THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The National Women Journalists’ conclave called for the government to resolve cyber attack complaints quickly. The panel discussion on ‘Women in Social Media’ noted that women who raise their voices face backlash on social media that is far more intense than the resistance they encounter from their families or the society. The two-day conclave, organised by the Information and Public Relations Department, concluded on Wednesday.
The conclave was a platform for discussions on contemporary issues concerning women in the media. A report will be prepared including the recommendations from the event, held at the Tagore Theatre in collaboration with the Kerala Union of Working Journalists.
On the second day, journalists Rana Ayyub and Anita Pratap took part in chat sessions. Rana Ayyub spoke about the need for more women journalists to take up investigative journalism and said that journalists should continuously stand up for the marginalised.
Anita Pratap noted that independent and fearless journalism is facing perilous times. She highlighted that with the rise of privatisation, independent journalism struggles to survive and when power and wealth combine, fearless journalism becomes nearly impossible.
The discussion featured Women’s Commission Chairperson P Sathidevi, Meena Kandasamy, Manila C Mohan, Smitha Haridas, N Sushmitha and Shabna Ziyad, with Cultural Affairs Department Director Divya S Iyer as the moderator.
During the concluding open discussion, participants demanded the creation of spaces for women journalists to come together and for establishing facilities like creches to help journalists who are parents. The discussion included Sridevi Pillai, Sophia Bind, Saritha S Balan, Mathu Saji, Vineetha Venad and Anupama G Nair, with Saraswathi Nagarajan moderating.
A photo exhibition held alongside the conclave drew attention, featuring around 80 photographs taken by women journalists and photographers. Approximately 200 representatives, including journalists from media organisations across the state and journalism students from various colleges, took part in the conclave.
Social media backlash
The National Women Journalists’ conclave’s discussion on ‘Women in Social Media’ noted that women who raise their voices face backlash on social media that is far more intense than the resistance they encounter from their families or the society