2 of 16 Stories during 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence

The Following article has been published as originally written, no editing has been done. A pseudonym, chosen by the writer has been used to protect her identity. However all details below narrate the real experiences of the writer. This Article was first published by Women’s Media For Development Foundation.   

By Thuli Tholo

‘I cannot sit at table with a mere student. I have 12 years experience in the media and I refuse to sit down with these students at a workshop. What can they tell me?

It has been a good thirteen years since those words were said to me by my then editor. I was fresh from college, very excited and ready to make a name for myself in the journalism fraternity but alas I was mistaken, a mere student cannot go for workshops let alone a female one. When those words were said to me, the first thing that came into my mind was, I had chosen the wrong profession. How can I be refused to go to a workshop just because I was a student on attachment? A lot was said by my Editor during my tenure as a student on attachment, however, no matter how damaging the words were I pushed on. Some of my colleagues changed from media to PR and marketing because of the abuse and discrimination they felt under the so called seasoned journalists. I remember one time I had to rewrite a story 20 times because I had done it badly. Instead of knocking off at 1700hrs together with other colleagues, I left the newsroom at 2200hrs.

By the way, I did not attend the workshop, which was at Masiyephambili Camp, neither did my Editor because other students on attachment from other media houses besides mine were attending.

I looked up for the definition of gender based violence and I came up with this definition: Gender-based violence (GBV) is a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination. It is defined as violence that is directed against a person on the basis of gender. Gender-based violence reflects and reinforces inequalities between men and women. I would like to go a step further and say in the media fraternity female journalists especially students and those fresh from college also face some form of discrimination from the older female journalists.  I have seen male students gliding through the newsroom without any problems where as the female students always have problems.

When I look at the definition of gender based violence and the way I was treated thirteen years ago, it dawns on me that I was a victim of gender based violence. I was discriminated against because I was just a mere student and a female. I can go on and on about my experience during my first year as a student on attachment that all point out to some form of discrimination. As a student on attachment there were other male students on attachment, however they were not treated the same way I was treated. I remember I was given all the ‘soft’ diaries, meaning I would do stories on the model of the week, the couple of the week, all the ‘simple stuff, however my other colleagues were assigned to do the hard news beats. Most female journalists tend to move over to the corporate and NGO world after they graduate because the experience they get in the newsroom is a nightmare. I stayed on for a few years and also left for the NGO world later.

Discrimination is still discrimination, no matter who, when, where and why they are doing it. I had the privilege of being an Editor for an in-house publication. I remember when I first got the job there was a lot of noise, most people said it openly that they would have preferred a man to handle that kind of a job. The bickering and the noise of those people only made me want to prove them I was the best candidate for the job. Prove them wrong I did, my publication became one of the best sources of information in Matabeleland. It was not all rosy at this organisation, at some point a male had to be put in charge, meaning I had to report to this so called manager, who had no experience in the media world whatsoever, this male made my job hell. What can you expect from someone who has never been in a newsroom, who does not know how to write a story? But I was told to report to him. This really shows how less power women have as journalists; those who are versatile are called names such as ‘iwule or umangumba’, a lot of female journalists have been called by these names, myself included just because there is a genre species who feel that their territory has been invaded.  This species tries by all means to push and shove young females out of the newsroom.

When I was Editor of the in-house publication I made sure I do not discriminate any of my reporters because of gender. I realised that the female reporters had potential the same way the male reporters had. All they need is just a chance to prove that they can do it. If a person is sidelined they tend to get into a cocoon and close themselves inside there and never come out. A chance and not discrimination is what most female journalists need in order to make it in the media fraternity.