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October
25, 2000
The Daily Star
Women's
issues find a small-place news reports in the daily newspapers
of the country, although women constitute roughly half of
the population.
The
ratio of total news items published to women-related news
items in eight of the most widely circulated newspapers surveyed
is 14:1.
The
above was found in a research report " Gender Sensitivity
in Bangladesh ( content Analysis of Eight Selected
Dailies)" presented at a seminar in the city
yesterday. The
seminar jointly organized by Policy Leadership and Advocacy for
Gender Equality (PLAGE) in association of the
Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and press Institute of
Bangladesh (PIB) was attended by Minister for Law, Judiciary and
Parliamentary affairs Abdul Matin Khasru as Chief Guest and
State Minister for women and children Affairs prof
Zinatun Nesa Talukder as Special Guest.
Minister
for Law Judiciary and parliamentary affairs Abdul Matin Khasru
said at the seminar," It is the press that raises the voice
of conscience. Without the press, Yasmin's or Tania's stories
would have remained unheard of. "
"
But the press should play a more active role in helping to
attain women's emancipation," he added. News
editor of the Daily star Azizur Rashid and Deputy Editor (News)
of Prothom Alo Mozammel Hossain made optimistic remarks
regarding increasing gender sensitivity in the Press in recent
years.
In
all the dailies surveyed. It was seen that
women related news items published either were crime reports or
items where women are treated as sex symbols. Positive reporting
on successful career of women protesting social wrongs is
almost absent in the Press. Again very few women related
news items get a by-line or front page treatment, the
researchers said.
Out
of the eight most widely circulated dailies, Inqilab provides
the least space for women related news items with
the ratio between the overall news items published to the
women related news items published being 20:1. Manobjamin
provides the highest allocation to women
related news items with a ratio of 8:1, though this paper
highlights women sex symbols interconnected with crime and
pornography, the report found.
The
report also found that sixty per cent of readers want women
development related new items rather than news of violence
against women published regularly in the newspapers.
Seventy per cent of the readers agreed that a rape
victim's photo and or identity should not be revealed. All
of the readers surveyed for the report were also of
the view that the rapist's photo should be published and
his identity disclosed.
The
newspapers , from the period January to June of 1999,
surveyed were the Daily Ittefaq, Janakantha , Bhorer Kagoj,
Prothom Alo, Manobjomin, Inqilab, The daily Star and The
Bangladesh Observer.
Source:
The Daily Star
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