Editorial – IFJ Newsletter - March 2017

Women make up only 24% of those seen, heard or read about it the news, according to the Global Media Monitoring Project’s 2015 report. How can we justify these dramatic results while women make up about half of the world’s population and are active at all levels of political and economic power in our societies? Several initiatives intend to respond to women’s invisibility in the news by developing databases of women experts. This is the case of the MedMedia project – in which the IFJ is central - which launched its new database in the Arab World in time for International Women’s Day. On 8th March 1977 the United Nations made International Women’s Day official to celebrate women’s rights. This was 40 years ago. More than ever 8th March must be a day of activities for all our affiliates across the world to demand equality between women and men in our organisations, in our media and in our news content. It is our responsibility, as journalists and trade unionists. Anthony BellangerIFJ General Secretary