Journalists have been urged to take interest in reporting on women in academia to inspire the younger generation.
According to a research conducted by some Lecturers at the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC)-Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) found out that women in academia were less represented in the media despite their achievements.
The researchers were Doctor Solace Yawa Asafo, a Lecturer at the Department of Faculty of Journalism and Media Studies, Miss Marcia Abonie, a Lecturer at the Department of Faculty of Integrated Communication Sciences and Miss Beatrice Offeibea Awuku, also a Lecturer at the Department of Faculty of Integrated Communication Sciences.
The Directorate of Research, Innova¬tion and Development 7th Inter-Facul¬ty Research Lecture held in Accra on Friday was on the topic; “Framing and Attitudinal analysis of female academic leadership in the Ghanaian Media”.
Speaking at the public lecture, Dr Asafo explained that women in academia were less represented in the media as compared to women in other professions.
“General reportage of women in academia is low, we showed that in our literature that if you rank women who are covered in the news, academics are always at the bottom. So women in other professions have more prominence than women in academia,” she noted.
However, she said women in academia also need representation in the media because some women have achieved higher positions and have worked harder.
Using the ‘Legon Big Four’ as the case study, she asserted that these women, who were appointed as the Vice-Chancellor, the Chancellor and the Chairperson of the Council at the University of Ghana, if had reported in the media widely, it would have inspired young women to also attain such feet.
“To us if the media is looking for new things happening, that was something new that has never happened before, we found out that the news was covered, however, it was not as detailed as we thought it should and beyond two weeks the news died,” Dr Asafo noted.
Ms Abonie in an interview with the media highlighted that generally, women in academia were under represented no matter their achievements and accomplishments.
She said the Legon Big Four was an important thing to women in academia that they expected the media to pay more attention to, rather less attention was given to it.
“This was by all means news worthy but media did not give it much coverage like we were expecting it to be, then we ask what is happening when it comes to news worthiness? What is happening when it comes to media and publications, and where they place women in academia,” she asked.
Ms Abonie urged women in academia to study what the media considers to be newsworthy, and align it to their day to day activities and achievements.
BY CECILIA LAGBA YADA
