a high drop-out rate among women journalists. Except for a few print media houses, the sector does not comply with the High Court order that has asked all employers to set up anti-sexual harassment cells in offices. It has been reported how unresolved cases of sexual harassment have compelled women to leave their profession. The gender-based wage gap has also been reported. Professional associations for journalists have also failed to ensure women鈥檚 representation and rarely addressed issues of gender discrimination. It is, therefore, not an overstatement that the media landscape is male-dominated.
Media reforms should, therefore, include an outlined policy to ensure gender-sensitive reporting and increased women鈥檚 participation. In doing so, the government should review the licensing process so that no new media house is given a license without a gender policy and an anti-sexual harassment cell. The Press Institute of Bangladesh and other similar agencies can play a role in providing appropriate training in gender issues and developing a mechanism to prevent sensationalised reporting for profiteering interests. Professional associations of journalists should abandon their male bias and consider fighting patriarchy in the sector and society.
