By: Amidat Ahmad.
Recently, I had the privilege of attending a mentoring session organized by the National Association of Campus Journalists, Usumanu Danfodiyo University (NACJ-UDUS) which aimed to empower female journalists and expose them to the importance of female voices in the journalism world. The session was a poignant reminder that “despite progress, gender disparities still persist in the media.”
The facilitator, Maryam Abdullah, an alumna of the News Digest press, UDUS, who also spearheaded the board’s Women in Focus initiative during her undergraduate years, underscored the importance of female perspectives for balanced storytelling and authentic representation. Women bring unique approaches to reporting, for example, by focusing on underrepresented communities, which enriches coverage and enhances credibility.
Moreover, female voices in the media challenge stereotypes of women, and inspire future generations of women to join the profession. By sharing their stories and experiences, women in media humanize issues, foster empathy, and promote understanding. Unfortunately, the numbers of females in media remains low compared to men in journalism.
The session emphasized that inclusiveness of the female gender in journalism is an essential components of quality journalism. As media enthusiasts, It’s our responsibility, starting early from Campus journalism to the future of media to create a platform for underrepresented voices, including women, to shape the future and influence the conversation.
It was also recorded in the session that “addressing gender issues, struggles of women in politics, education, child marriage, prostitution, gender-based violence, rape, poverty, and hardship, amongst others, can be carefully depicted by a female journalist and would be easily accepted by a media organization compared to when it’s reported by a male journalist.”
While excessively calling for young female campus journalists through broadcast enlightenment, it is equally important to inspire them with the history of women and their need to be present in the media world. Magnifying their importance and unveiling their strength.