In Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari writes about two selves that co-exist in every person: the experiencing-self and the narrating-self.1 He describes the experiencing-selfas a moment-to-moment consciousness, that “remem- bers nothing, and tells no stories and is seldom consulted when it comes to major decisions”. In contrast, there is the narrating-self, which retrieves memories, tells stories, and makes big decisions. Crucially, the narrating-self “doesn’t aggregate experiences – it averages them.” In short, the narrating-self clings to the familiar and comfortable, seek- ing points of conformity and least resistance, in order to protect itself in a world of contradiction and confusion.

This immediately raises the question of where an individ- ual obtains the information and knowledge that allows the narrating-self to position itself and to create a worldview. The answer is by no means straightforward. Yet, at any given time, it must be based on an accretion of memo-ries, stories, and data that the individual has encountered socially and culturally. In other words, from childhood(and perhaps before birth) patinas have built up that filter perceptions and understandings, and directly or indirectly influence behaviours and actions, attitudes which unex- amined can last a lifetime. Children and young people are likely to be most susceptible to this accumulation of layered meanings, which can often only be altered by broader experience: a change of perspective (crossing a bridge to see the view from the other side), literature that invites self-examination, films that explore life’s greatest ques- tions, and by balanced and unbiased information and news.

What we see, hear, and read in media of all kinds affects individual and collective thinking and action – filtered in turn by the narrating-self. People’s perceptions about life and death, peace and conflict, justice and injustice, and women and men, are coloured – sometimes imperceptibly, sometimes boldly – by what seem to be majority views in a form of socio-cultural conditioning. When millions of peo- ple on social media endorse a product or believe obviously ake news, it is difficult to persuade them otherwise. The media have acquired a power to shape political, social, and cultural norms and beliefs out of all proportion to their function as bearers of information. It is a power that the communication rights movement – of which WACC and its Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) are part – intends to hold to account.

While media depict the realities of society, when it comes to gender relations, they also help construct it by reinforc- ing misperceptions, imbalances, and perceived differences between women and men. The GMMP is needed precisely because it invites the world’s news media to redress such blatant discrimination. Who is seen and heard in the news? Who writes and produces the news and from what perspec- tives? How do newsrooms operate? What policies do media outlets follow? How are young journalists taught their craft regarding media ethics and accountability?

Since 1995 and at five yearly intervals, the GMMP has shown that news paints a picture of a world in which women, in proportion to men, are dramatically under-rep- resented and made invisible. A comparison of the results between 1995 and 2015, revealed that change in the gen- der dimensions of news media was small and slow. Only 24% of news subjects – the people interviewed or whom the news is about – were female. Women’s points of view were less frequently heard in the topics that dominated the news agenda; even in stories that affected women profoundly, such as gender-based violence, the male voice prevailed. When women did make the news, it was primar- ily as “stars” or “ordinary people”, not as experts, profes- sionals, or figures of authority. While the studies turned up some exemplary gender-balanced and gender-sensitive journalism, overall they demonstrated a glaring deficit in the news media globally: half the world’s population was barely present.

At the same time, we must remember that the news media are only one part of the contemporary information habitat: those places people see and hear themselves and others. Films, documentaries, novels, reality TV, soap operas, magazines, advertisements, and above all social media platforms jostle for attention in a world bent on portraying and informing itself. How is gender represented in these media and how do they influence each other? Intersection- ality has come to be known as a framework for understand- ing how aspects of people’s political, social, and cultural identities combine to create modes of discrimination and privilege. We may now need to examine intersectionality in the media to reveal their interconnectedness and to consolidate demands for change.

However, one difficulty is that only a meagre proportion of the human and financial resources invested in advancing gender equality goes towards work on gender and media. This area of work has struggled to become a priority (the UN Sustainable Development Goals give it marginal room) and it is currently sliding further into the background. In addition, there is the intractable problem of embedded social and cultural norms that feed into and are fed by media content. It is, of course, extremely difficult to prove the connections, although many among those struggling for gender equality talk about it. And, inevitably, there is the fundamental problem of patriarchy embedded in all institutions, including the media.  

The findings of GMMP 2020 reinforce the perception that that there is still a long road ahead to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” (Sustainable Development Goal 5). Identifying strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures in the ways women and girls appear in the world’s news media is part of a larger, collective endeavour to transform information and communication systems. Only then will Harari’s “narrating-self” find fair- ness, balance, and equality in news media content.

When that happens, it will be due in no small measure to the long-term dedication of a global team of coordinators inspired and led by Dr Sarah Macharia, and to the deter- mination of a very large team of volunteers worldwide, for whom failure is not only unpalatable, but unthinkable. As the GMMP demonstrates, studying how women and men are represented in the news is important because often what people see is what they believe. And when it comes to gender, rectifying the mistaken assumptions caused by discrimination, misogyny, and patriarchal beliefs can only be done through a clearsighted reappraisal and revision of news policies and practices.

Philip Lee

WACC General Secretary