Media owners have been urged to invest in in-depth and niche-based training for their journalists to improve their ability to report on particular societal issues.
According toCarol , journalists who cover sensitive topics, especially those relating to marginalized groups should take their time to better understand the people they are reporting for and about, and know how to deal with them.
She also emphasises the need for editors to undergo extensive refresher training to increase their wealth of knowledge on how to report and disseminate information that may be deemed sensitive.
“More should be done in newsrooms for people to understand what exactly it means and how they can go about it. I think, however, if you do not know what gender-sensitive reporting/inclusive language is, then you won’t know what to expect from your reporter or you won’t know how to guide them if you feel they are not doing that,” Beyanga said.
Beyanga was speaking on the sidelines of a Gender-Responsive Reporting and Communication training in Kampala.
The training for media practitioners and journalists from select media houses is facilitated by the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Uganda), which is a Membership-based feminist organization.