Community radio in South Africa—getting it from the horse's mouth

Abstract

The 'women and media' section of the 1995 Beijing Platform of Action states that the mass media are a powerful means of education, as they can be instruments to advance women's rights, lives and livelihoods. However, the media have equal power to create misunderstanding and ignorance, for example, when investigating topics from a one-sided, gender-insensitive angle. Since the control of most means of communication has been, and still is, in the hands of men, the media often reinforces negative and unequal gender stereotypes. A study by the South African National Editors Forum entitled 'Glass Ceiling Two: An Audit of Women and Men in South African Newsrooms' found that, despite a Constitution that entrenches equal rights for women and men,