Led by one of the few female senior news producers in the country, the team of six will produce content for TV, radio and online media on issues such as gender-based violence, women in politics and female entrepreneurs. Crucially, they will have the autonomy to make editorial decisions. “We want to cover these issues and challenge societal beliefs that women should stay at home,” said the editor-in-chief, Nasrin Mohamed Ibrahim, who has worked as a journalist for 12 years and is a founding member of the Somali Women Journalist Organisation. Women working in the media in Somalia face multiple challenges, from being ignored and denied promotions to bullying and sexually harassment. Funded by the United Nations Development Programme, the project is a year-long pilot, but Jocelyn Mason, UNDP’s resident representative in Mogadishu, is confident it will become a permanent set-up, and may also be extended into Somalia’s regions.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN