The Role of Media in Promoting Women’s Rights to Freedom of Religion and Expression

 This panel, sponsored by the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief, discussed the role that media can play, and is playing, in promoting women’s rights and freedom of religion.  The members of this panel pointed out the fact that only 25% of employees currently in the media are women. This gender imbalance of men and women in the media, they said, puts a male-dominated spin on the news.  One panel member gave the example that nearly all reporters that cover conflict and war zones are men, and that men might choose to cover or emphasize different points in their reports than women might. 

To ameliorate this imbalance, the panel called on the attendees to be careful about the media we listen to and support.  If a certain station is known to have a higher gender imbalance, viewers could boycott that station. Another station the panel members might have suggested boycotting is any station that has repeated sexual allegations against women, as such a station might clearly have issues respecting women, and news from such a source might be more biased towards men.

Another point made by this panel was that media can be used to promote freedom of religion and the acceptance of other religions.  One panel member the Canadian sitcom, Little Mosque on the Prairie.  This sitcom, based on a family consisting of a Muslim father, a converted wife, and their children, exposes viewers to the life and culture surrounding being a Muslim family in Canada.  Through laughing at the mishaps seeing the struggles the family faces, audiences gain an understanding and an acceptance as argued by the panel member, of the Muslim culture and faith, and the people who practice it.