🚀 go-pugleaf

Bruce Girard <vikram!resystom@web.apc.org> writes:

> The following comes from the IFEX Communique # 4-10
>
>
> SELF-CENSORSHIP AND CENSORSHIP AFFECT WOMEN JOURNALISTS
>
> NORTH-SOUTH DIALOGUE AT UNESCO WOMEN AND MEDIA CONFERENCE
>
> Women from different countries talked about how censorship and
> self-censorship encumber their work at a media forum entitled
> "Women and the Media: a North-South Dialogue" held on 28 February
> in Toronto. The seminar, which was organized by the United
> Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
> (UNESCO) in collaboration with the Canadian Committee to Protect
> Journalists (CCPJ), was held during UNESCO's International
> Symposium on "Women and the Media: Access to Expression and
> Decision-Making" in Toronto on 28 February to 3 March. Panellists
> from developing countries compared the obstacles that women in
> the media face trying to be heard with the imbalance of reporting
> between north and south countries. Urvashi Butalia, Editor of
> "Kali for Women" in India, said her publishing house was founded
> because "the concerns of the women's movement are not articulated
> in mainstream publishing." She continued, "Because of the Third
> World perspective, both nationally and internationally, we felt
> on the receiving end of knowledge and wanted to do as UNESCO and
> reverse the flow of information."
>
> Patricia Made, Managing Editor of the Zimbabwe-based "Southern
> African Economist", stressed the difficulties of writing stories
> that fall outside of the standard definition of "what is news?"
> She said, "One set of values becomes the norm.... We don't know
> how to test the waters of in-depth reporting, how to move outside
> of self-imposed censorship," a practice which takes place all
> over Africa. Butalia added, "The news is shaped by events not
> process, and is made mostly by men." India is democratic, she
> said, "but censorship is imposed by the government", particularly
> on pornographic and politically-sensitive material. Moderator
> Barbara Barde, Vice-President of Programming for the Women's
> Television Network (WTN) of Canada, said women in the media must
> examine "How do we self-censor so we don't even pitch a story any
> more because [the editors] don't want to hear it?"
>
> Self-censorship can stem from other concerns, said Butalia. Her
> publishing house turned down a controversial Mauritania book,
> "The Rape of Sita", because "we were afraid of what would happen
> if we published it -- it would have been suicide. We didn't want
> another Rushdie-like situation on our hands." Katia Gil, Regional
> Officer of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in
> Venezuela, concurred, "In Latin America, self-censorship means
> that you are afraid." This fear can be for one's life or simply
> because as a journalist it is necessary to toe the line if you
> want to eat. In many Latin American countries, particularly
> Guatemala and El Salvador, censorship results because "there is
> little tolerance for criticism of the government," said Gil.
> "Censorship is a very troubled issue and freedom of expression is
> even more troubled. It has to be located in the political
> context," concluded Butalia.
>
> ** ** **
> The IFEX Communique is published weekly by the IFEX Clearing
> House, Toronto. The facility is operated by the Canadian
> Committee to Protect Journalists in partnership with the member
> organizations of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange
> (IFEX). Material may be submitted to the Communique at E-mail:
> ifex@web.apc.org; Fax: (1-416) 867-1034; or Tel: (1-416)
> 867-1638. Editor this week: Kristina Stockwood. Subscriptions are
> available by e-mail and surface mail.
>
>
>