Journalists learn about media coverage from a gender perspective

The Center of Media Development at Birzeit University, in collaboration with Thomson Reuters Foundation, held a training about gender and multimedia. The three-day workshop targeted 20 journalists and media editors from different agencies that work in Palestine.

The gender coordinator at the center, Nahed Abu Taimeh, said that the training focused on how to include a gender perspective in media coverage by choosing better angles that promote equality and social justice, and address key issues like domestic violence.

Trainer Nael Shyoukhi, the producer at the British news agency Reuters, added that the training included practical use of multimedia means for storytelling, including photography, video, audio, and using smart phones. Multimedia, according to Shyoukhi, helps deliver messages quickly and effectively. In turn, trainer Sara El Khalili, an instructor at the American University in Cairo, talked about the documents that should be provided to journalists to guide them in covering gender issues through multimedia.

The participants expressed their enthusiasm about implementing what they learned throughout the training, and discussed the prospect of writing a policy document to serve as a guide for covering gender issues.