The media have been described as the most reliable sources of information with practitioners urged to play key roles in shaping public attitudes towards projecting balance reports on gender in conflict sensitive reporting.
Rosetta Offiong Etta, Program Manager, Community Initiatives and Promote Peace gave the charge at a two day Community initiative to promote peace conflict-sensitive reporting workshop for media practitioners holding at Pearlwort Hotel, Alausa Ikeja, Lagos State, urged the media to make balance represention of men and women in news coverage towards getting strong, informed, balanced picture of conflict.
The Senior Program Officer noted that despite the fact that Conflict affects whole populations, women are almost invisible in report of Conflict despite mostly affected, lamented that women are usually viewed from the perspectives of victims, urged the media to make reporting women a major consideration in conflict sensitive reporting.
Violent in Conflict according to the Program Officer affects more women directly and indirectly than men, urged the media to be stereotype by featuring perspectives from men and women and or survivors.
She appealed to the media Practitioners to be trustworthy, honest and careful in identifying interviewees but should ensure that the story and pictures of Conflict situations incorporate different situations, impacts, voices of women.
The Presenter tasked Practitioners to present the impact of Conflicts on men and women and the types of required and available support, importance of accessing support/intervention in the areas of health, livelihood, health care amongst others needed in the front burner, said gender sensitive reporting allows for understanding the roots causes of Conflicts.
She concluded by urging the media to be neutral in the use of words and languages in Conflict sensitive reporting, urged the media to acknowledge efforts at Peace building, security stability, religious amongst other efforts.
The speaker pointed out that the importance of gender sensitive reporting allows for an understanding to portray conflict dimensions of both gender in Conflict, concluded by saying it helps in inclusion, healing and equity and breaking the circle of peace.
