My heart goes out to the women’s family and communities, it’s horrendous and a situation that is all too common. Death, when it reaches the media, is the pointy end of crisis when we look at violence against women and children.

Many people in the public are shocked and horrified, they feel a sense of urgency that many of us in sector feel daily. My colleagues and I are often asked “How do we fix it?!”

Cultural change is a lengthy process that requires everyone to examine their attitudes and behaviours. In a time of mindless scrolling, we all need to engage a little more deeply on “those hilarious memes’’ we send without a second thought. A simple action everyone should take is observing our own responses to social media, media headlines and other popular culture engagement.

I went on a TikTok and Instagram deep dive over 7 days. We need to understand the voices that people are listening to outside of our social circles and belief systems. Social media provides a neat echo chamber where we don’t have to be challenged with views diametrically opposite to our own. It’s a space where we can always be right. I set a task to look at some top trending pieces of content and headlines I normally wouldn’t engage on.

I did this because hyper-sexualisation and aggression towards women and children is a perversive force in popular culture and an acceptable media narrative; we see these intersections when looking at community attitudes about violence against women and children. Underestimating content on TikTok and Instagram and its role in shaping the ideas of people, is a misstep in thinking. These platforms are a major source of information gathering and influencing.  

“The woman should feel smaller- he needs to feel like he could kill her.”

This was some advice that appeared on a podcast called “When Sex Happens”. Currently, on TikTok, they boast over 30,000 followers, 1.7 million likes and that clip has almost a million views. This channel is dedicated to celebrating very narrow forms of masculinity – that being attractive and commanding respect requires you to install fear in women. Women should be grateful that you are actively choosing not to hurt them. It’s alarming, but the stats and comments show this a view that resonates with people.

“What the F*CK are you wearing?” “Where the fuck do you think you are going dressed like that?”

This by no means is isolated to content from the United States. An Australian content creator Chris Keverian made mainstream headlines for berating his girlfriend over the length of her skirt. Now, anyone can see this is their bit; the video is staged, complete with slapping her at the end. This couple regularly produce videos being awful to each other – I suppose for entertainment? It’s not for me but it did amass 100k of likes and an array of comments from women saying, “they needed a man to humble them”. Often when we examine this content and indeed critique its damaging messaging – typically there is a boring response of “it’s just a joke, can’t you have a laugh.”

Why are you so uptight?

Well, I’m uptight because homicides of women are on the rise in Australia, and misogynistic views like these are rampant in our society. These views tacitly provide an environment where abuse and violence against women is normalised.

I recently spoke with my colleague Lauren French at BodySafety Australia, who outlined to me that the number one thing to have in a relationship for young people in Australia is ‘’loyalty”- women must be loyal, understanding and obey men. Young women know that loyalty and support is the expectation if they want the relationship to be successful. It would seem the ‘’tongue in cheek joke’’ has a darker more damaging meaning to the audience it is intended for.

These two channels on TikTok have a reach of over 27.7 million. They aren’t at risk of being deplatformed and they have an engaged audience. When we think of men’s rights activism, people immediately think of the poster boy Andrew Tate. Make no mistake, Tate is one of a cast of thousands. His views are distasteful and dangerous, but I would argue no more dangerous than these channels, or of mainstream media personalities like Jermey Clarkson, who famously published (in print and digital) he would like to see Meghan Markle “paraded naked through the streets with excrement thrown at her”. Her crime? Existing.

This week also saw global retailer H&M withdraw an ad featuring schoolgirls after complaints that the campaign encouraged the sexualisation of underage girls. The advert, launched in Australia, featured the slogan: “Make those heads turn in H&M’s Back to School fashion” above a photo of two girls wearing gray H&M pinafore dresses. Naturally, there have been the standard insincere apology, and regrets, reminiscent of the “apology” from Balenciaga in 2022 for having children feature in a BDSM shoot.

These kinds of campaigns occur because in a creative director’s mind, being talked about and considered edgy is of greater interested than really understanding and engaging with the horrors they are replicating for advertisements. The same goes for representations of child sexual abuse in movies and tv shows.

This weekend, The Sydney Morning Herald published a piece about the forthcoming movie May December headlined “She was 36, he was 13; their scandalous affair is now an unsettling film”.

What affair? She was 36, he was 13 – that’s a crime.

May December a movie based on the story of convicted child sex offender Mary Kay Letourneau and her victim Villi Fualauu. The movie is classed as a comedy/romance. This is extremely confusing to me, someone who talks to survivors of child sexual abuse regularly and understands the devastating consequences of it.

The director Todd Haynes turned this film into an intellectual exercise; how nice for him to be able to do that. He feels this film is about the ‘’ambiguity of desire” and mused he didn’t think that his lead character was paedophile – except of course Mary Kay Letourneau was and went to prison for this crime.

There is no ambiguity in a sexual relationship between a 36-year-old and a 13-year-old. Villi was a father to two children at 15. He suffered suicide ideation, and alcoholism at an early age. The film makers did not contact him to talk about his story.

He is alive and well, he has talked about his anger – that they have oversimplified a complex situation. Advocate Harrison James from Your Reference Ain’t Relevant expressed his frustration at this regressive narrative that damages the cause for victim survivors of child sexual abuse.

“This story is not the next Notebook- romanticizing paedophilia is a disgrace and irresponsible.’’ I agree wholeheartedly.

These headlines have generated thousands of clicks every day. This is the tip of the iceberg; but it clearly demonstrates that the current national approach and messaging to the broader community is not effective.

We should all question what we engage with online and think about what these “humorous or edgy” takes really support and normalize.

If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, chat online via 1800RESPECT.org.au or text 0458 737 732.

If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit www.ntv.org.au.

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A woman in Perth, Western Australia, is the latest victim of male violence after police discovered her body in a hotel room at Crown Towers on Monday morning. 

A 42-year-old man was with the woman with suspected serious self-inflicted injuries. He was taken to Royal Perth Hospital but has since been discharged and is now in police custody.

Women’s Agenda understands the man and the woman knew each other, as authorities continue to investigate the situation.

