by Mercy Njoroge & Joy Adigwe
Recent research about east African media shows that women’s voices are significantly underrepresented. Furthermore, media coverage of women is often sensationalized and strips them of agency.
Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) has partnered with Africa Women in Media (AWiM), a pan-African, women-led media development agency, to address this imbalance. Through consultations with journalists, JHR learned that difficulties accessing female experts is one of the key reasons women’s voices are less frequently featured in news stories.
In response, JHR-Kenya and AWiM launched an online directory called SourceHer! that features profiles and contact information for women experts across various fields. The platform has attracted over 200 women experts and an equal number of journalists who have found it instrumental in bridging the gender divide in media representation.
Harriet Atyang, a journalist and founder of Dada Radio in Kenya, highlighted SourceHer! as a vital tool for amplifying women’s voices, particularly those in grassroots communities. Dada Radio, an all-female station based in rural Siaya, Kenya, focuses on showcasing women’s contributions to national discourse and development.
“Working in a rural setting as a female journalist dedicated to telling women’s stories comes with challenges,” Atyang shared. “Patriarchy and traditional cultural beliefs hinder women’s access to media. Legacy media rarely highlights the efforts of women in marginalized communities. SourceHer! empowers journalists like me to promote gender-balanced storytelling.”
In October, JHR and AWiM convened a pan-African webinar, bringing together journalists and women leaders to discuss the impact of digital disruption on women’s media representation and the economic consequences of sidelining women’s voices.
The media industry is grappling with digital disruption that affects revenue streams, shrinking legacy media spaces and forcing many journalists into early retirement. During the webinar, experts suggested that focusing on women as a niche market could help sustain media organizations.
Hesbon Owilla, a lecturer and researcher at The Aga Khan University’s Graduate School of Media and Communications, pointed out that media houses have struggled to balance content creation with revenue generation.
“Media continues to produce content that does not align with what women actually want to consume – such as an overemphasis on fashion trends – due to patriarchal assumptions about their interests,” Owilla explained. “Media organizations must rethink their business models and engage women at two levels: as employees and as sources in news stories.”
However, Owilla cautioned that merely increasing the number of women in media does not automatically lead to increased coverage of women’s issues. Citing The State of Women in Media, a report published by his institution earlier this year, he stressed that media houses must intentionally integrate women into both content production and editorial decision-making.
Dr. Blessing Agbo, a counseling psychologist, emphasized the crucial role of platforms like SourceHer! in fostering inclusive national discourse. “If women were seen and heard more often in the media, stereotypes and biased narratives would diminish. Equal media representation creates a level playing field where diverse perspectives can be shared,” she said.
The webinar, which attracted hundreds of participants from across Africa, underscored the timeliness and importance of initiatives like SourceHer! In Mali, for instance, women have played a crucial role in peacebuilding, yet their contributions are often overlooked in media coverage. Dado Camara, publishing director of L’Annonceur newspaper, highlighted the need for the media to capture these significant contributions.
Nozha Ben Mohamed, a Tunisian journalist and AWiM board member, echoed this sentiment, noting that women’s political activism was instrumental in the Tunisian Revolution that led to the fall of the Ben Ali regime. She stressed that the media must recognize women’s role in shaping public discourse on human rights and governance.
