Women In News (WIN) a WAN-IFRA’s media leadership programme, empowering media women throughout Africa, MENA and Southeast Asia held its summit in Glasgow, Scotland on Saturday, June 1, 2019.
The summit was held alongside the World News Media Congress holding from June-1-3.
Below are some major tweets on the contributions of participants.
Women journalists not well treated
“In 2017, I gathered 17 women who worked as a journalist in my company to share experience about their job, and I was ashamed of the way they were treated by their colleagues and on the field. I knew that we needed to take action immediately” @CarinMittmedia #WINSummit19 #WNMC19
Training for women executives
“The issue that we started to recognize at Bloomberg is when we were reaching out to women to appear on TV, they were not interested. So we created a media training for women executives.” Laura Zelenko, Senior Executive Editor, Bloomberg News, USA @lszelenko #WINSummit19 #WNMC19
Lead by example
“To the senior media executives in this room I say: We should lead by example, and create a safe haven for the women we work with.” @OgunseyeToyosi #WINSummit19 #WNMC19
Men can be role models for women
“In the part of the world that I’m from, the newsrooms are masculine. Because of this, few women could talk. This challenge should be for both men and women. Men can also be role models for women to talk to.” @OgunseyeToyosi #WINSummit19 #WNMC19
Tell positive stories
“A few years ago, I started as a journalist. I am so lucky to have received amazing support from my male and female colleagues. I’m telling this because it is important to tell the positive stories too.” Head of West Africa, BBC, Nigeria @OgunseyeToyosi #WINSummit19 #WNMC19
Women helping to fight back
“We are moving into greater danger.. what is helping us to fight back in the Philippines are women.” Maria Ressa, CEO and Executive Editor, Rappler, Philippines @mariaressa #WINSummit19 #WNMC19
I don’t want to let women down
“As the only woman Editor in Chief in the country, I don’t want to let women down. I don’t want them to say look what happens when you give women power.” Anna Nimiriano. #WNMC19 #WINSummit19
Society has learned
“In the 90s, we were able to smoke everywhere, even on planes. Now, we can’t smoke almost anywhere. Society has learned. I think it is the same with sexism.” Zuzanna Ziomecka, Editor in Chief, NewsMavens, Poland
We have to work more on culture
“Gender balance is really about culture. If we have the right culture in place, we will reach gender balance, so we have to work more on the culture,” Carin Andersson, Human Resources Director, MittMedia Förvaltnings AB, Sweden @CarinMittmedia #WINSummit19 #WNMC19
Women are attacked online more
“The more things change the more they stay the same. Women are attacked online 3 to 5 times more than men. It is extremely toxic and new.” @mariaressa #WINSummit19 #WNMC19
People called me crazy
“People have called me a crazy woman for risking my life to save a colleague, but I was a witness to his arrest and I need to stand up for him.” Anna Nimiriano at #WNMC19 #WINSummit19
Leadership should be more aware of gender issues
“If leadership became more aware of gender issues, maybe then we can change our bad habits and kick out sexism from our newsroom.” @zziomecka #WINSummit19 #WNMC19
“Men’s opinions [are] considered the standard neutral opinion in journalism, while those of women and people of color are considered biased”. @SurvivalWriter piece on toxic masculinity + her experience being edited @zziomecka mentioned #WINSummit19 #WNMC19
Good internal policies on harassment are necessary
Good point from @OgunseyeToyosi: Online harassment of female journalists is never just online – it affects mental and physical well-being and the job they do. Good internal policies on harassment are necessary. #WNMC19 #WINSummit19
I was asked to accept a lower salary than male
“Despite being awarded the same job, on the same day, after the same board, during the same recruitment process, BBC News asked me to accept a considerably lower salary than my male counterpart.” #WNMC19 #WINSummit19
It’s culture, not hiring
How do you get better gender balance in newsrooms? @CarinMittmedia nails it: It’s the culture, not the hiring. #WNMC19 #womeninnews #WINSummit19
Our generation did not understand what sexual harassment was
“When I became in charge, I tried not to imitate men, listen to everyone, especially young women; especially that our generation did not understand what sexual harassment was and we didn’t stand up against it, and this is something I regret.” @aciltab #WINSummit19 #WNMC19
We have to be invisible to be present
“The irony is, they have to be invisible to be present. How many women have said that? ” @mariaressa #WINSummit19 #WNMC19