ED SWIJ Calls On Women To Speak Up

 

The Executive Director of  Step-Up for Women in Journalism Initiative (SWIJ), Ann Godwin, has  called on women  to start impacting the society by speaking up and drawing government’s attention to issues that have to do with policies and gender equality.

This was as Godwin called on female journalists to improve their career skills to become expert news sources.

Speaking at the weekend in Port Harcourt  during a one-day virtual training, organized by the NGO for female journalists, Godwin described the training, tagged “Improving capacity of women to become expert sources for news” as apt.

 She said that it has become imperative for women in journalism and other professional bodies to step up on their jobs to be better news sources underscoring the need for women to excel in the media space and other professions.

Godwin who is an award winner of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ),  disclosed that the training was supported by WSCIJ under its Report Women Programme and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

She said: “Women should begin to impact the nation by speaking up and drawing government’s attention to issues that have to do with policies and gender equality.

“We need to improve on our career skills, be consistent in our jobs, develop the ‘we-can-do attitude’ in every task before us.

“We should be inquisitive to get information and read other people’s work to improve and reach our goals.”

The former Commissioner for Information and Communications in Rivers Ibim Semenitari who spoke on “How women can improve visibility and impact on gender-based issues advised women to get contacts of the Public Relations Officers of organisations as expert news sources.

She expressed worry over the reinforcing of the stereotypes about women that may not all be correct  urging female journalists to intentionally reach out to professional women as their news sources to make their voices heard.

In his lecture,  the Executive Director, Media Career Development, Lekan Otufodunrin, who spoke on ways journalists can grow their career and leadership capacity,  advised that journalists must be conscious of adding value to their job and seeking for more improvements in their career development.

He advised women journalists to always deliver any task before them and further encouraged them to get contacts of people that inspired them by their jobs and also improve their capacity.

 

The  Publisher of Silvernews, Mr Ignatius Chukwu,  who spoke on how to start, grow and become expert sources for news, advised that making women news sources would be valuable adding  that they speak with passion and sincerity.

Chukwu also advised female journalists to encourage other professional women to build themselves on several topics relating to their profession to be properly informed and ready for media interviews at any time they are needed.