The woman’s death brings the total number of femicides to 43 in 2023, five of which have occurred in just ten days, according to figures from Destroy the Joint’s Counting Dead Women.

Yesterday, a man was arrested in Bendigo, Victoria, after police discovered a woman unresponsive in her home, who later died in hospital. 

It is understood her two primary school aged daughters, who were with her when police arrived, made the call to emergency services.

‘It’s time to ignite a new conversation.’

The recent deaths related to male violence, including the death of 22-year-old Lillie James in Sydney, NSW, have sparked outrage from organisations addressing the national problem of domestic violence.

Respect Victoria, an organisation focused on the drivers of violence against women, is calling for change, with acting CEO Jacquie O’Brien calling these latest deaths “devastating and preventable”.

“All women deserve to be safe in their homes, relationships, workplaces, and when dating someone new,” O’Brien said.

“We can only prevent violence from happening by changing the underlying social conditions that produce violent behaviour – the attitudes which excuse, justify or even promote it.”

Conor Pall, the Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council Deputy Chair, said harmful stereotypes of masculinity play a role in the perpetuation of male violence.

“We know that the majority of victims – regardless of gender – experience violence from a male perpetrator,” Pall said.

“It’s time to retire the toxic ‘boys will be boys’ attitudes that continue to drive violence against women. It’s time to ignite a new conversation about being a man in a gender-equal society.”

‘The media must step up.’

Last week, Respect Victoria joined a number of other organisations in the state, including Djirra, GENVic, No to Violence and Safe and Equal, in a statement against misogyny in the Australian media.

The statement, referring to The Herald Sun’s “sexist, harmful and tiresome” cartoon of Premier Jacinta Allen, said it’s up to the media to promote equality and shape our culture for good.

“This conversation is bigger than one misogynistic cartoon,” the statement read.

“It’s about headlines that paint men who murder their partners as ‘good blokes’, it’s disempowering images used in stories about family violence that show women cowering in the shadows. 

“It’s articles that lean into racist or ableist stereotypes, that sexualise women and girls, that aim to take down women in positions of power, and that minimise violence using sexist ‘jokes’.”

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The statement placed the onus on journalists, editors, producers and cartoonists to join in the fight in preventing violence against women from happening.

“Instead of making a mockery of women’s bodies, the media could be running stories and using images that amplify women’s voices, that challenge inequality, that model healthy relationships and that show younger generations that we can be better than this,” the statement read.

“To ensure that all women are safe and equal in this country, the media must step up and play its part.”

The government’s plan

The Australian government launched the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children last year. It is a ten-year plan targeting all sectors of society to prevent, intervene, respond to and recover from family and domestic violence.

Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon from Monash University said the recent deaths represent only “the tip of the iceberg” of what she describes as a “national crisis”, calling on stronger government action.

“Australia’s National Plan commits to ending gender-based violence in one
generation,” she said.

“To achieve this, we urgently need increased action, funding and
political attention on the insecurity of women and children in their homes and
workplaces.”

Professor Fitz-Gibbon said it is possible to prevent intimate partner femicide through long-term commitments and investment into prevention.

“If we do not invest fully in prevention, we will continue to see the horrific impacts of this violence for generations to come,” she said.

“The status quo is not delivering the transformational commitment to end gender-based violence in one generation. An escalation in efforts and an increase in funding is urgently required.”

If you are concerned about your behaviour, or about someone using violence, call Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.  

If you or someone you know is in need of help due to sexual assault or family and domestic violence contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732

In an emergency call 000.

UPDATED 1/11/23 – The figures on the total number of women killed by family and domestic violence were changed on 1/11/23 to reflect the data from Destroy the Joint’s Counting Dead Women.

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In an interview with Sky News, Lei said she’s been adjusting back to her normal life, doing the school run and cooking new recipes. 

Speaking with Sky News’ Washington Correspondent Annelise Nielsen, Lei recounted her emotional reunion with her children, 12 and 14, partner, and mother. 

“My kids running at me, and my mum, who’s aged a lot in the last three years,” Lei said. 

“And we all just screamed and my mum like wept and I just held onto her.”

“I could feel, I could see that she’d lost a lot of weight because of diabetes and having broken her ribs and just having to shoulder the burden mentally and physically, and just be strong for me all that time.”

Lei said that her family went to a Vietnamese restaurant for a celebratory meal before heading to the Queen Victoria Market. 

Upon her arrival in Melbourne last week, Lei took to X to express her immediate relief at being released:

“Tight hugs, teary screams, holding my kids in the spring sunshine. Trees shimmy from the breeze. I can see the entirety of the sky now! Thank you Aussies.”

She admits that because of her ordeal in China, she still has fears. 

“I keep expecting you know people to dropout of the sky and arrest me and maybe it’s something I need to get over.”

“Every time I look at the sky, I can’t believe… it’s 360 degrees, as opposed to just a little slip up the top of the cell.” 

Lei praised the efforts of DFAT and particularly, Foreign Minister Penny Wong. 

“I just can’t begin to thank them DFAT and the PM and the media and just ordinary people with heart,” she said. 

“I was euphoric when I spoke to the embassy guys and just thanking them and wanting to sing because words really fail the amount of gratitude I feel for everyone who has believed me and supported me.” 

“Penny Wong is amazing. I’d met her in 2014 at a dinner and she was really impressive so I passed on a message to her because I heard about the tweets that she was sending and all the heartfelt messages.”

“[She contacted] my family and reassured them and she actually wrote me a personal message back and it wasn’t just poly speak or you know standard stock phrases. I really felt that she was a friend who was trying to help me trying to look out for my best interests.” 

Cheng revealed that she was detained in China and charged with “illegally providing China’s state security secrets abroad,” for breaking a story embargo by a few minutes.

“In China, that is a big sin,” Cheng said. “You have hurt the motherland. And the state authority has been eroded because of you.

“What seems innocuous to us here, and it’s not limited to embargos but many other things, are not in China.”

In August 2020, Cheng was working as a business reporter for China’s state-run English-language TV station, CGTN when she was called into a meeting by a senior official who told her she was wanted for “a very important meeting.”

