In today’s information age, many public spheres coexist in which institutions and people interact to a greater or lesser extent and which are no longer characterised by forms of “one-to-many” communication but of “many-to-many” communication. This is true at all levels: global, national, community, and personal, where verdigital technologies have enabled ever more complex interconnectivity. One-to-many used to mean top-down, an elite broadcasting or newscasting system whose gatekeepers were agenda-setters and opinion-makers. Today, on e-to-many includes bloggers, a form of narrowcasting only constrained by the extent of its erudition, persuasiveness, outrageousness, or socio-cultural standing.
It is worth considering how traditional and alternative media interact and displace each other according to circumstance. How do their different constellations and clusters exert a gravitational pull on public awareness of key issues that have an impact on people’s lives? How do they create informed public opinion that can be harnessed for political and social change?
Interestingly, in this same publication there are five articles on communication, gender and women’s use of media (including the internet) to freely review and publicize their reality in a world where roles and gender expectations are being transformed at a steadily increasing pace. Communication rights exercised by women allow them to enter a world that has long been considered private and which now, through the use of new communication channels, is being exposed by their challenges to and questioning of injustice, violence and censorship. The claim for equal opportunity and gender justice is clear in women’s new communication outputs, ranging from research and feature a rticles published online to lively campaigns in radio and social networks. In new media technologies women have found great tools to advance and strengthen their objective of achieving full citizenship and equality in today’s society.
As Elisabeth Clemens has pointed out, providing what people need to know to govern their lives and to make informed decisions is crucial both in terms of democratic accountability and citizens’ participation in a democracy. Doing so reinforces a:
“Vision of rational individuals governing themselves through collective deliberation. By means of critical discourse, self-interested or private individuals reflect on common concerns and discover the nature of the public good, justice, and truth.”
There is a strong echo here of the claim made for communication rights as fundamental to any functioning democracy. Communication rights facilitate and guarantee:
• Good leadership because equitable access to the technologies of communication enables informed and
knowledgeable participation.
• Good citizenship because active participation in the political, economic, social and cultural life of a community can benefit
everyone.
• Good government because those in power can interact meaningfully with those who placed them there.
• Sustainable development because people are in the know about what impacts for good or bad their lives and livelihoods.
As the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on Communication and Human Rights underlined to participants at the 2009 conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (Mexico City):
“Nowadays, communications must be regarded as a fundamental tool for participation in local, national and international development plans. Such plans must take into account its economic dimensions because communication is strongly related to the access to electronic media, its social dimensions because of the means it provides to building citizenship, and its political dimensions because it involves the participation of all…”
Summing up, access to communication is part of the right to development. Therefore, we must stress the fact that sectors that have historically been marginalised must have effective access to communication and information. From the perspective of pluralism and a culture of peace, we must favour universal access to such rights.
This publication argues that equality, accessibility, and diversity are watchwords in building and maintaining societies and communities based on principles of justice, sustainability and peace.
