Sexual Harassment in the Media
Sexual harassment in the media industry is a pervasive and global problem. Results from a Women in News research study on the subject indicates that on average, 41% of women journalists have experienced verbal or physical sexual harassment in the workplace. Yet only 1 in 5 reported the incident. On average 30% of journalists experienced verbal and/or physical harassment.
Sexual harassment in the workplace not only has consequences for the individuals involved but also serious implications for media organisations. Simply put, it’s bad for business. It can harm a media company’ corporate reputation. It is a drain on the productivity of staff and managers. Maintaining and building trust in your brand is an absolute imperative for media organisations globally. If and when a case gets out of control or is badly handled – this can directly impact a company’s bottom line.
WIN works to eradicate sexual harassment from the media industry, in support of its vision of an industry that embraces equality.
We do so by conducting training for media managers and by providing practical tools to help newsrooms manage and reduce incidents of sexual harassment. Our bespoke coaching, online training and large-scale (currently virtual) workshops,are supported by best-in-class resources, including toolkits.
women and non-conforming individuals face verbal or physical sexual harassment at work.
The study was conducted in 20 countries throughout Africa, Southeast Asia, Eurasia (Russia), the Arab Region and select countries in Central America.
Check out the full report here.
“The WIN team really did a fantastic job in sensitizing our staff on sexual harassment. You made them comfortable enough to raise their concerns and ask questions; that is highly appreciated and particularly important for management because in the process we got feedback on where we may be failing.” WIN Advisory Partner, Sub Saharan Africa.
WAN-IFRA Women in News and City, University of London conducted a major research study into sexual harassment in the media workplace in 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab Region, Southeast Asia, Central America and Russia. This study builds on research done in 2018 which identified a gap in available data on sexual harassment in media specifically in these regions.