“I went in thinking about work, and I get to this big meeting room, and about twenty people are there, and then someone stands up shows his badge and says you’re wanted for and immediately they take my belongings away.

Lei explained how she was escorted to her apartment.

“They’d already arranged with the security at my compound to go through the garage up to my apartment where they looked for evidence all day.”

“They tried to give me hints at the apartment as we were leaving, they said ‘turn off the power and water. Take some clothes. Take some toiletries.’ They said you sure you don’t want something to eat? So I made myself a homemade bread toasted sandwich with cheese and avocado. And those three things I ended up not having for over three years.”

Lei was taken to a Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL) — a building that she said is meant to “make you feel isolated, and bored and pained and desperate.” 

“They say that they gave me 15 minutes of fresh air, but all they meant was, there’s a window up the top that a guard would open for 15 minutes,” she said.

“But the curtains are still drawn while the windows are open. You never saw anything except the blue curtains, the … carpet and the beige padded walls. It was just silence.”

She was transferred to another prison, where she had a cellmate. There, she taught herself Italian, Spanish and Japanese and read the books her partner sent her. 

“I built up a stash of over 200 books. And I used to think ‘wow, this is a book that Nick has lovingly chosen for me’ and has held in his hand,” she said.

“I would just caress the book and keep it close to me. And when there were wise words or encouraging words, I would feel that he had written them.”

For now, Lei is content in trying to ease her way back to being a mother to her children. 

“Just this whole idea that I am now here for them and meeting my daughter’s teachers who were so sweet.”

“They had been praying for me and I even met one of the teacher’s dogs who my daughter had written about in her letters. Family letters are like medication and when you get them it’s a huge boost to the immune system.” 

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On Tuesday night, Laurence Fox — a ”darling of rightwing culture warriors” went on the Dan Wootton Tonight show to criticise comments made a day earlier by political journalist Ava Evans, who responded to a call made by a Conservative MP for a dedicated minister for men as “feed[ing] into the culture war a little bit.”

Evans was speaking on an episode of BBC’s Politics Live when her co-guest comedian and commentator Geoff Norcott mentioned the concerning rates of suicide for men under fifty – noting how it remains the biggest cause of death in the UK for men under that age. 

“I think that it feeds into the culture war a little bit, this minister for men argument,” Evans said. 

“[Mental illness] is a crisis that’s endemic throughout the country, not specific to men. And I think a lot of ministers bandy this about to – I’m sorry – make an enemy out of women.”

Evans took to X to explain that the comments had been “a little rash” and that she was “actually very interested in a brief for a minister on young men’s mental health”.

On Tuesday night, a segment on Dan Wootton’s show featured Laurence Fox responding to Evan’s comments by adjudicating her sexual currency, saying: “Show me a single self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman ever, ever, who wasn’t an incel.”

The banner on the screen during their discussion displayed the text: “Hard-left commentator slammed for shrugging off male suicide crisis.” 

Describing Evans as a “little woman,” Fox went on to say, “We need powerful, strong amazing women who make great points for themselves. We don’t need these sort of feminist 4.0. They’re pathetic and embarrassing. Who’d want to shag that?”

Wootton is seen smiling, before adding his own response: “And she’s a very beautiful woman, Laurence, very beautiful woman.”

Evans, who is the political correspondent for online news platform PoliticsJOE, posted the clip of the segment on X captioned: “Laurence Fox just did a whole speech on GB News on why men apparently won’t shag me ?” 

“I feel physically sick.”

On Wednesday, GB News issued a statement, saying it has “suspended Dan Wootton following comments made on his programme by Laurence Fox last night. This follows our decision earlier today to formally suspend Mr Fox. We are conducting a full investigation.”

Speaking to the BBC Newscast podcast, Evans said she had received an apology from the news channel.

“It was an email from the editor – a very gracious email – basically telling me that what Fox said was not representative of the rest of the GB News outfit,” she said. 

“That’s actually probably the best apology I could have gotten. Honestly, not to cast doubt on our media landscape, but I didn’t actually think anything was going to happen.

“I don’t want to say I’m pleased by it. I just think that’s probably the best outcome I could have hoped for.”

Before she received that official apology from GB News, she wrote on X: 

“Really, really grateful to every person who reached out to me. From MPs, to journalists, to friends and people on here. I’m overwhelmed by how kind people have been. I’m also immensely grateful to the incredibly courageous people who spoke out despite working on the station.” 

Evans also said that in the 24 hours prior, she had received “really nasty” threats. 

Speaking to the Evening Standard on Wednesday, Evans said that “as a political journalist…I’ve much rather be judged or asked about my work than have people talking about my body.” 

“I’m shocked that [the comments] went out, she continued. “This is the sort of talk that you worry that men have about you when you’re not in the room. There’s always sort of a worry in the back of your mind which is — are people actually interested in what I’m saying or what I’m doing or are they just looking at me physically? And I think that that clip proves that there are some men who are.” 

Following a huge backlash on social media, Wootton, 40, issued an apology on X, explaining his “regret” over the exchange he had with Fox on his show. 

“Having looked at the footage, I can see how inappropriate my reaction to his totally unacceptable remarks appears to be and want to be clear that I was in no way amused by the comments,” he wrote. 

“I reacted as I did out of shock and surprise in an off guard moment while working out how to respond as he continued to speak by searching for tweets @AvaSantina had sent earlier in the day while having them read out in my ear at the same time.”

“However, I should have intervened immediately to challenge offensive and misogynistic remarks. I apologise unreservedly for what was a very unfortunate lapse in judgement on my part under the intense pressure of a bizarre exchange.”

Wootton concluded his apology by saying he “should have done better” and that he will continue to “seek to tackle the issue and not the person.” 

Lucy Frazer, UK’s Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said Fox’s comments were “inappropriate and unacceptable.”

Television presenter and journalist Carole Malone, described Fox’s comments as “outrageous” — adding that Fox has done himself, “more harm than he could ever do [to Evans].”

“I don’t quite know why that was allowed to go on.” 

Shadow Culture Secretary, Thangam Debbonaire, posed the question on X: “Should we [women] have to tell a broadcaster that on-air woman-hate is not OK?”

