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“Women’s rights have gone too far” is a troubling message that has been amplified and weaponised over social media a lot recently. It’s a catchy soundbite, easily repeated, but dangerously divorced from reality.

Right now, women in countries like Yemen, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan face unimaginable restrictions on their freedom. In the United States, mention of women’s achievements in science and space exploration, for example, are being erased from the nation’s official history. Globally, gendered violence continues to affect one in three women.

Meanwhile, we still see sexist stereotypes proliferate in media headlines. Stories labelling survivors as “vengeful” for taking their abusers to court, chastising women for publically letting their hair go grey, or downplaying women’s achievements by referring to them as someone’s wife. These clickbait headlines don’t just sting, they shape how society perceives women — and men.

Social media has given us a powerful platform to share stories. But with the dissolution of safeguards and fact-checking, the same platforms that empower individuals are increasingly used by vested interests to spread harmful disinformation.

As journalists, it is our job to address this. Restoring trust in the media is not a simple task, but it’s also not impossible. We can start by ensuring that we search for people from different demographics to quote in stories. Ensuring our coverage is representative of society is an essential pillar of factual reporting.

Similarly, questioning our personal bias must become as basic a part of the job as a spell-check. We must consider how the people we are writing about are going to be affected by what we are writing. What language have we used? Have we included different viewpoints? Is it balanced, or are we relying on a single opinion? Does the story hinge on second-hand information, assumptions, or stereotypes?

Looking outward, we also need a big drive in terms of media literacy. This must become a part of the school curriculum but also promoted to adults. It should include asking questions like who is publishing a story and why, who are the sources and what expertise do they have?

While this might all sound very negative, there is plenty to be optimistic about. There are many brilliant newsrooms and journalists reporting stories that matter. Many of these are sharing tools and resources, and working together to build a fair, trustworthy media. It is these efforts that give me hope for a future where balanced, factual reporting thrives above algorithm-led headlines.

By Leila Hawkins
Co-founder and Editorial Director, NADJA

About Leila

Leila Hawkins is a journalist specialising in human rights, social justice and culture. She is the co-founder and editorial director of NADJA Media, a news platform addressing gender bias in the media, and has contributed to publications such as The Guardian, Vice, Refinery29 and Women’s Media Center. She also mentors and trains aspiring journalists.

About Impress 

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