From participants to panelists and organisers, the anticipation for the first AIPS digital seminar has continued to gather momentum with around 400 journalists from almost 100 countries registering their interest to attend the event entitled “The Cost of Reporting while Female”.
This crucial appointment aimed at tackling gender inequality in the media industry has been split into four significant sessions; Underrepresentation (July 21), The forgotten (July 23), Pay gap (July 28) and The gender backlash (July 30). The seminar is also open to male journalists, who also have a role to play in ensuring the elimination of gender bias and discrimination in newsrooms. Each session will feature an open discussion where participants can share their stories and ask questions.
PANELISTS A rich, international line-up of inspiring professionals across different cultures and backgrounds have been drawn from every continent of the world to share their knowledge, advice, resources and experiences regarding one of the most prevalent themes in the society. “I struggled at the beginning until I made a space for myself. I never accepted ‘no’,” Egyptian Inas Mazhar, who is one of the most respected sports journalists in Africa, said. Today, she is the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Al Ahram weekly newspaper and Head of Sports, but when she first started she was being asked: “Are you sure you are a journalist? Go home, go get married.”
Mazhar is part of the six-member expert panel that will take the stage on July 21 for the first session of the AIPS Seminar, which would largely be held in English with simultaneous interpretations in Arabic, French and Spanish.
UNDERREPRESENTATION “Underrepresentation” is the topic to be discussed in the first meeting. Read more about the panelists here. In many countries, majority of high-profile journalists and editors remain male. Although there have been considerable changes in the prospects for women working in the media in the past few decades, women are still noticeably in the minority in top journalistic roles, despite making up majority of journalism students.
PROGRAMME – UNDERREPRESENTATION – 1st session – July, 21
2:00 pm (CET) Welcome speech: Gianni Merlo, AIPS President
2:05 pm (CET) Introduction: Evelyn Watta, AIPS Vice President
Moderator: Jura Ozmec, AIPS Secretary General
2:10 pm (CET) Panelists: Tracey Holmes – Senior Reporter ABC News – Australia, Inas Mazhar – Deputy Editor in Chief & Head of Sports section Al Ahram Weekly newspaper – Egypt, María Ángeles Samperio Martín – President of the Gender Council of the International Federation of Journalists, Editor EL DIARIO MONTAÑÉS – Spain, Donna de Varona, Double Olympic Gold Medalist, Sports Broadcaster and Gender Equality Activist – USA, Viviana Vila – Sports Journalist, TV Commentator, University Lecturer UNLP – Argentina, Wakako Yuki – Senior Writer The Yomiuri Shimbun – Japan.
2:45 pm (CET) Open discussion