“Last night’s woman-hating on air has hit a new low. Might want to ask why a national broadcaster would want to keep this man on air. Women are mighty and we will never let voices like this silence us.”

Shadow attorney-general, Emily Thornberry said the on-air incident of “smirking, sniggering” misogyny “needs to be called out”, adding that “British television should never subject women to this sort of abuse”.

This is not the first time Wootton has been in hot waters for his inappropriate behaviour — earlier this month, he was accused of using a pseudonym to solicit explicit images from former Sun colleagues over several years — allegations which GB News has repeatedly refused to investigate. 

Wootton is currently being investigated by three separate media groups including MailOnline and News UK over a range of issues.

UK’s media regulator, Ofcom said it will continue its investigation into a large number of complaints about Wootton and Fox’s comments. 

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So how can the Australian media, advertising, and marketing industries become more inclusive and representative of PWD? Well, I’ve seen enough articles written about disability where able-bodied ‘experts’ speak on our behalf. Instead, I wanted to speak with the real experts, people living with a disability.

Here are some women, from intersectional backgrounds, with disabilities who have some great things to say. Each of these women is doing incredible work to shape and reshape perceptions about disability in the work they are doing in everything from film production, media and marketing to small business and sales.

Move beyond defining individuals by their disabilities

We need to move beyond defining individuals by their disabilities. “My disability is bittersweet. It has given me an insight into life like no other. But. It has also defined how others see me, if at all! I want to be seen for WHO I am and not to be defined by my disability,” says Charmaine Idris, owner of Diva Headwraps. The industry needs to see PWD for who they truly are, highlighting their passions and achievements that go beyond their disability. Charmaine believes that if the media can start using the correct language and avoiding stereotypical portrayals, we can transform mindsets and promote genuine inclusivity.

Diverse representation needs to include people of all disabilities, races, and LGBTQIA+ backgrounds

True representation sends a powerful message that everyone belongs. Businesses and organisations need to prioritise the needs of PWDs and recognise the value they bring as consumers. Zoe Simmons, says “When we don’t see ourselves represented, it’s like society is telling us that we don’t belong–that public spaces aren’t meant for us. I hope more businesses and organisations consider the value of representation with genuine inclusivity, not just token gestures.” She also adds “The media, advertising and marketing space also needs to become more accessible for the disabled community, with consideration to those who have intellectual disabilities, energy impairments, and mobility difficulties, as well as those who are Deaf and blind. Ask for our access needs. Make sure we feel safe enough to disclose them and make spaces feel safe.”

Move beyond inspirational portrayals of disability

Disability representation reflects the real experiences of individuals with disabilities in everyday situations. Mel Watson, a busy entrepreneur and mum with disabilities, says “We all understand that it’s trickier to show the representation of less visible disability in short forms of media, but the representation of any disability in advertising has got to be done better. It’s an industry filled with creatives that thrive on thinking outside the box, so it’s not a stretch – they can be more inclusive and rather than inspirational, paralympic style ads.” She also adds “I’d love to see the “busy mum” trope. I’m a busy mum, I run a business in the health and wellbeing sector, and I don’t know any parents who stand in a pristine kitchen, looking glowy, suspiciously upbeat and perfectly put together as they make afternoon snacks as their pristine children run through the kitchen in their tidy school uniforms. This isn’t aspirational for me or an incentive to buy.”

Representing invisible disabilities

We’re at the perfect point in time for the advertising and media industry to showcase individuals with disabilities in prominent roles, such as newsreaders and television show hosts. Joe-Anne KekPamenter, a Graphic Designer and Communications Officer, says “I am quite impressed the last few years with the inclusive representation of people with disability and diversity in the media. This has come about from the hard work and perseverance of the many wonderful disability advocates we have in Australia, as well as globally.” She adds “Where I think media can improve is to include more diversity by way of invisible disability. To me, this may include a Deaf, Blind or neurodiverse newsreader or television show host, showing models with hearing aids, cochlear implants and wearing glasses, or accompanied by seeing eye dogs and companion animals. These types of disabilities are prevalent and, on the rise, particularly hearing impairment.”

Diversity within the media, advertising, and marketing industries themselves

By nurturing a diverse workforce behind the scenes, the industry can incorporate varied perspectives and experiences into its creative output. Film producer, Stephanie Dower, a member of the media herself, believes that true change begins within the industry and calls for a genuine representation of people with disabilities, challenging preconceived notions. “What we need more of in the media is a diverse range of people in permanent roles, this is particularly true of people with disabilities. We see diversity sort of flicker in and out but the majority of mainstays on our screens are still predominantly white, cis-gendered, non-disabled individuals. If we could see characters/people on screen living with disability, we can work to dismantle the pre-conceived ideas that people with disability are less than or experience life so differently from those who are non-disabled.”

We need the media and advertisers to be reflective of the communities they operate in – including showing the range of what disability looks like in Australia.

The media holds the key to public perception, and public perception holds the key to opportunities. The media must get on board. Emma Olivier, founder and CEO of Twenty Percent Disability Inclusion Advisory, says “We are 20% of the population and yet we don’t see that 20% represented in media and advertising in a consistent and real way. When we do see disability represented, it’s a person with a disability reporting on Disability focused stories, it’s the Paralympics where we are set up to inspire the rest of Australia, or it’s a story where pity or the word sorry is used. We need to be represented in a way that shows people first, then our disability. Not stories led by our disabilities. Then we will know disability inclusion has truly evolved.”

The journey to achieving fair and accurate disability representation is well underway

The journey towards inclusive media representation is ongoing, but the collective voice of women with disabilities is growing louder and more impactful. Their advocacy, resilience, and unwavering spirit remind us of the urgent need for change. By heeding their call for inclusion, the media, advertising, and marketing industries can become powerful catalysts for societal transformation, paving the way for a future where all individuals, regardless of their abilities, are seen, heard, and valued.

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As a female-run, independent media outlet, the journalists decide what they will cover, when, and how, offering a unique perspective and access to women’s lives and opinions. 

