Internews: A case study of gender in media development

ABSTRACT

This article aims to make a contribution to the understudied field of gender in media development through a case study of Internews, an international non-governmental organisation that acts as an intermediary between donors and recipients. In February 2018, Internews announced a ‘Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Strategy’ that builds on a ‘Women’s Initiative’ launched in October 2015. This article examines both the initiative and the strategy within the framework of media development. Findings are based on 18 in-depth interviews with staff members in the United States and abroad from February to July 2016, as well as follow-up correspondence in 2018 and 2019. Interviews showed that earlier gender work at Internews took place in a haphazard fashion, but that the organisation set out to change from one where there was a mere awareness of women, to one were women are intentionally accommodated and included, to being gender transformative. Interviewees argued that it was important to focus on women as half of the world’s population, and that women need to have their voices heard to accurately reflect communities. Finally, interviewees considered how Internews approaches gender equality in places where it may not be an accepted value.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender
• journalism
• media development
• Internews
• international
• case study

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh is professor and chair of the Department of Entertainment Media and Journalism at Butler University, Indiana, USA. Her research focuses on women in journalism in an international context and has been published in Feminist Media Studies, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Global Media Journal, the International Communication Research Journal, and the Journal of Development Communication.

ORCID

Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4415-295X

Additional information

Funding

Desmond Tutu Center for Peace, Reconciliation and Global Justice and Butler University.