Published in the Kochi edition of Times of India on February 1, 2022
Link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/ever-wondered-why-the-best-pandemic-reporting-has-been-by-women-journalists/articleshow/89261754.cms?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=TOIDesktop&from=mdr
When I became a journalist 50 years ago, there were but a handful of women in the print media. At that time there was only print. All India Radio was controlled by the government. And there was no television.
By the end of the 1970s and early 1980s, more women joined print. But the majority worked as sub-editors on the desk. Or in the magazine and features sections. There were very few women who were reporters.
The few who managed to get into reporting had to fight to get the beats they wanted. They were usually assigned the so-called "soft" beats, such as health, education, culture, entertainment etc. Politics, business, strategic affairs, and sport were almost exclusively male domains.
It took at least another decade before major daily newspapers began assigning women to cover these so-called "hard" beats. By the latter part of the 1980s, women were covering conflict and war, politics, business and even sports, the last male bastion to crumble.
Some of these women are now senior editors in their news organisations. It has to be said, however, that the glass ceiling at the very top has not been shattered, only partially dented. And that too by women who are also owners of media houses.
Given the lack of reliable data, it is difficult to quantify the percentage of women in print media. Several surveys suggest that women covering news represent only 12-13 per cent of all journalists. So even if the actual numbers of women in print media is larger, it is evident that the majority would still be on the desk or features, and not in reporting.
Yet even on the desk, women were not permitted to be on the most important shift in a newspaper, the "graveyard shift" when the paper is put to bed. Unless you are around when the latest edition of a newspaper is assembled, you cannot move upwards in the hierarchy of a newspaper and aspire to be, say the news editor.
If women were to stay in office till after midnight, the newspaper would have had to provide either transport, or a place to rest in the office until daybreak. Although eventually this did happen, it was only after a considerable struggle.
Many of these external hurdles have disappeared today. But appearances can be deceptive. Even if news organisations do not discriminate against the women they employ, there are subtle ways in which women continue to be pushed into certain beats.
If you look at areas of coverage like health or education, you will still find them mostly covered by women journalists. Some women choose these beats. Others are left feeling that they were never given a choice.
The irony in these Covid times is that the health beat has become the most important one. It is no coincidence that the best reporting in the last two years on the pandemic has been by women journalists. They already had background knowledge on public health, disease, the pharmaceutical industry and government policies, all essential for effective and informed coverage in these dire times.
The main difference from the 1970s to now is the way the media has changed. Print is no more king. Television dominates but digital is not too far behind. In any case, increasingly media content is being consumed on a mobile phone. That in itself has altered the style and focus of much of the media, including print.
Within that changed context, does the fact of more women practitioners in the media really make any difference in terms of quality or the work culture in the media?
Ammu Joseph, in her seminal book, "Making News: Women in Journalism" (2005) interviewed 200 women in the print media, many of whom are still prominent. Her conclusions are relevant and apply to the media scene even today.
Joseph pointed out that the presence of a few high-profile women in journalism does not represent the full picture. The more visible bylines by women are evident in the main media centres, such as Delhi and Mumbai, and not if you look beyond, and certainly not in the regional print media.
The women interviewed by Joseph before the year 2000, and those who have spoken to Paromita Pain for her essay in South Asia Chronicle (Volume 11, 2021) recently, suggest that the experiences of women who are in journalism are varied and cannot be generalised. A number of factors play a part in their personal journeys including class and caste.
Yet, gender underlines much of that experience not just by way of what they can or are not permitted to do, but also the way the external world treats them. The headline of Paromita Pain's essay, based on interviews with women covering politics in print and online, speaks for itself: "It's hard. It's even harder when you are a woman".
Despite this, it is evident that women journalists have not just broken through the traditional barriers of beats, but are also excelling in the quality of journalism they are producing. You can see this in the list of journalism award winners every year.
The most notable are the young Kashmiri women journalists. Most of them are independent journalist because of the lack of permanent job opportunities. Yet, despite the challenges of working in a conflict-ridden state, they have published stories on conditions in Kashmir that have brought them awards and recognition.
Finally, has the entry of more women in print media changed the work culture? Not necessarily. Since 2018, when women journalists began speaking up about sexual harassment at work, the ugly side of working in a male-dominated environment was exposed. Some steps have been taken to put effective redressal systems in place. But this is just the beginning.
A change in attitude cannot be legislated. Whether women are denied a beat for no reason apart from their gender, or have to suffer harassment, the end result is the same. Journalism does not give women a free ride. That much has not changed in the last five decades.
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