Since its operations kicked off, Bilan’s reports have been distributed locally on Dalsan and internationally through outlets including the Guardian, BBC, El Pais, and the Toronto Star. Now, it is set to grow their offices to support more female journalists across other cities.

It’s an important feat for the country which was ranked by the UN as the fourth-lowest for gender equality globally. Women and girls in Somalia face harrowing challenges, with maternal and infant mortality rates among some of the highest in the world, and early marriage being one of the most pervasive. Thirty six per cent of girls are married by the age of 18. Gender-based violence is widespread and more than 90 per cent of women aged 15 to 19 having undergone female genital mutilation. 

According to Reporters Without Borders, Somalia is the most dangerous country for journalists in Africa. More than 50 journalists have been killed in the past twelve years. In the Global Impunity Index by The Committee to Protect Journalists – a list that calculates the number of unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of a country’s population, Somalia ranks last. 

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Fathi Mohamed Ahmed is the chief editor of Bilan. She told Reuters that due to the country’s deeply patriarchal culture, some people are unable to discuss women’s issues publicly. 

“We know Somalis, for them girls’ issues are shameful,” she said. “For example, signs of adolescence like menstruation, periods. Girls are not taught the symptoms of womanhood in the classroom.”

One story about the taboo surrounding menstruation went viral earlier this year, garnering 130,000 views on the outlet’s Facebook page.

Ahmed and her team are trying to highlight stories that have traditionally been ignored in her country by covering issues including domestic violence, family violence, female prisoners, gender pay gap and caregiving. 

According to Reuters, recent coverage by Bilan on issues such as HIV/AIDS, autism and menstrual hygiene education, have started important conversations online and in public spaces, leading to calls for material, political change for women. 

The story about the taboo surrounding menstruation from earlier this year sparked discussions within the Ministry of Women. They have since offered to work with the media company on an advocacy campaign to shift attitudes around menstrual health and wellbeing. 

The former Chief Editor of Bilan, Nasrin Mohamed Ahmed told the publication in an interview last year that being a female journalist [in Somalia] means “you have to be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.”

“Female journalists don’t just face the bombings and the harsh living conditions that everyone else faces, there are also other issues specific to being a woman in the media,” she said. 

One of Bilan’s five reporters, Farhio Mohamed Hassan, said that she has always been passionate about telling women’s stories, but that it has been extremely challenging.

“So many of my female colleagues have left the profession because of harassment and a lack of opportunities,” she said. “But I stuck it out because I believe women as well as men need to bring Somalia’s difficulties into the open, however difficult it may be.”

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supports Bilan by providing funding and equipment.

A mentoring and traineeship programme is also offered to young, aspiring female journalists, with partnerships involving journalists from BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Al Jazeera. 

According to Abdallah Al Dardari, director of the United Nations Development Programme Regional Bureau for Arab States, the news station is revolutionising the industry of journalism in the country of more than 18 million. 

“With their unique voice and the growing reach of the Bilan Media brand, they’re creating a demand for change and better treatment of women and girls that can’t be ignored,” Al Dardari said.

You can find out more about Bilan here. 

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The Women in Media Gender Scorecard revealed the startling underrepresentation of women in media coverage, both as sources and experts in the news. 

The study, published by Women in Media, found that byline authors were extremely gender imbalanced — with men dominating sports stories (82 per cent compared with 18 per cent women), politics (59 per cent male authors vs 41 per cent women) and finance (63 per cent male authors vs 37 per cent women).

Research partner Isentia studied more than 18,000 press, radio and TV news reports across a two-week period in July last year, revealing that gender parity in the media will likely not occur until 2034 — a time frame that’s unacceptable, according to Women in Media Strategic Advisor, Petra Buchanan.

“That is far too long to wait for equal representation of women as authors, sources and experts in the media,” Buchanan said. 

“Action in key sectors including retail, sport, health, social issues and education will drive us towards achieving that objective sooner.” 

Buchanan believes the research shows that the inclusion, portrayal, and projection of women in Australian media has a way to go and that  true parity with men remains a distant goal. 

“This report proves that a gender divide still exists,” said Buchanan. “We need the media to ensure more female journalists are writing, producing, fronting and being technically involved in all aspects. Women must be empowered as sources and experts in news and storytelling.” 

Women in Media, which was created in 2005, works to highlight women in media, including journalism, communications, production, public relations and publishing. Its Women in Media Gender Scorecard seeks to monitor changes in the way women are represented across media analytics, including bylines, sources, and experts.

Isentia’s Insights Director, Ngaire Crawford, said the Scorecard provides tangible data and transparency on the issue of gender representation in the media. 

“This research shows that there is still work to do on what voices are given space and respect in media coverage,” she said. “There is clear work to do across a number of sectors in who they chose to speak on their behalf, and if those choices are reflective of their organisation or their audience.”

“We know that visibility matters, and this type of measurement is crucial to shining a light on fixable bias, and to encourage different choices.” 

The report listed a range of recommendations to challenge these figures, calling on industry, organisations and the media to have more women and their expertise broadcast. 

The organisation is hoping to continue their efforts in reviewing female representation in the media, and calling on more investment in training and development for spokeswomen as sources. 

Other recommendations include a commitment to increasing women’s bylines to 50/50, address and correct the gender imbalance in the coverage of sport, finance, health, and politics and increasing inclusion and diversity efforts in content development.

Buchanan believes these strategies are necessary to correct the existing gender problem. 

“Imposing a gender lens on the media is an important way to monitor progress and identify where effort, investment and action can be taken to address female under-representation,” she said. 

Celebrated gender equity champion and Scorecard spokesperson, Catherine Fox AM published an Op Ed this morning in The Age, remarking on the study.

“Claims there haven’t been enough women with experience or clout to be quoted are well past their use-by date,” she wrote. “Many high-achieving women in the business sector have told me about the demoralising flak they routinely get from male colleagues after being quoted in the media or speaking at conferences.”

“The Women in Media data shows the need for intentional and focused intervention on gender equity. Leaving crucial efforts to bridge the gender gap to the passage of time has not worked.”

