Rewrite: Gender Narratives in the Media

The European Commission’s Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 brings into question the slow progress made by the European Union in this area1. The media can play an important role in combating gender stereotypes through the way it portrays society, and the educational system should combat discriminatory attitudes by explaining the underlying principles of gender equality and communicating the negative consequences of perpetuating sexist attitudes.

What we aim to achieve

The project Rewrite: Gender Narratives in the Media (RGNM) aims to examine gender biases in the Romanian media and to promote a gender-neutral approach to the reception and writing of press materials.

What activities we will be carrying out

  • A study on gender stereotypes in the Romanian press; 
  • Workshops for students from 4 cities who will learn how to recognise gender stereotypes in the media and how to promote fair representations of gender identities in the online and offline media. They will meet with trainers from the field of media literacy and gender representation, and learn through the Newspaper Theatre method how to critically analyse and reflect on the way genders are represented in the media;

During these workshops, the CIJ will work with participants on media literacy concepts such as media consumption, cognitive biases, facts and opinions, the language of persuasion and misinformation, from a gender-focused perspective.

  • An awareness-raising campaign aimed at journalists, public institutions, civil society and the broader public to raise the issue of gender equality and its representation in the Romanian media.

Project time frame: 2022-2023

The project started in January 2023 and will run for 24 months.

Partners:

The project RGNM- Rewrite Gender Narratives in the Media, developed by the A.R.T. Fusion Association, in partnership with the Centre for Independent Journalism – CIJ and the Iele-Sânziene Association is co-financed by the European Commission.

Footnotes

1https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/RO/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0152