06 Mar 2012 WACC supports UNESCO’s Women make the news campaign

The campaign theme, Rural women’s access to media and information, seeks to underscore the importance of policies in favour of access to media and information in rural communities, particularly for women; and good practices undertaken by public service broadcasters, commercial and community media, and NGOs.

“International Women’s Day campaigns step up demands for the respect of women’s basic civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights,” says WACC in a Call to Action issued today, March 6 from its Toronto office.

Only 12% of news subjects in stories on rural community concerns are female, yet statistics show that women make up over 50% of rural populations, says WACC.

“The evidence demonstrates significant underrepresentation of rural women and relative lack of visibility and voice in news stories important to them.”

WACC is also supporting UNESCO’s call on editors-in-chief of newspapers, radio and television to entrust women journalists and reporters with editorial responsibility for the newsroom during the campaign that runs from March 8 to April 30, 2012

WACC advocates for communication rights as a basic human right that requires spaces and resources in the public sphere for everyone to engage in transparent, informed and democratic debate.

Read full Call to Action here…

Also see: Celebrating International Women’s Day 2012: UNESCO’s efforts for rural women here…