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There is no better example of how Australia’s defamation laws enable the rich and powerful to intimidate their critics than Lachlan Murdoch suing Crikey.com over a comment piece concerning Fox News, Donald Trump and the Washington insurrection of January 6 2021.

Crikey says it has published the correspondence between its lawyers and Murdoch’s in order to show how media power is abused in Australia.

The correspondence begins with a “concerns notice” Murdoch sent to Crikey, which is the essential first step in launching an action for defamation. In it, Murdoch claims that the Crikey commentary by Bernard Keane, published on June 29 2022, conveyed 14 meanings that were defamatory of Murdoch.

Murdoch’s allegation and Crikey’s defence

According to Murdoch’s claims, Keane’s piece alleges that Lachlan Murdoch illegally conspired with Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 US presidential election result and incite an armed mob to march on the Capitol to prevent the result from being confirmed.

Crikey has responded by disputing that these meanings are conveyed, saying they are “contrived and do not arise”. Crikey also argues that whatever it published could not possibly have done serious harm to Lachlan Murdoch’s reputation.

In order to get an action for defamation off the ground, Murdoch, the plaintiff in this case, has to satisfy the court that serious reputational harm has been done. The court may well decide this is the case.

Crikey says that given what much bigger media companies such as the Washington Post, the New York Times and the ABC (American Broadcasting Company) have already published about Murdoch’s Fox News and its propagation of the “Big Lie” that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen, what Crikey has published cannot further harm Murdoch’s reputation.

US vs Australian defamation protections

This brings us to the first way Australia’s defamation laws facilitate intimidatory action by the rich and powerful.

Since those two big American newspapers have published similar material to that published by Crikey, the question naturally arises: why has Lachlan Murdoch not sued them? The answer is that in the United States, there is a “public figure” defence to defamation.

In the US, Lachlan Murdoch would easily qualify as a public figure, being executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corporation. If he sued there, he would have to prove malice on the part of the newspapers. That means he would have to prove that the newspapers lied or were recklessly indifferent to the truth.

No such defence is available to the media in Australia, despite decades of intermittent campaigning by the media that it is needed. The reasons these efforts have gone nowhere are twofold.

First, Australian politicians are among the most avid users of defamation laws, and it would be unrealistic to expect they would change this convenient state of affairs. This has been illustrated recently by the successful defamation action taken by the former deputy premier of NSW, John Barilaro, against an online satirist, Jordan Shanks, aka friendlyjordies.

Second, the tradition of accountability in public life is weak in Australia and the tradition of secrecy is strong, as vividly demonstrated by Scott Morrison’s behaviour in the affair of the multiple portfolios.

Another major factor in the chilling effect that the Australian defamation laws exert on the media is the extravagant damages the courts have awarded to plaintiffs that sue media companies, as well as the high cost of litigation. This has caused large media companies to settle cases even when they had an arguable prospect of defending themselves.

A recent example was when the biography of the AFL player Eddie Betts was published, confirming what had happened at the now notorious training camp held by the Adelaide Crows in 2018. At the camp, Betts alleged he was targeted, abused and the camp “misused personal and sensitive information.”

However, when The Age broke the story initially, it was sued by the company that ran the camp. The newspaper issued an apology, although it did not admit the story was wrong.

The Age said its parent company, Nine Entertainment, had made a “business decision” to settle the case. In other words, it did not want to risk the costs and damages involved in contesting the suit.

Liabilities for online publication

A third main factor is the failure of the Morrison administration to bring to finality stage two of the defamation law reforms, which concern the liabilities and defences for online publication.

Currently, anyone who publishes a website or a blog is liable for the comments made there by third parties. Continuously moderating comment streams for potentially defamatory material is onerous and expensive at a time when media organisations have far fewer resources than they did in the pre-digital age.

Against this backdrop, it is hardly surprising that Lachlan Murdoch feels he can use his immense wealth and power to intimidate and silence a relatively small outfit like Crikey.com. Behind him stand corporations with a market capitalisation of billions. Crikey says its company, Private Media, is valued at less than $20 million.

Murdoch’s demands

Murdoch wants Crikey to take down the story and issue an apology. In pursuit of his case, he has filed suit in the Federal Court.

In defiance of Murdoch’s claim, Crikey has published his 2014 oration at the State Library of Victoria named in honour of his grandfather, Sir Keith Murdoch, as part of its publishing of the legal correspondence:

Censorship should be resisted in all its insidious forms. We should be vigilant of the gradual erosion of our freedom to know, to be informed and make reasoned decisions in our society and in our democracy. We must all take notice and, like Sir Keith, have the courage to act when those freedoms are threatened.

Quite.

Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Buchanan will join GroupM in October, leading a host of agencies including Mindshare, MediaCom, Wavemaker and Essence.

Buchanan has been CEO of Australia’s largest media and communications agency, OMD since 2016 and currently sits on both the MFA and UnLtd boards. 

Under her leadership at OMD, the agency became the largest media agency in the country, shaping the Australian media landscape and driving progress around brand responsibility and diversity & inclusion. 

The agency also snapped up a number of agency and culture awards, including AdNews and B&T Media Agency of the Year 2020, B&T People & Culture and Women in Media Employer 2020 and Mumbrella Agency of the Decade in 2020. OMD was also listed in the Great Places to Work Top 50 for 12 consecutive years between 2009-2020. 

Buchanan, whose career has spanned more than twenty years, was named B&T Executive of the Year in 2019, as well as the B&T Women in Media – Woman of Year & Executive of the Year and Campaign Asia CEO for 2018. 

In an official statement, Buchanan expressed her gratitude to her former colleagues, and says she’s looking forward to her new role at GroupM.

“It is with a heavy heart that I leave my OMD friends and family,” she wrote. “I have loved every step of the journey with this team and I am proud of what we have built and achieved together. A big thank you to all of the OMDers across the nation, our clients and partners for all their support over the last 10 years.”

“I am excited to take on the new role at GroupM and believe they are uniquely placed to influence how media drives growth for clients’ businesses and shapes society. I look forward to working alongside the GroupM leadership and the broader team to set GroupM up for a bright future.”

