Media Advisory: ‘Women Make the News’ connecting Thailand journalists with the female expert sources they need
UNESCO and NBTC to host workshop, networking event as part of wider initiative to promote gender equality in news
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 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.
WHAT: UNESCO-NBTC Workshop on Media and Communication: Women Make The News Thailand
WHEN: 16 February, 2018
WHERE: NBTC Auditorium Building, Bangkok
WHO: Around 100 participants, including members of traditional and new media, experts from the database, and representatives of international organizations will join the training workshop. UNESCO Bangkok Director Officer-In-Charge Maki Hayashikawa, NBTC Deputy Secretary General, Asst. Prof. Dr. Pakdee Manaves will open the workshop.
Interested media are welcome to attend the event:
Media contact: Noel Boivin, UNESCO Bangkok Media and Communications Officer: n.boivin@unesco.org
For more on the workshop and the WMN Thailand initiative, please contact UNESCO Communication and Information Unit: ci.bgk@unesco.org
Full programme
WMN Thailand database
Background
The WMN Thailand database was launched last year to respond to a media climate that often fails to represent women’s voices and their 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 Thai media professionals with an opportunity to connect with an extensive network of WMN Thailand experts.
