The 4th edition of the Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP), organized by the Wole Soyinka Centre For Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) in Lagos on Monday with calls for more women in the leadership of media organisations in the country.
Twenty-one female journalists from broadcast, print and digital media organizations are participating in the programme aimed at enhancing women leadership potentials and tackle criminal justice issues and violence against girls and women in society.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Lagos, Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director/CEO WSCIJ, expressed concern about the low number of women in leadership of various media organisations, noting that women were “underrepresented and misrepresented in many ways”, according to a survey conducted by the Centre.
“The result of the status of the leadership of the female reporters in the newsroom with senior editors showed that we had a ratio 8-2 in favour of the men. For the board of directors, we had a ratio 7-2 in favour of the men. And for management, we had a ratio 10-2 in favour of the men.
“Very few women are on covered pages of Newspapers and headline stories in the broadcast media. Many times, women are presented as victims, when they make the news,” she stated.
Alaka urged women in the media to be conscious of the need to draw more attention to sexual and gender-based violence.
“We are making them conscious of the fact that when you sit on that position, you represent a group of people and you must be conscious about tackling issues understanding that there should be other people like yourself in the group, represented in the stories that you tell,” she said.
Joseph Amenaghwon, Programme Coordinator of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), sponsors of the programme said the training is to help reporters mirror the issue of sexual and gender violence and understand the nitty-gritty around it.
He said it hoped that the participants will be the arrowhead that will consistently begin to focus on this type of issue and report it in such a way that is impactful and help people change.
Other stakeholders present at the ceremony included a representative from the Lagos State Government and mentors.
Participants, interviewed by Media Career Development Network, disclosed how the fellowship programme would add value to their careers.
Adetola Bademosi, a female journalist with the Nigerian Tribune Newspaper, described the fellowship as a “privilege”
“Looking at women in organizations, you find out that women hardly take topmost positions. I think it will help in building up my capacity as a woman to take leadership position,” said Bademosi.
Another participant, Aneta Felix, a broadcaster with Plus TV Africa said she was selected at the right time in her media career.
“I feel honoured to have been selected for this programme. I had applied two years ago, I didn’t get it. I guess I wasn’t prepared. I think I got selected at the right time in my career having done a lot of work regarding women, children, minority groups such as persons with disabilities. I feel it’s happening at the right time in my career. Everything was just preparing me for this moment.
“I have heard a lot in this introductory phase. I can’t wait to learn so much. In fact, while sitting in there, an idea just came to me for a programme I will begin on reporting women.”
