Connecting Thai journalists with the female experts they need: ‘Women Make the News’ workshop

UNESCO-NBTC Workshop on Media and Communication: Women Make The News Thailand
 

When: 16 February, 2018
Where: NBTC Auditorium Building, Bangkok

Almost all Thai journalists responding to a recent UNESCO survey said they want to ensure gender balance in their reporting, but often struggle to find the contacts they need to make that happen.

The “Women Make the News: Thailand” database of Thai women experts (WMNThailand.org) for journalists was created by UNESCO and partners to address this challenge. An upcoming workshop organized by UNESCO and the Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) aims to strengthen networks to advance the database, raise awareness about it among media professionals, and empower women experts with the skills they need to communicate effectively with media.

The WMN Thailand database was launched last year to respond to a media climate that often fails to represent women’s outstanding contributions to society. A Thai PBS study, for example, found that only one in four experts interviewed in one month of Thai TV news coverage were women. And it’s far from a Thai-only trend, with a UNESCO study detailing how women are most commonly depicted as victims, family figures or sex objects throughout Asia-Pacific media.

The online database of Thai women experts is a tool that can help reports align more with the reality of high-achieving women in Thai society. It includes nearly 300 women experts in areas identified as lacking in gender balance: media; ICT and innovation; culture and histories of ASEAN; and environment and climate change. The database provides contact information and biographical details on the experts.

A UNESCO survey to gauge the reach of the database found that while half of the women in the database have been contacted for an interview, the majority of journalists surveyed were not aware of the database.

The UNESCO-NBTC workshop aims to raise the profile of the database among Thai media professionals, including those outside of Bangkok, as well as to provide WMN Thailand experts with an opportunity to connect with an extensive network of media professionals.

UNESCO Bangkok Director Officer-In-Charge Maki Hayashikawa, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Pakdee Manaves, Deputy Secretary General of NBTC, will open the workshop. An overview of the WMN Thailand project will then be followed by networking opportunities and focused training sessions on media and communication skills for the experts.

Full programme

WMN Thailand database

For more on the workshop and the WMN Thailand initiative, please contact UNESCO Communication and Information Unit: ci.bgk@unesco.org

Media queries: Noel Boivin, UNESCO Bangkok Media and Communications Officer: n.boivin@unesco.org