GroupM APAC CEO and acting CEO GroupM Australia, Ashutosh Srivastava, said Buchanan is an “exceptional agency leader with a phenomenal track record”

“[She has] intimate knowledge of what clients need, and how agencies and their people thrive,” Srivastava wrote in a statement. “She is a truly visionary leader, whose priorities and integrity align with ours. She is client obsessed and always puts her people and culture first.”

“GroupM’s purpose is to harness intelligence and imagination to create, integrate and scale breakthrough ideas that help businesses leap forward. Aimee is the perfect person to lead GroupM’s ambitious program of change, enable our agencies to succeed and enhance their capabilities to meet current and future client needs and drive faster growth in the business.”

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Last week, the ABC announced it had achieved a milestone it had been trying to reach for more than two years. For the first time, in the previous month of March, it had equal numbers of women and men appearing in its news coverage.

This may seem surprising. You might expect the gender ratio of people quoted in the news would mirror the gender split of our society.

But that’s not the case. Studies of news coverage from around the world have consistently found more than 70% of people seen, quoted and heard in the news are men, while women make up less than 30%.

When it comes to “expert” sources, around 80% are men.

In response to this imbalance, the BBC started its 50:50 equality project in 2017. The ABC followed suit in December 2018. Other media organisations, such as Bloomberg, have introduced similar initiatives.

Despite these encouraging programs, the Global Media Monitoring Project, which analyses sources in news content from around the world on a set day every five years, has reported overall progress in bringing women’s voices into the news is “extremely slow”.

This means news tends to be male-centric, and women are denied the legitimacy, authority and status that often come with inclusion in the news. As a journalist and news researcher, I was interested to learn more about why women are so under-represented.

Is it because, as some journalists will argue, women are reluctant to be interviewed as news sources? Or is it because journalists tend to turn to the same sources again and again, and most of these experienced sources are men?

My research, which included interviewing 30 female academic experts about their attitudes towards interacting with the news media, suggests the latter is more likely.

All but one of the experts I spoke to said they would be willing to be interviewed for a news story. Most understood and appreciated the value of getting their work out into the community via the news.

However, they were not totally comfortable with being in the news. Most of them lacked confidence about the process. This was in part due to fears about their performance, but also due to a lack of knowledge about how the news media operate and what journalists want from them.

So how can journalists address these concerns and be more likely to secure a “yes” when approaching a female source for an interview? And how can sources improve their interactions with journalists and get the most out of their experiences with the media?

Tips for journalists

Be very clear. Expert sources typically have little knowledge about how the media work. You have a much better chance of securing an interview if you explain exactly what you need in terms of the nature of the interview and the time required.

Make a case. Experts need to demonstrate that their work and research is being seen and heard, and is having an impact. Media engagement is a crucial way to do this. Remind prospective sources about the benefits of promoting their work and research through news coverage.

Be willing to negotiate. Where there is some flexibility about the timing or location of an interview, be prepared to discuss this with the source. Try to come to an arrangement that suits you both. Sometimes, a source might just want 10 minutes to prepare for an interview first.

Respect the source and their time. Sources are much more likely to agree to an interview if the journalist appears to have some knowledge of their research and area of expertise. It’s also important for journalists to recognise that expert sources are usually very time-poor (just like journalists).

Give feedback. Do this during and after the interview, if possible. The experts I spoke to all wanted to know how they had performed in their interviews, and how they could improve.

Tips for sources

Say yes, but … It does not have to be an unconditional yes. It’s okay to say: “Yes, I can do the interview but I need 30 minutes to prepare.” Or “Yes, but I’m not willing to talk about this particular topic or issue.”

Ask questions. You don’t have to let the journalist ask all the questions. If you don’t know what the journalist wants from you, ask.

Don’t over-prepare. Most interviews are brief and will probably only take about 10 minutes. Don’t waste time over-preparing or over-thinking. Trust your expertise and knowledge.

Cut yourself a break, but learn from your mistakes. Listen back to or watch your interviews to see how you can improve. But recognise it takes time and practice to become a polished media commentator.

Be authentic. For radio and TV interviews in particular, try to relax and let your personality and passion for your work come through.

Kathryn Shine, Journalism Discipline Lead, Curtin University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Aside from his strenuous denials of the rape allegation against him, the central point made by Attorney-General Christian Porter at his media conference was that he had been the victim of “trial by media”.

He warned if the media’s publication of allegations in these circumstances resulted in a public figure being forced from office, it would represent a new and unacceptable standard for public figures generally.

He also said no one in the media had confronted him with the allegation. And he said that when Prime Minister Scott Morrison discussed the matter with him last week, the document containing the allegation had already been sent to the Australian Federal Police, so he had not seen it on that occasion either.

These are important questions deserving of some scrutiny.

Trial by media? The media never named Christian Porter until now, and were roundly criticised for not doing so #auspol pic.twitter.com/HCyuNJRlNv

— Dougal Wallace (@DougalWallace) March 3, 2021

What constitutes a ‘trial by media’?

“Trial by media” is one of those phrases that trips off the tongue in cases where the media apply intense pressure on a person or organisation at the centre of an issue.

Trial by media occurs when either of two things happen. The first is where media coverage prejudices the outcome of legal processes, such as police investigations or trials in court. The second is when the media initiate an issue and then proceed to play prosecutor, judge and jury.

Neither applies in the Porter case.

As far as is known, there are no police investigations or legal proceedings on foot and there has been little prospect there would be, given the woman who made the allegations is now dead. The South Australian police are preparing a report for the coroner, an investigation that by definition is confined to the circumstances of the person’s death.

The New South Wales police investigation was suspended after the woman took her life in June last year, and this week, Commissioner Mick Fuller said the case was closed.

The South Australian police commissioner discussed the matter with the NSW and AFP commissioners this week, as well, but has made no comment on whether his force would pursue an investigation. The AFP has no jurisdiction.

So much for the first test of trial by media.

The media also did not initiate the allegation. That was done in a 31-page letter sent anonymously to politicians on both sides of federal parliament, including Morrison and the Labor leader in the Senate, Penny Wong.

