By Emelia B. Addae/Jesse Ampah Owusu
Accra, Sept. 14, GNA – Journalists in Ghana should move beyond negative narratives in gender reporting by adopting balanced and solution-oriented approaches that challenge stereotypes and promote constructive public discourse, a trainer with DW Akademie Ghana has urged.
The call was made at the end of a five-day gender-sensitive reporting training organised by DW Akademie Ghana for selected journalists under the African Media Integrity and Resilience (AMIR) Programme in Accra and funded by the European Union.
The programme sought to strengthen the professionalism, safety, integrity and resilience of Ghana’s media ecosystem in response to disinformation, digital threats, legal intimidation and sustainability challenges.
Mr Cecil Ato Kwamena Dadzie, Project Manager for AMIR at DW Akademie Ghana, said the programme aimed to strengthen the capacity of journalists and other media professionals while supporting community media, promoting media literacy and facilitating international peer learning.
He explained that the initiative involved training fact-checkers, bloggers, journalists, and editors from radio, television, print, and digital media platforms.
Mr Dadzie noted that key areas of the programme included legal literacy and protection for journalists, media sustainability, media education reform, policy engagement and international knowledge exchange.
He added that the AMIR Programme would support two independent community media outlets to develop sustainable business models, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen audience engagement.
Mr Isaac Kaledzi, a trainer at DW Akademie Ghana, urged journalists to consider the impact of their reporting and adopt more balanced approaches when covering gender issues.
He stressed that journalists should ensure men and women were treated fairly in their reportage, particularly when reporting on societal roles and leadership positions.
Mr Kaledzi observed that women in certain positions were sometimes portrayed in ways that suggested they did not deserve those roles and cautioned journalists against reinforcing such stereotypes.
He further encouraged journalists to embrace solution-oriented reporting in stories on gender and other social issues.
“Reporting should not only highlight problems but also explore possible solutions,” he said.
Mr Kaledzi indicated that such stories could inspire action, offer hope and provide audiences with a more constructive understanding of social issues.
“The approach would help move gender reporting beyond negative narratives and contribute to more balanced and impactful journalism,” he stated.
Ms Dorcas Arthur, a participant, described the workshop as impactful and noted that it would influence how she reported stories involving gender-based violence.
She said she would be more careful in selecting photographs and videos of victims of gender-based violence to avoid exposing or retraumatising them.
Ms Arthur also emphasised the need for journalists to avoid sensitive and emotionally harmful language when reporting domestic violence and other gender-related issues.
GNA
Edited by D.I. Laary/Kenneth Odeng Adade