The Commission on Communications and Relations (COCR) of National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) promotes ‘Communication for all’ and is sensitive to issues of Communications Rights in India. Through advocacy programs, seminars and workshops, NCCI-COCR highlights the need for gender balance, equity, democracy and communication rights in responsible journalism and media processes.
The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) promotes communication as a basic human right, essential to people’s dignity and community. WACC works with all denied the right to communicate because of status, identity, or gender. WACC has corporate and personal members in 120 countries, organized in eight Regional Associations: Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America and Pacific. The National Council of Churches in India is an active member.
The following is the press release from WACC’s Gender Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) 2015 which contains several important insights and concerns pertinent globally.
PRESS RELEASE
Progress for women in news media grinds to a halt
After 20 years, research in 114 countries reveals continued severe disparity between representation of women and men in news media
Progress towards equality of men and women in the news media has virtually ground to a halt according to the fifth and largest study on the portrayal and representation of women in the news media.
Extensive results of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) released 23 November show that, worldwide, women make up about 50% of the general population but only 24% of the persons heard, read about or seen in newspaper, television and radio news, exactly the same level found in the 2010 report.
Women’s relative invisibility in traditional news media has also crossed over into digital news delivery platforms. Only 26% of the people in Internet news stories and media news Tweets combined are women.
The GMMP is a project of the communications advocacy agency WACC, with support from UN Women. The first such survey of gender portrayal in news media was conducted in 1995, and at five year intervals after that. GMMP 2015 is the largest research and advocacy initiative in the world on gender equality in and through the news. UN Women has supported the survey twice consecutively.
A Citizen Journalism national consultation and training program “Pathways to Digital Frontiers: Communication Rights and Inclusion” was organized from March 11 – 12, 2016 in Panjim, Goa. It’s a program of the Commission on Communications and Relations of National Council of Churches in India (NCCI-COCR), Christian Service Agency (CSA) and World Association for Christian Communication (WACC). There were 30 participants of various profiles: Theologians, Church leaders and Pastors, Social Workers, Community Development workers, Grassroots community enablers, heads of Institutions, Heads of NGOs, Communication leaders, and publishers. Many of NCCI’s constituent member bodies and all major regions from across India were represented. The concept of Citizen Journalism as communicated in the course of this national consultation and training program was a serious take on the responsibility and privilege to enable information sharing by developing communication pathways to digital frontiers in a way that opens up possibilities for advocacy and self-advocacy towards wider engagement, inclusion and ensuring communication rights.
A Writers Workshop, “The Writing on the Wall”, jointly organized by The Commission on Communication and Relations (COCR) of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), Board of Theological Text Book Program of South Asia (BTTBPSA) and Union Biblical Seminary (UBS), was held at UBS, Pune from November 26 – 28, 2015. Participants at the workshop included Pastors, theology students and theology professors from various denominations and colleges around India. The Program theme was conceived based on the fundamental premise that Prophetic writing is not only about being able to read the signs of times to come but to respond to it in boldness with a passion for truth and justice that itself becomes a force for transformation in society. The Program was purported to encourage a culture of writing to yield greater contribution to Theological text books in regional languages in India and also to produce the kind of writing that causes change and triumph of truth using not only traditional paradigms of writing but also effectively employing the tools available in emerging information and communication technology.
Bishop George Ninan, renowned ecumenical leader, described by many as campaigner for justpeace for the urban poor and slum development in India and in Asia, passed away in New York on June 21, 2015.
The Rev. Dr. Samuel W. Meshack was elected to serve a four-year term as the new President of WACC at its Meeting of Members, 29 May 2015.
The 27th General Committee of the Student Christian Movement of India held at Goa from 28-30 May 2015, unanimously elected Mr. Inbaraj Jeyakumar as the 17th General Secretary of SCM India (SCMI) for a term of four years.
The Earthquake situation in Nepal and parts of India has claimed more than 3700 lives at the latest count, and several thousands of casualties are continuing to be dealt with. The figures could rise higher depending on the condition of vulnerable mountain villages that rescue workers are still struggling to reach two days after the disaster. The aftershocks occurring after the earthquake, of which there have been more than 20, continue to inflict damage on buildings already weakened by previous activity and endanger the lives of many more.