18 Jun 2013 WACC/IFJ resource kit is published in Russian

The United Nations Population Fund in Belarus said it has published in Russian the Resource Kit for Gender-Ethical Journalism developed by WACC and theInternational Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The material was already available in English, Arabic, French and Spanish. The kit is available here. The printed version has been distributed “among journalists and tutors of journalism,” UNPFA Communication/Advocacy Assistant Paulina Ivanko wrote in an e-mail to WACC.

The kit is the result of collaboration between WACC and IFJ to redress gender disparities in news media content. It aims to provide an answer to the gender gap in news content and lack of self-regulatory mechanisms – where these do not exist – to confront gender bias.

“Many people treat gender inequality and the issue of gender itself as unimportant, meanwhile it’s a part of our life that affects each member of the society in many ways. Because of the low levels of understanding of gender in society, sometimes the word “gender” acquires negative connotation,” Ivanko wrote earlier this year.

“We want to provide our nationals with modern and sound information on gender and therefore to give them choice to decide whether they share the idea of gender equality or treat it with reserve. In this regard it’s critical for journalists, university students and professors of the departments of journalism to understand ‘gender’ and write about it in an educated manner, to avoid simplification, as the media is the main instrument to form public opinion and to change situations for the better,” she added.

“We are grateful to the World Association for Christian Communication for cooperation and support,” Ivanko said.

“We are delighted with UNFPA’s initiative to translate the kit into Russian, and in so doing, increase the possibility of reaching Russian-speaking journalists, educators and communicators. The interest expressed to translate the kit into additional languages is perhaps evidence of its pertinence as a useful training, learning and reference resource on gender-responsive media practice,” said WACC Programme Manager Sarah Macharia earlier this year.

It is organised in two books that may be used independently. Book 1 discusses conceptual issues pertaining to gender, media and professional ethics. Book 2 presents gender-ethical reporting guidelines on several thematic areas. UNFPA has translated both books.