Ambassadors, journalists discuss role of women in media

Participants in the "Perspectives on Women in the Media" conference commemorating International Women's Day on March 8 pose during the event at Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kwon Mee-yoo

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Although there has been progress in media representation and portrayal of women, they are still significantly underrepresented, especially in decision-making positions.

The European Union delegation in Korea hosted a conference to discuss perspectives on women in the media and explore ways to empower women in the media industry, Monday, ahead of International Women's Day, which falls on March 8.

EU Ambassador to Korea Maria Castillo-Fernandez emphasized the importance of gender equality and media diversity in her opening remarks.

"This is a location first of all to celebrate International Women's Day, which is something that we continue pushing together with our male colleagues. This is about gender equality," Castillo-Fernandez said.

She also acknowledged the challenges faced by women in the media industry and highlighted the power of the media to shape public opinion.

"We know there are challenges in every sector. There are challenges in our sector ― diplomacy ― but media has the power to move public opinion and to report in an objective and fair way. Therefore, it's important to discuss the perspectives on women in media and what challenges we face."

In the first session, a varied group of panelists consisting of both male and female journalists from Korean and international media outlets as well as European ambassadors discussed the current state of the media landscape, including the impact of social media, with regard to gender equality.

Female journalists Chun Su-jin of JoongAng Ilbo and Victoria Kim of The New York Times, along with Andres Sanchez Braun, a correspondent of Spanish news agency EFE in Korea, shared their experiences in the media landscape. Swedish Ambassador Daniel Wolven and Greek Ambassador Ekaterina Loupas provided insights from a European perspective under moderation by the EU ambassador.

Castillo-Fernandez noted the issue of women being underrepresented in media, especially in decision-making positions.

"We see (women) as reporters most of the time, but that doesn't mean who is doing the decision-making," she said.

EU Ambassador to Korea Maria Castillo-Fernandez, third from left, speaks during the "Perspectives on Women in the Media" conference at Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kwon Mee-yoo

Due to predominantly male control of news desks and story commissions, women are often underutilized as news subjects and are typically portrayed in media as either heroes or victims.

Wolven also pointed out the issue of social media, of which regulation and content moderation still have a long way to go.

"I think social media is sort of the latest, actually probably the most powerful, augmenter of something that's been happening overall in politics and in media, which is like polarization and entrenchment," Kim said.

The second session focused on challenges faced by female journalists, especially gender-based violence and measures taken to bring attention to these issues. Dutch Ambassador to Korea Joanne Doornewaard moderated the session featuring panelists Lee Hye-mi of the Korean Women Journalists Association, Kwon Han-wool of Maeil Business Newspaper, Min Joo Kim of The Washington Post, Lee Chong-ae of SBS and Portuguese Ambassador Susana Vaz Patto.

Female journalists discussed how they have experienced online attacks based on their gender, ranging from discriminatory comments to abusive emails.

Lee and Kwon noted that there is a tendency for comments on news articles written by female journalists to attack the writer herself, whereas comments on articles written by male reporters are more focused on the content of the article.

Kim of The Washington Post spoke on the intersectional abuse she received as a female Asian foreign correspondent in Korea.

"I don't fit the traditional image of a foreign correspondent... and that often exposes me to attacks on my credibility as a foreign correspondent. For instance, I write about defense issues a lot in my job, because defense issues on the Korean Peninsula is of interest to international audiences," Kim said.

"Because it is a nonstarter to attack a big newspaper organization like The Washington Post about unflattering but truthful reporting, sometimes individual reporters like me are easy targets for unhappy people seeking to undermine that kind of reporting."

Lee of SBS introduced how Korean media organizations are moving to promote the safety of journalists such as providing psychiatric support for trauma.

"We are trying to broaden the issue to involve lawyers and ethical officials to see how harm to reporters can affect society and democracy," Lee said.

Kim of The Washington Post said newsroom leadership is needed to protect women journalists from online attacks, but there is a reluctance to do so as it tries to maintain an image of neutrality and objectivity.

"So many newsrooms have been rather slow in intervening in these attacks, because unless it escalates to an extent that it threatens the organization, newsrooms would take a very passive approach to protect their own reputation," she said.

Doornewaard brought up the example of the Netherlands, saying that education starting from a young age could be an answer to gender issues.

The "Breaking Stereotypes" program aims to challenge gender stereotypes and promote diversity by asking children to draw pictures of different professions and then introducing them to real people who work in those professions, men and women.

"It makes the children more aware of what they can choose to do when they have to make a decision on what to study or do," Doornewaard said.