Table of contents
Introduction…………………………..9
Philip Lee
1 Media Ethics: Social Media for Peace…………………………..17
Lilian Ndangam and Philip Lee
1.1 Ethical Challenges…………………………………………………27
2 Women’s Access to Social Media Networks in Rural Fiji………………………………..31
Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls
2.1 Pacific Women’s Choice of Communications……………35
2.2 Conclusion…………………………………………………………..36
3 Building New Ways of Participating in Communication Networks in Latin America………………………………….39
Dafne Sabanes Plou
3.1 Real Life Also Takes Place in Cyberspace………………..43
3.2 New Roles for Community Radio Networks……………..46
3.3 Concrete Actions on the Internet to Strengthen Women’s Rights………………………………………….48
3.4 Collaborative Web: Wikipedia and the Participation of Latin American Women………………………………51
3.5 Conclusions and Recommendations…………………………52
4 Media Ethics and Citizen Journalism…………………………..57
Philip Lee
4.1 Introduction…………………………………………………57
4.2 Engaged Dialogue as a Basis for Media Ethics………….61
4.3 What Is Citizen Journalism and What Are The Ethical Questions It Raises?………………………………………….64
4.4 A Code of Ethics for Citizen Journalism……………………68
4.5 Gender – The Missing Link…………………………………….80
4.6 Next Steps…………………………………………………………….85
5 Unequal in an Unequal World: Gender Dimensions Of Communication Rights………………………………………91
Philip Lee
5.1 Background to the Debate……………………………………….91
5.2 Advances Since 2005……………………………………………..94
5.3 Unequal in an Unequal World………………………………….99
5.4 Conclusions……………………………………………………….102
6 Nepali Women Use New Information and Communication Technologies to Advocate for Policy Change……………………105
Manju Thapa
6.1 Nepali Women Using ICT, Social Media and Citizen Journalism……………………………………………….108
6.2 ASMITA’s Experience of Using Digital Platforms, Citizen Journalism And User-Generated Contents………….114
6.3 Policy Issues Addressed by ASMITA and Achievements……………………………………………………..118
6.4 Recommendations in Relation to Gender-Sensitive Citizen Journalism……………………………………………………..121
7 Gender and Ethics in an Online Environment………………125
Sonia Randhawa
7.1 GenderIT.org……………………………………………………….125
7.2 Take Back the Tech!……………………………………………127
7.3 Ethics in an Online Environment……………………………128
7.4 Ethical Considerations for GenderIT.org and TBTT…………130
7.5 Ethical Considerations Online………………………………..132
7.6 Managing Ethical Dilemmas and Conflicts………………134
7.7 Recommendations………………………………………………..138
8 Flying Broom’s “Local Women Reporters’ Network”…………………………………141
Selen Doğan & Sevna Somuncuoğlu
8.1 Local Woman Reporters Network………………………….143
8.2 Reporter Trainings (Gender Based News Workshops)………………………………………144
8.3 Training…………………………………………….146
8.4 What Do We Plan For The Future?………………………..149
8.5 Local Women Reporters: A Guideline for Gender-Sensitive Reporting………………………………..150
8.6 Smiling Examples………………………………………………..152
8.7 How Will We Reach the News? …………………………….153
It is worth considering how traditional and alternative media interact and displace each other according to circumstance. How do their different constellations and clusters exert a gravitational pull on public awareness of key issues that have an impact on people’s lives? How do they create informed public opinion that can be harnessed for political and social change?
Interestingly, in this same publication there are five articles on communication, gender and women’s use of media (including the internet) to freely review and publicize their reality in a world where roles and gender expectations are being transformed at a steadily increasing pace. Communication rights exercised by women allow them to enter a world that has long been considered private and which now, through the use of new communication channels, is being exposed by their challenges to and questioning of injustice, violence and censorship. The claim for equal opportunity and gender justice is clear in women’s new communication outputs, ranging from research and feature a rticles published online to lively campaigns in radio and social networks. In new media technologies women have found great tools to advance and strengthen their objective of achieving full citizenship and equality in today’s society.
As Elisabeth Clemens has pointed out, providing what people need to know to govern their lives and to make informed decisions is crucial both in terms of democratic accountability and citizens’ participation in a democracy. Doing so reinforces a:
“Vision of rational individuals governing themselves through collective deliberation. By means of critical discourse, self-interested or private individuals reflect on common concerns and discover the nature of the public good, justice, and truth.”
There is a strong echo here of the claim made for communication rights as fundamental to any functioning democracy. Communication rights facilitate and guarantee:
• Good leadership because equitable access to the technologies of communication enables informed and
knowledgeable participation.
• Good citizenship because active participation in the political, economic, social and cultural life of a community can benefit
everyone.
• Good government because those in power can interact meaningfully with those who placed them there.
• Sustainable development because people are in the know about what impacts for good or bad their lives and livelihoods.
