Tracking Women Sources in our Stories

Including female voices in environmental reporting is important because women and girls represent a unique perspective and are often the most impacted by the effects of climate and environmental change. Yet, for a variety of reasons, stories frequently lack a gender balance or rely on female sources that only serve as subjects, eyewitnesses or passive actors rather than experts or voices of authority.

Only 24% of people seen, heard or read about in the news are women, according to the Global Media Monitoring project, an annual study on gender representation in the news. To determine the gender balance in stories EJN supports, we’ve started counting the number of female sources. It’s still early in the process, but we’re also finding an imbalance, with only around a third of all sources, on average, being women.

So we’d like to hear your thoughts. Does reporting capture the full picture if it’s leaving out these voices? How does this imbalance impact readers’ understanding of a story? How does it impact the way they respond to the issue the story addresses? What are ways our community has for amplifying women’s voices?

The following short survey seeks to evaluate the role of women in environmental reporting based on your personal experiences. We’ll use the results to determine how to address these issues and will feature them in a gender handbook Internews will launch this fall aimed at helping journalists and newsrooms increase the number of women they use as sources in their stories.

General Observations

Question Title

* 1. In your experience, do environmental stories include the voices and viewpoints of women?

Yes

Not sure

Question Title

* 2. If so, to what extent?

Question Title

* 3. Do you think it is important to include an equal balance of male and female experts in the news?

Yes

Sometimes

Not sure

Personal Work

Question Title

* 4. Do you consider gender in your own reporting? For example, do you take extra care to source women’s voices and perspectives?

Yes

Please describe:

Question Title

* 5. Is it more difficult to find women experts to interview for your stories?

Yes

If yes, what are some of the challenges?

Question Title

* 6. Have you found any approaches or resources that help?

Question Title

* 7. When women do appear in your stories how are they represented? (check all that apply)

As experts (e.g. scientists, researchers, professors)

As passive actors (e.g. bystanders, witnesses, personal opinion)

As voices of authority (e.g. politicians, government officials)

As spokespersons (e.g. business professionals, NGO activists)

Other (please describe)

Impact

Question Title

* 8. Have you seen any examples firsthand of the impact that can be achieved when environmental journalism is more inclusive of women’s voices? If so, tell us about it!

Question Title

* 9. Have you taken a gender sensitivity training?

Yes

Yes, but not within the last five years

If yes, what impact did it have on your reporting?

Tracking Women Sources in our Stories

Question Title

* 1. In your experience, do environmental stories include the voices and viewpoints of women?

Question Title

* 2. If so, to what extent?

Question Title

* 3. Do you think it is important to include an equal balance of male and female experts in the news?

Question Title

* 4. Do you consider gender in your own reporting? For example, do you take extra care to source women’s voices and perspectives?

Question Title

* 5. Is it more difficult to find women experts to interview for your stories?

Question Title

* 6. Have you found any approaches or resources that help?

Question Title

* 7. When women do appear in your stories how are they represented? (check all that apply)

Question Title

* 8. Have you seen any examples firsthand of the impact that can be achieved when environmental journalism is more inclusive of women’s voices? If so, tell us about it!

Question Title

* 9. Have you taken a gender sensitivity training?

Question Title

* 10. What do you think would help you create a better gender balance in your reporting?