To: IFEX Autolist (other news of interest) From: International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), newsletter@ifj.org
Media Release
29/05/2007
Women in Media Focus as Journalists at IFJ World Congress Demand Gender Equality
Delegates and participants at the International Federation of Journalists(IFJ) World Congress in Moscow put the rights of women in media at the topof the agenda in an effort to press demands for an end to mediastereotyping and discrimination.
A special session at the Congress on Wednesday will discuss efforts toovercome gender stereotyping in countries in transition. There will also bethe launch of a new publication and a special exhibition – Stop Sexism inthe Media! – as well as discussions of programmes to highlight genderrights in Russia and other regions of the world.
"The message at the IFJ World Congress is that media organisations andunions of journalists must work harder to eliminate the scourge ofdiscrimination across the industry," said Aidan White, IFJ GeneralSecretary. "Women are still denied access to top jobs, they have inferiorworking conditions and they still witnesses to outdated and oppressiveimages of the role of women in society."
The Russian Union of Journalists, working with the IFJ's InternationalGender Council, is putting a special focus on efforts to bring about changein the countries of the former Soviet Union and will be launching a newprogramme based upon an IFJ project that promoted links between womenjournalist activists in Europe and India over the past three years.
"This is an issue that affects women working in journalism in every cornerof the world," said Nadia Azhgikhina, a member of the IFJ Gender Counciland organiser of the events in Moscow. "Our aim will be to agree practicalactions to improve the conditions of women in journalism and to encouragean editorial culture of mutual respect in which all journalists – men andwomen working together – will fight for gender rights."
For more information contact the IFJ at its World Congress in Moscow at TheIFJ represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countriesworldwide.
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