The ABC obtained a copy of this document and reported the allegation without naming Porter, saying only that it referred to a senior cabinet minister. The rest of the media then reported the story, also without naming Porter.

It would have been legally perilous and ethically unconscionable for the media to do so without putting the allegation to him.

How should the media have handled the allegation?

This raises the question: should the media have put it to Porter?

In principle, as a matter of fairness, yes. As a practical matter, however, it is a very difficult proposition.

No doubt the ABC and other media would have obtained pre-publication legal advice about this.

The first difficulty the media face in these circumstances is the accused person might not give an answer but make a threat to sue for defamation. Given the weakness of defences in defamation law in Australia, it would be a very risky business to publish in the face of such a threat.

Even publishing what is called a “denial story” is risky because of the damage to reputation inherent in the question. If the media publish a story saying Porter denied a rape allegation, this leaves open the question of whether he is to be believed.

A story based on a voluntary public statement of the kind he made this week, however, is an altogether different situation.

The second difficulty is there is always the chance the accused person will obtain an injunction restraining publication. In a case like this, there is a good chance the court would also issue a “super injunction” banning the reporting of the fact that an injunction had been granted.

This would have tied up the matter in the courts, probably for weeks.

A political matter, not one for the media

Clearly, the media decided to treat this as a political story and watch it play out in the political process.

Of course, the media are part of the political process. The part they play is that of watchdog and commentator, and in this case, virtually all of the scrutiny was on Morrison’s response.

He was already under pressure for the way he and his government handled the rape allegation made by former staffer Brittany Higgins. A new allegation against a member of his cabinet intensified that pressure enormously.

When did he know? What did he know? How did he know? What did he do? What does he intend to do?

These are all legitimate questions and have nothing to do with the rights and wrongs of the allegation itself. They have everything to do with how the prime minister handles another alleged incident of sexual misconduct involving someone in his government.

Porter’s outing himself took the political process a step further. As he himself said at his media conference, where it goes from here is for others to decide.

Should there be an inquiry like the one instigated by the High Court concerning the conduct of the former justice Dyson Heydon? Again, the media spotlight returns to the prime minister for answers.

Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Australia prides itself on being a successful multicultural society. Yet Australian television does not reflect the make-up of the wider community. This in turn means many stories of multicultural Australians remain untold.

An analysis by Deakin University, to be launched today, shows Australian television news and current affairs programs across all channels are overwhelmingly curated, framed and presented by journalists and commentators from an Anglo-Celtic background.

Read more: Australians born overseas prefer the online world for their news

The report, titled “Who gets to tell Australian stories?”, examined two weeks of programs. It found more than 75% of their presenters, commentators and reporters are of Anglo-Celtic background. Only 13% have a European heritage, 9.3% non-European and 2.1% Indigenous background.

To determine this, we examined publicly available biographical information about each individual. We looked at relevant public statements about their cultural background including on social media sites, their surname and its origins, place of birth, and visual observation. This was cross-checked by another researcher.

These findings do not match well with the wider population. An estimated 58% of Australians have an Anglo-Celtic background, 18% European, 21% non-European and 3% Indigenous backgrounds.

Lack of diversity is evident in the stories, too

The study also examined more than 19,000 news and current affairs items from Australian free-to-air metropolitan and regional networks, broadcast over two weeks in June 2019. It found the lack of diversity is also reflected in the stories programs make, the issues they examine and the way they examine them.

The numbers are worse when one considers Australians of non-European and Indigenous backgrounds make up 24% of the Australian population, but appear on television news screens for only 6% of the times.

The lack of representation of journalists from multicultural Australia in television news also excludes minority communities from news. Less than 4% of all news and current affairs stories broadcast by 81 programs are about multicultural Australia.

It is not surprising multicultural Australia is disenchanted with mainstream Australian television and seeks news from social and online media. Related to this, our recent experience of COVID-19 has shown many Australians have negative attitudes towards those from multicultural backgrounds.

The 2016 census showed nearly half of all Australians were born overseas or had a parent born overseas. There is also great linguistic diversity. More than 300 languages are spoken across the nation and 21% of Australians speak a language other than English at home.

The analysis of representation of diversity in Australian television news is part of a larger project undertaken by four universities and Media Diversity Australia. The project includes three data components – an examination of a two-week blocks of programs, a survey of television newsroom staff, and an analysis of television networks’ leadership and board teams.

Interviews with senior news and current affairs leaders from all free-to-air networks supplement the empirical research. Although most leaders recognise their outlets need to do more to reflect the diversity of their audience, most do not have any concrete plans to do so.

Apart from SBS, all three commercial channels and the ABC lack fair representation of journalists from non-European background. Channel 7, Channel 9 and regional channels (Win Canberra, Seven Tasmania, Southern Cross, ACT, Channel 9 Darwin, Prime 7 ACT and Win Hobart) have almost no journalists from an Indigenous or non-European background.

The lack of cultural diversity in the regional television network workforce is alarming because regional media remains the pipeline to train young journalists. They then move to metropolitan locations or rise through the ranks to senior roles.

A close look at popular breakfast shows shows an alarming lack of diversity. Channel 7 has a presenter, commentator or reporter of non-European background on camera only 7% of the time. Channel 9 has tokenistic representation of non-European and Indigenous journalists on camera.

The study was undertaken at Deakin University by adopting the Australian Human Rights Commission’s four broad classifications of cultural backgrounds – Anglo-Celtic, European, non-European and Indigenous.

Read more: New research shows how Australia’s newsrooms are failing minority communities

What needs to be done?

The report recommends systematic collection of diversity data, establishing cultural diversity targets, and prioritising diversity in the recruitment and promotion of newsroom staff. It also explores the commercial incentive for networks to better connect with and reflect their increasingly diverse audience.

Importantly, there must be greater diversity among Australian television networks’ decision-makers (senior executives and the boards). Without it, the culture of Australian television newsrooms is unlikely to change.

Our study found a staggering lack of cultural diversity in leadership roles – including at SBS – which is no doubt having a trickle-down effect on the newsroom floor.

Usha M. Rodrigues, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Deakin University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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