Summit calls for ethical reporting on GBV

The One Economy Foundation hosted their annual media summit last Friday at the #BeFree youth campus.

This year the focus of the media summit was gender-based violence and femicide, sexual and reproductive health and mental health, and the crucial role the media plays in reporting ethically on these topics.

“Violence does not necessarily end when an incident occurs," Hopolang Phororo, the UN resident coordinator in Namibia, said.

"For many survivors, it continues through public scrutiny, through insensitive reporting, through invasive questioning, through social media commentary, through images that should never have been published, and through language that strips people of dignity at the very moment they are most vulnerable," she added.

Phororo stressed that journalists have a responsibility to ensure that the information that is published does not add to the pain and trauma that the survivors are experiencing.

“Responsible journalism can humanise rather than sensationalise. It can challenge harmful norms rather than reinforce them. It can strengthen empathy rather than desensitisation," she stressed. 

Selma Ikela, news editor at One Africa Television, said the language used in articles should be given close attention.

“Read and update yourself on the country’s latest information on gender-based violence statistics and guidelines,” she advised, noting that terminology changes regularly.

She also said that crime reporting should be handled in the same way regardless of gender, and should not be altered depending on the gender of the perpetrator.

The summit was attended by media practitioners from various media houses in Namibia. They not only listened to presentations on the topic but also took part in group discussions, where they examined key questions and issues related to reporting on these issues.

They also discussed the importance of mental health and support for journalists and media practitioners who are regularly required to report on gruesome and violent crimes.