Reporting should differ with subject matter

 

The way in which you report on the various issues should differ according to the subject matter being reported on.
 
This was one of the messages that Head of the Institute for Gender and Development  Studies at the Nita Barrow Centre, Dr. Charmaine Crawford is sending out to the media.
 
Speaking with The Barbados Advocate, she said that there are different stories that have to be told and therefore, different ways of telling a story. For example, a reporter should not report on a serious matter with the same attitude and language that they would for a light hearted issue such as entertainment.  
 
“So the media has to understand the different types of stories that come and to understand that when you are dealing with the tragedy and the hurt and violence of people’s lives; that you can present a story, but you have to present it in ensuring that the human dignity of the victim or the individual is maintained and I think that that is where the ethical standards come in.”
 
She further stated while it is only natural for journalists to want to get a good story for their respective media house, they must not do so at the expense of their victims.
 
“At times while the media wants to get a good story, they do it at the expense of say victims, maybe victims of child sexual abuse, gender based violence and so forth. I think that type of language that you use is important. So when reporting on a serious matter, not to use flippant descriptors in relation to what has taken place.”
 
It is with this in mind that the media has to be vigilant in how you report on news stories. “So I think that the media has to be more vigilant in how they get their stories and how they present their stories. There are stories that are important in providing general information to the general public and that helps in terms of how people are informed; how they find out about what is going on in society; get awareness about certain things. So the media has an important role in terms of the elements of social change.”
 
Another issue that Dr. Crawford raised was how the media must ensure that there are no double standards in terms of how they report on certain things. Referring to the male versus female scenario, she said that she has noted that there are some instances when the media reports on a man, they focus on his intellectual capacity to carry out the job or the success that he has already achieved in that particular position whereas when reporting on females in the same arena, they tend to focus on frivolous issues like her clothing, looks or questioning if they believe that the job she holds is somehow impacting on her ability to fulfil her family responsibilities.
 
“Also at times there is an element of at times gender stereotyping. I think that we tend to scrutinize the behaviour of women at times more so than men. A typical female politician and that type of things, we talk about their dress and their wardrobe and their looks and also their familial responsibilities that we don’t really think through about the elements of their character.”

Barbados Advocate

Mailing Address:
Advocate Publishers (2000) Inc
Fontabelle, St. Michael, Barbados

Phone: (246) 467-2000
Fax: (246) 434-2020 / (246) 434-1000