Conference Blog
International Delegates Chart Roadmap to Improve Gender Equity in Media
Photo by Kelly Carr
Delegate Margo Smit, director of the Dutch Flemish Association of Investigative Journalists, (VVOJ) said,
“Many of us have been saying during this conference
that we need more role models. We can never say
that again.” |
Empowered women media executives from around the world
rallied in Washington last week for the International Women Media
Leaders Conference, pledging to elevate the working environment for
women in newsrooms around the world.
In every region of the world, these women news leaders will be working
to “level the playing field” in the media. They left the four-day
conference after meeting in closed door sessions to discuss pressing
issues in their countries.
Regional delegates made these pledges to elevate the working environment for women in:
--North America: Create a cross-platform
executive-level coalition with an emphasis on salary transparency and negotiation.
-- Asia and Oceana: Improve gender equity policies in news organizations. >> Read more. |
Massive Impact of Social Media Around the Globe Examined at Newseum Panel
Around the world the tremendous impact of social media has transformed nations in the past few months. At the Newseum in Washington, the International Women Media Leaders Conference examined the influence of new media in global causes.
“We seem to be swimming in a sea of opinion,” PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff, an IWMF board member, said. “Is there some kind of battle between opinion and fact?”
Bloomberg Founder and Editor-in-Chief Matt Winkler, an IWMF board member, stressed how Bloomberg News strives to carefully fact check stories. He said, “We’ve got freedom of information like we’ve never seen before. We’re finally hearing from people in the shadows…But there is the hazard of misinformation.”
With the flood of information, more voices are emerging. Philanthropist Howard G. Buffett, an IWMF funder, observed, “We’re hearing from 50 percent of the population in ways we never did before.” He saluted the IWMF’s work, and pledged to “do more in the future. We have to level the playing fields in any way we can.”
Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which supported the international conference, said, “Suddenly information is no longer bound by geography.” Ibargüen, an avid Twitter follower, was tweeting throughout the conference and talked of the importance embracing the new technology.
Washingtonpost.com Covers International Women Media Leaders Conference
The Washington Post's online site covered the International Women Media Leaders Conference this week. George Washington University student Haley Lesavoy, a washingtonpost.com intern, captured the mood of the conference with her one-woman video band. Lesavoy was the image of today's new media journalist – interviewing delegates and organizers while holding a camera and mike with both hands.
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'State of News Media 2011' Focus of Conference Panel of Experts
Media experts discussed “Myths About the Media” after examining the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism’s “State of the News Media 2011” report during the International Women Media Leaders Conference.
Women Ignited Protests in Yemen Call For Ouster of President, IWMF Delegate Says
At the IWMF’s International Media Leaders Conference in Washington this week, Judy Woodruff of PBS NewsHour talked to delegate Nadia Abdulaziz Al-Sakkaf, Yemen Times editor, about the ongoing protests calling for the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
>> Watch interview.
Ambassador Verveer Talks of Power of Women in Media
By Caroline Lalonde
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| Photo by Anthony Tilghman |
March 23, 2011--“Women reporters make a difference when they come together” said global ambassador-at-large Melanne Verveer, who delivered a compelling keynote speech during today’s IWMF international conference luncheon.
Addressing an audience she described as a ‘hall of fame of women in journalism,’ Verveer shared some of her own stories. She emphasized the crucial role of women in economic development and how their impact on peace and security is recognized as more valuable than ever before.
“Women can and are changing the world and I see it everywhere I go,” said Verveer.
Verveer expressed certainty that women are the secret of economic growth. She called for more initiatives to increase women’s access to education and training.
>> Read more.
>> Read Verveer's speech.
>> Ambassador Verveer talked with Global Girls after her speech.
Opening Plenary: Global Report Unveiled
By Miranda C. Spencer
Photo by Anthony Tilghman
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March 23, 2011--The opening plenary of the IWMF’s International Conference of Women Media Leaders shined a spotlight on women journalists, as those from the top of the field took to the stage to share findings, experiences, insights, and recommendations geared to achieving gender parity in the rapidly changing news business.
The centerpiece of the event, attended by some 150 invited delegates and guests, was the unveiling of the “Global Report on Women in the News Media, “a groundbreaking two-year study of the status of women in journalism that gleaned information from 522 outlets in 29 countries, spanning seven regions speaking 40 different languages. >> Read more.
Kalb Report - "Diane Sawyer: Life in News"
By Allison Terry
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| Photo by Roshani Kothari
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March 22, 2011--Every broadcast at ABC has a woman anchor, said Diane Sawyer during a discussion with Marvin Kalb Tuesday night at the National Press Club. She said this makes a big difference in women’s role the media, even though women worldwide struggle to make similar achievements.
The Kalb Report program, “Diane Sawyer: A Life in News,” marked the opening evening of the International Conference for Women Media Leaders sponsored by the International Women’s Media Foundation and George Washington University’s Global Media Institute. >> Read more.
>> Watch webcast.
>> Read transcript.
>> On storify.
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