The Hindu : National : "Regional newspapers more eager to address women's issues"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 21, 2005

National

National

"Regional newspapers more eager to address women's issues"

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 20. A Human Resource Development Ministry-sponsored study has found that regional newspapers were more eager to address specific issues of women than mainstream English dailies, which specialised in "presenting women in various states of undress in the name of glamour."

According to the study, `Whose Media? A Woman's Space: The Comparative Study of the Press in Projection of Developmental Needs of Women,' conducted in five States by the All-India Women's Conference with funding from the HRD Ministry's Department of Women and Child Welfare, "there has been a decline in the role of English language newspapers in reporting women's development needs."

Localised coverage

Acknowledging the efforts of the regional press in addressing women's issues, it said that "regional language papers are not necessarily more gender-sensitive." If anything, the compulsions of an increasingly localised coverage made it almost mandatory for them to raise such issues. "Since they have to focus on local issues, they have to take note of the lack of health and educational facilities in rural areas, the lack of safe drinking water and sanitation and other such ground realities which impinge on women's lives," the study said.

Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh were chosen for the study with a view to keeping the focus on mountain and tribal societies, where women have provided particular solutions to sustainable development and consensus-building. Issues of two regional language and two English newspapers from April to July 2003 were put under the scanner for the comparative analysis.

Role of advertisers

Though newspapers were found wanting in their coverage of women's issues, the study concluded that "even commercial newspapers — while neglecting women's developmental needs — want more women readers," primarily because advertisers are convinced that married women make most of the consumer decisions in a household.

Even as the study makes out a case for making newspapers "more meaningful for more women," the researchers argued that it would be "a lack of progressive thinking" to assume that women were unconcerned about the rest of the paper. While acknowledging the efforts made by regional papers in producing women's supplements — though not necessarily addressing their developmental needs — the researchers urged gender-sensitive people in newsrooms to push for "soft" issues to be put on the front page and "more of them should raise their voice against the meaningless political power play that usually finds a place there."

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National

News Update

Stories in this Section

NGO develops replicable protocol to prevent kidney failure

Centre will help Chhattisgarh deal with naxals: Patil

Bible course participants return after RSS protest

Rane Government to probe IFFI expenditure

EPFO may restrict additional contributions

Victims of Armed Forces Act dub it a `black law'

Ayodhya case: move to include Vajpayee as accused

`UPA Government's stability depends on its sincerity to CMP'

Sending photos by e-mail now easier and free

Media violence can lead to aggressive behaviour in young children: study

Essential items scarce

"Regional newspapers more eager to address women's issues"

Amnesty criticises Gujarat Government

Communal amity during Muharram procession

Kamal Nath to open first meeting of India-Pakistan study group