25 Aug 2014 Poverty in the Mass Media from Gender Perspective

Communication and Poverty

Argentina

Periodismo Social (Social Journalism) is a civil association created with the aim of optimizing social dialogue by promoting and facilitating the inclusion of all the actors in society through the mass media. According to research undertaken by Periodismo Social, issues linked to poverty are very rarely treated by the press, thus rendering them almost invisible. When issues relating to poverty are presented by mainstream media they are done so in a de-contextualised, stigmatised, reductionist way without any awareness that they are dealing with the infringement of rights such as the right to education, health, etc. Given that mainstream media have a great capacity to ‘install agendas’ in the public debate the project, and the data it produced, sought to encourage greater social sensitisation while at the same time advocating for public policies that contribute to reduce poverty . The project produced a special report on the coverage of poverty done by 6 mainstream newspapers; articles on gender and poverty, four training workshops on how to cover poverty in such a manner that respects human rights and highlights the gender dimension of poverty. As a result of the project, 35 journalists from different mass media In Buenos Aires are better able to cover issues of poverty and gender. The same holds true of 30 journalist in the province of Santa Fe and 50 journalist in the Province of Córdoba. In the latter the training was given jointly with the People’s Ombudsman. The project will provide input to special courses on issues of poverty organised for communication students at the University of San Salvador in the capital Buenos Aires.

Final Report

Resultados investigacion pobreza