11 Sep 2026 Project develops tools for ethical, rights-based media coverage of violence against women
A WACC-supported project in Mexico has placed media’s social responsibility for gender-sensitive reporting – particularly of violence against women – onto the public agenda.
Led by the feminist media observatory CIMAC, the initiative underscored women’s rights to lives free from violence, raised awareness among current and emerging journalists, and created important tools to keep shifting attitudes and practices.
“The purpose was to achieve recognition by the media – and, consequently, by society – of the transformative role of women,” says Cirenia Celestino Ortega, CIMAC general coordinator.
In the longer term, CIMAC wants to make clear the media’s vital role in legitimizing women’s participation in politics and role in peacebuilding, as outlined in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, she adds.
The project aligned with the election of the country’s first female president, offering a new opportunity to tackle structural violence in Mexico, particularly femicide and the disappearances of women and girls.
Policy for eradicating violence against women
For the project, CIMAC, the 2025 Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) coordinating organization for Mexico and Latin America, carried out a three-stage initiative: media monitoring, in-depth interviews with journalists and relatives of femicide victims, and an analysis of women’s representation in the media and political narratives of peace and security in Mexico.
Using adapted GMMP methodology, the project team monitored over 270 news articles published by 26 print and digital media outlets in the country. They assessed the representation of women in coverage, particularly regarding the eradication of gender-based violence, as well as policies aimed at building peace and security during the first 100 days of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration.
In addition, nine interviews were conducted: four with journalists with extensive experience covering security and violence, as well as five with relatives of femicide victims.
CIMAC published the findings in “Policy for the Eradication of Violence Against Women and the Construction of Peace and Security.” The Spanish-language report has been shared with journalists and media outlets throughout the country and presented at key events for journalism students, elected authorities, and civil society.
Ethical coverage with victims at the center
The project proved on many levels that the work of female journalists in covering violence against women makes a difference in access to justice.
“It is evident that it is women – who cover the gender agenda twice as often – challenge gender stereotypes and violence,” Celestino notes.
The interviewees agreed that there would be no public space to address violence against women if it were not for journalists who insist on, propose, and carry out investigations.
“We need the media because they are our voices, because they can write it in print, say it on television, on the radio,” María Esperanza Lucciotto López, mother of femicide victim Kar-la Pontigo Luccioto, told the CIMAC team.
The findings underlined the need to place victims at the center and prioritize the impacts of media coverage, or the lack thereof, on the lives of their loved ones.
“Journalism can help victims, because when cases aren’t covered by the media, they are often forgotten. It’s important to showcase various voices: not just those of the authorities, but also those of the people who have experienced the violence,” noted Sharon Mercado, a journalist at El Universal, in the project’s report.
The report stresses that fair coverage involves an approach grounded in women’s human rights. “What matters most to us is directing our attention to the victims and their demands for justice,” journalist Luz Rangel stressed.
Codes of ethics for GBV news coverage
Not only did the project raise awareness about the power of the media and the role of women within this landscape, it also developed practical tools to guide ethical, gender-sensitive coverage that puts the rights and human dignity of victims of gender-based violence at the center.
The report includes two codes of ethics for journalists:
Linking journalism with responsibility
The project brought the impact of journalistic coverage on the exercise of rights – such as access to justice and the right to a life free of violence – to the forefront, Celestino says.
“We linked journalistic work to its responsibility in the prevention, investigation, and eradication of violence against women, as well as to the psychosocial impacts of news coverage.”
The report is being used by academia, the media, institutions, and nongovernmental organizations working for women’s human rights.
While Celestino feels the project fulfilled its objective to raise awareness of the media’s social responsibility, she says the work must and will continue.
“While a code of ethics for coverage of security and violence has been developed, it is necessary to bring it into newsrooms and implement processes to incorporate the code of ethics into daily news production.”
WACC works in partnership with CIMAC and other communication rights and sustainable development organizations worldwide through its Communication for All Program (CAP), with support from Bread for the World-Germany.