Winner of the Best Women Reporter category of the inaugural edition of the ReportHer Awards, Titilope Fadare, has urged the Nigerian media to give more attention to unreported issues affecting women and children in the country.
Fadare, Premium Times Senior Multimedia Reporter and Gender Advocate, gave the charge at the award ceremony held in Lagos over the weekend.
Ene Oshaba of BluePrint Newspaper was the runner-up for the journalists’ category won by Fadare.
Other winners of the Awards for gender-balanced reportage who gave prime time/space to women as their male counterparts include: the Voice of Nigeria (VON) for the radio category, and Blueprint Newspaper, the print category. Arise News TV, the Television category, and Tech Cabal, the digital category.
“I hope that this event serves as a wake-up call for other journalists to continue shedding light on women’s issues, considering the fact that these issues are vast and require ongoing attention.,” she stated after receiving her award.
“While Gender-Based Violence (GBV) may seem pervasive, there are innovative approaches to storytelling that can be employed. For instance, highlighting the commendable efforts of NGOs in communities to combat GBV can be a valuable angle.
“It is essential for the Nigerian media and journalists to adopt fresh perspectives and explore new ways of addressing women’s issues, moving beyond the existing narratives”, Fadare said.
Fadare, who beat four other nominees in the journalist category, said, “I am profoundly grateful to God for choosing me as a conduit and platform to assist Nigerian women and girls, amplifying their voices and addressing their challenges. This opportunity to reshape the narrative surrounding Nigerian women and girls is a remarkable blessing.”
The Mobile Journalism trainer was awarded a tablet, certificate, award plaque, and scholarship for training at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) office in the United Kingdom by the UN Women in Nigeria office.
Speaking on the reason for the ReportHer Awards, Toun Okewale-Sonaiya, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Women Radio 91.7, acknowledged the joint and conscious endeavours of the media in transforming the portrayal of women, challenging stereotypes, and addressing gender disparities.
She expressed her admiration for the Nigerian media, applauding their intentional and dedicated commitment to reporting that is sensitive to gender issues, as well as UN Women and the Canadian government for their support.
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“With your dedication to shaping narratives, challenging norms and demanding accountability, you help make Nigeria a wonderful place for women”, she said, stating that the objective of the ReportHer Awards is to honour media organisations, broadcasters, and Journalists who have continuously and deliberately reported women.
“It is through your relentless commitment that we embark on this remarkable event. Each story told, shaped the narrative and created an impact on female reportage. We celebrate the achievement of our nominees and recognise your invaluable contributions to journalism, to women’s inclusion and to the development of our nation Nigeria”, the Women Radio’s CEO said.
Chief Executive Officer of Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Motunrayo Alaka, in her speech called on President Bola Tinubu to observe the 50-50 gender balance in appointing his cabinet members, adding that it would put Nigeria on the global map as a gender-sensitive nation.
While noting that so much has been done no doubt and applauded everyone who has contributed to the development of women’s representation in the media and society, she said so much more can still be done.
“We are looking forward to the ReportHer Awards and the changes that it will make to encourage and celebrate collaborative efforts of media stakeholders who intentionally invest in improved representation of women in the media so that women become the norm and not the exception in the leadership and story of Nigeria, Africa and the world,” she added.
Founding Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) Mrs Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi corroborated the need for the media organisations to have a 50-50 gender reporting agenda”.
Executive Director, the International Press Centre (IPC), Mr Lanre Arogundade who spoke on behalf of the board of judges explained how they arrived at the top five and the final result. He revealed that the selection period was from March 2022 to March 2023 and highlighted the basis of selection, which included the informative nature of the entries, ethics and professionalism, and social responsibility of journalists on the female gender reportage.
“We looked at the extent to which women were used as news sources and the 50-50 representation of women in everyday stories. The extent to which the story used data, had factual accuracy, cited sources and looked at presentation and effectiveness and the extent to which media institutions that submitted their entries, and journalists met the professional standards portraying women,” he said.
The ReportHer Award is an initiative of Women Radio 91.7 in partnership with the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), supported by UN Women and the Canadian Government.
