FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Your name

Your organization or WACC region

Your telephone/cell phone number

Your e-mail address

(USE AN ATTENTION-GETTING HEADLINE IN BOLD AND CAPS e.g.)

GLOBAL MEDIA MONITORING PROJECT RESULTS TO BE ANNOUNCED IN ( name location) OR ( your event), PART OF WHO MAKES THE NEWS? INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTEEQUALITY IN THE NEWS MEDIA.

(LOCATION OF EVENT IN BOLD FACE & CAPS) date of press release –Outline what your group will be doing as part of the Three Weeks of Global Action in 1-2 lines, including Who, What, Where, When.

This event is part of WHO MAKES THE NEWS? Three Weeks of Global Action, (16 February – 8 March, 2006). Endorsed by UNIFEM, UNESCO and a coalition of local and international partner organizations, this global campaign seeks to promote gender equality in the media.

The international campaign launch took place 15 February 2006 in London, United Kingdom, with the release of a global media study entitled WHO MAKES THE NEWS? 2005. The Global Media Monitoring Project, conducted by WACC and its international affiliates, reveals a trend of imbalance in who makes the news—and who doesn’t—in the areas of news content, news subjects and who reports on these stories around the world.

The most recent report is the result ofthe analysis of almost 13,000 news items in newspapers, radio and television from 76 countries around the world, gathered on one day by hundreds of volunteers. Locally, ( add your local information – how many volunteers, what cities/villages/towns they monitored in, how many news articles or media outlets monitored – a local quote from a participant could be used).

Some of the key findings include: ( use key findings or link to key findings on http://www.whomakesthenews.org)

- MORE-

The Global Media Monitoring Project conducted every five years since 1995, pioneered international global research into gender equality in the news media. It remains the most extensive global media monitoring project of its kind. All volunteer-gathered qualitative and quantitative data is professionally tabulated and analyzed and is the basis of each WHO MAKES THE NEWS? report.

( Outline the 4 W’s(who, when, why, what) of your event again, including date, time and address of event’s location.) For more information, please contact ( the name of your media contact person) at(your organization) at(phone number and e-mail).

- 30 -

WACC is a worldwide membership organisation working on media reform and communication for social change

http://www.whomakesthenews.org

Insert a description of your sponsoring group/region here

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Susan Browning

WACC North America

1-416-586-9987 x 220

sbrowning@ucc.ca

WHO MAKES THE NEWS? STUDY SHOWS
INEQUALITY IN INTERNATIONAL NEWSROOMS AND NEWS COVERAGE; MEDIA ROUNDTABLE TO DISCUSS

(TORONTO) 16 February 2006 – WACC North America will hold a lunch hour “Media Town Hall Meeting” to discuss the findings of the Who Makes The News? global media monitoring project 1 March at Porter Hall, Ryerson School of Journalism, Toronto. CBC National News host Peter Mansbridge will be moderator and the discussion will be taped for broadcast on The National.

This event is part of WHO MAKES THE NEWS? Three Weeks of Global Action, (16 February – 8 March). Endorsed by UNIFEM, UNESCO and a coalition of local and international partner organizations, this campaign seeks to promote gender equality in the media.

The international campaign launch took place on 15 February in London, United Kingdom, with the release of a global media study WHO MAKES THE NEWS?The Global Media Monitoring Project, conducted by WACC and its international affiliates, reveals a trend of imbalance in who makes the news—and who doesn’t—in the areas of news content, news subjects and who reports on these stories around the world.

The most recent report is the result of the analysis of almost 13,000 news items in newspapers, radio and television from 76 countries around the world, gathered on one day by hundreds of volunteers.

In Canada, 182 volunteers from Halifax to Vancouver Island monitored 922 news items in newspapers and radio programs in both English and French on 16th February, 2005. Canada’s four top journalism schools at Carleton, Ryerson, York and McGill
Universities provided student teams to coordinate the Canadian portion of the global project. “I will never read the news the same way again,” said Marie Lafontaine, 21, a McGill journalism student.“I also had no idea how underrepresented women journalists are in political and economic reporting in Canada.”

- MORE -

Some of the key findings of the study to be discussed at the 1 March event can be found at http://www.whomakesthenews.org .

WHO MAKES THE NEWS?, conducted every five years since 1995, pioneered international global research into gender equality in news coverage and newsrooms, and remains the most extensive global media monitoring project of its kind. All volunteer-gathered qualitative and quantitative data is professionally tabulated and analyzed, and is the basis of each WHO MAKES THE NEWS? report.

Members of the media are invited to attend the lunch hour “Media Town Hall Meeting,” 1 March, at Porter Hall, Ryerson School of Journalism, 233 Dundas Street, Toronto. Sandwiches will be provided. For more information, please contact Susan Browning at WACC North America at 1-416-586-9987 x 220 or sbrowning@ucc.ca

- 30 -

WACC is a worldwide membership organisation working on media reform and communication for social change

http://www.whomakesthenews.org

WACC North America is the volunteer-run regional committee promoting the goals of WACC in Canada and the United States

www.nara-wacc.org