As the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on Communication and Human Rights underlined to participants at the 2009 conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (Mexico City):
“Nowadays, communications must be regarded as a fundamental tool for participation in local, national and international development plans. Such plans must take into account its economic dimensions because communication is strongly related to the access to electronic media, its social dimensions because of the means it provides to building citizenship, and its political dimensions because it involves the participation of all…”
Summing up, access to communication is part of the right to development. Therefore, we must stress the fact that sectors that have historically been marginalised must have effective access to communication and information. From the perspective of pluralism and a culture of peace, we must favour universal access to such rights.
This publication argues that equality, accessibility, and diversity are watchwords in building and maintaining societies and communities based on principles of justice, sustainability and peace.
Table of contents
Introduction…………………………..9
Philip Lee
1 Media Ethics: Social Media for Peace…………………………..17
Lilian Ndangam and Philip Lee
1.1 Ethical Challenges…………………………………………………27
2 Women’s Access to Social Media Networks in Rural Fiji………………………………..31
Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls
2.1 Pacific Women’s Choice of Communications……………35
2.2 Conclusion…………………………………………………………..36
3 Building New Ways of Participating in Communication Networks in Latin America………………………………….39
Dafne Sabanes Plou
3.1 Real Life Also Takes Place in Cyberspace………………..43
3.2 New Roles for Community Radio Networks……………..46
3.3 Concrete Actions on the Internet to Strengthen Women’s Rights………………………………………….48
3.4 Collaborative Web: Wikipedia and the Participation of Latin American Women………………………………51
3.5 Conclusions and Recommendations…………………………52
4 Media Ethics and Citizen Journalism…………………………..57
Philip Lee
4.1 Introduction…………………………………………………57
4.2 Engaged Dialogue as a Basis for Media Ethics………….61
4.3 What Is Citizen Journalism and What Are The Ethical Questions It Raises?………………………………………….64
4.4 A Code of Ethics for Citizen Journalism……………………68
4.5 Gender – The Missing Link…………………………………….80
4.6 Next Steps…………………………………………………………….85
5 Unequal in an Unequal World: Gender Dimensions Of Communication Rights………………………………………91
Philip Lee
5.1 Background to the Debate……………………………………….91
5.2 Advances Since 2005……………………………………………..94
5.3 Unequal in an Unequal World………………………………….99
5.4 Conclusions……………………………………………………….102
6 Nepali Women Use New Information and Communication Technologies to Advocate for Policy Change……………………105
Manju Thapa
6.1 Nepali Women Using ICT, Social Media and Citizen Journalism……………………………………………….108
6.2 ASMITA’s Experience of Using Digital Platforms, Citizen Journalism And User-Generated Contents………….114
6.3 Policy Issues Addressed by ASMITA and Achievements……………………………………………………..118
6.4 Recommendations in Relation to Gender-Sensitive Citizen Journalism……………………………………………………..121
7 Gender and Ethics in an Online Environment………………125
Sonia Randhawa
7.1 GenderIT.org……………………………………………………….125
7.2 Take Back the Tech!……………………………………………127
7.3 Ethics in an Online Environment……………………………128
7.4 Ethical Considerations for GenderIT.org and TBTT…………130
7.5 Ethical Considerations Online………………………………..132
7.6 Managing Ethical Dilemmas and Conflicts………………134
7.7 Recommendations………………………………………………..138
8 Flying Broom’s “Local Women Reporters’ Network”…………………………………141
Selen Doğan & Sevna Somuncuoğlu
8.1 Local Woman Reporters Network………………………….143
8.2 Reporter Trainings (Gender Based News Workshops)………………………………………144
8.3 Training…………………………………………….146
8.4 What Do We Plan For The Future?………………………..149
8.5 Local Women Reporters: A Guideline for Gender-Sensitive Reporting………………………………..150
8.6 Smiling Examples………………………………………………..152
8.7 How Will We Reach the News? …………………………….153
Year of publication
2014
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