Journalists urged to avoid using stereotypes against people based on gender

Mrs Melody Darkey, Executive Director, Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF-Ghana) has urged journalists to desist from assigning generalised stereotypical characteristics to people based on their gender.She argued that such practice did not encourage gender equality and inclusivity in national development.Mrs Darkey said this whilst making a presentation in Tamale at a four-day skills development training for about 40 journalists and editors of the Ghana News Agency drawn from the northern and middle zones of the country.She emphasised the need for media practitioners to avoid languages that misrepresented or offended vulnerable groups such as women and girls.The training was to equip the participants to effectively advocate for Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), public health, gender, and other climate-related issues to facilitate the country's economic recovery.It is further to maximise the role of journalism in Ghana's recovery and rebuilding efforts after the COVID-1 9 pandemic and to enable the participants to champion gender equality issues to enhance holistic human resource development.The training, facilitated by the Institute for Digital Marketing and Communication (IDMC-Ghana), formed part of the Post-COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP).The PSDPEP is the Government of Ghana's initiative being funded by the African Development Bank and implemented by the Social Investment Fund spanning over a five-year period, of which the Ghana News Agency is a beneficiary.Mrs Darkey said, 'Do not include in your reports that girls are always shy, and boys are aggressive, or men are admired for their accomplishments and women for their physical attributes because such utterances constitute gender stereotyping.'Mrs Beatrice Asamani Savage, Director of Editorial, Ghana News Agency, urged participants to take advantage of the training to intensify advocacy on some of the major challenges confronting vulnerable groups in the country.Mr Cha rles Yao Mawusi, a Communication Consultant at IDMC-Ghana, expressed the need for media practitioners to humanise their stories to influence social reforms and promote human rights.Dr Nii Hanson-Nortey, a Health Specialist at IDMC-Ghana engaged participants on health communication and infectious diseases and urged them to use their platforms to inform the public on sensitive health issues.Source: Ghana News Agency