| The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) was launched on 30 January 2002 at the end of a three-day national workshop, preceded by a prolonged process of consultation and consensus-building, facilitated by Voices, a Bangalore-based communications NGO, and supported by a number of agencies (UNESCO, the World Association for Christian Communication and the Freedom Forum). |
The agenda of the national workshop, held in New Delhi, was determined in consultation with women journalists across the country. The programme featured keynote addresses on important subjects by eminent speakers (social activist Aruna Roy on The Right to Information and the Media, educationist Krishna Kumar on Education and the Media, and global media/gender specialist Margaret Gallagher on Women, Journalism and the Media). It also included panel discussions on women covering conflict as well as on certain critical issues for the media viewed from a gender perspective (globalization, militarisation and sectarian conflict).
The findings of a pilot survey on women journalists, presented at the workshop, provided preliminary information on specific aspects of the situation of mediawomen across the country. Group discussions enabled participants to exchange information and views on a number of topics ranging from employment and working conditions to journalistic ethics and standards. The founding principles, aims and objectives of the national network were arrived at through a process of intense discussion and debate among the nearly 100 women working in at least a dozen languages who came to the workshop from 16 places around the country. At the end of the workshop participants also issued a statement outlining their concerns and suggestions regarding the media in general and women in the media in particular.
The networking effort, catalyzed by a book on the situation, experiences and perspectives of Indian women journalists (Women in Journalism: Making News), began with a series of three regional workshops held over a period of 10 months in 2000-2001, which enabled women from different parts of India to gather together to discuss issues of common concern and to explore the possibility of building professional networks at various levels. In the wake of the regional workshops, women journalists began getting together at the local and, in some cases, state levels. In the few places where groups already existed, the process helped them to establish links with mediawomen in other parts of the country.
The collectives now operating in about a dozen centers determine their own agendas based on the local context, priorities and needs. Local groups have been engaged in a number of activities aimed at broadening the horizons of members and reflecting their varied concerns, especially with regard to gender, the media and society. Many of these activities, initiated and organized by mediawomen, have attracted participation from journalists and other professionals of both sexes.
Some local groups have established e-groups to share information and resources, exchange ideas and opinions, as well as to plan and organize events. An NWMI website (www.nwmindia.org), currently being developed by a virtual editorial team scattered across the country, is expected to be launched in the near future.
The multi-layered network is meant to serve multiple goals, both professional and societal. Apart from the obvious purpose of providing a forum for addressing issues related to the workplace, the network can facilitate career advancement through training and professional enrichment programmes, as well as mentoring. In addition, it can highlight ethical issues related to the media, as well as the vital role of the media in society, especially in a democratic and diverse country like India.
Through its evolution over the past couple of years the NWMI has helped bridge many existing gaps and divisions within the profession - between journalists working in different parts of the country in different languages and media, from different generations and at different levels of the profession. As it grows and matures it is expected to improve its capacity to address a wide range of issues relating to the media and gender. |
