RABAT, 27 Nov. - (ANA) - A consultation on the creation of a regional tool to increase women’s visibility in the media, has brought together 15 participants in the Moroccan capital Rabat, including representatives of national media organisations, and international experts in the framework of the EU-funded MedMedia programme.
 
The discussion is part of a series of exchanges with national stakeholders to enhance gender equality policies in the media. It builds on recent recommendations to “introduce gender equality charters and directories of women experts in the media, strengthen monitoring and combat discriminatory programming”.
 
Discussions were supported by various studies showing the under-representation of women in the press and in broadcasting (number of appearances and time allocation), including recent findings establishing the proportion of women experts in French media at 20% and in Moroccan media at a mere 9%.
 
The EU-funded MedMedia project aims to create an enabling environment for media reforms in the Southern Mediterranean region. It is part of the €17 million EU programme “Media and culture for development in the Southern Mediterranean” which aims at supporting the media and culture reform processes in the region.
 
MedMedia focuses on media legislation, regulation, programming, strategy and leadership with a view to helping state media fulfil their public service mandate and compete with the commercial sector. It will also work to build public trust by strengthening the media’s role as an independent watchdog and a forum for democratic debate. - (ANA) -

AB/ANA/ 27 November 2015 - - -