A charity that works to end violence against women by promoting gender equality and by challenging attitudes which normalise violence and abuse attended Robert Gordon University (RGU) to discuss reporting guidelines with future journalists.
Zero Tolerance is a Scottish charity which produces guidelines for journalists regarding the responsible reporting of violence against women.
Dr Emma Plant, the charity’s Campaigns and Engagement Officer, recently met with RGU’s undergraduate and postgraduate journalist students to gain an insight into their thoughts on these guidelines – which they are currently updating.
The students enjoyed a general discussion exploring how they feel violence against women is and should be reported to guide the refresh of the charity’s own media guidelines.
The charity also holds the Write to End Violence Against Women Awards in order to reward the many journalists and bloggers that produce high-quality work in this area.
Dr Plant said: “For such a significant and widespread phenomenon as violence against women reporting practices which minimise or distort persist – it was encouraging to meet students committed to changing this at RGU.”
Dr Plant also spoke to the Women and the Media class which is a fourth-year module that investigates the representation of women in the media and the ways in which women work to challenge such representations.
Professor Sarah Pedersen, Professor of Communication and Media and the Director of Research in Communication, Marketing and Media, leads the class.
She said: “It’s great to have engagement from groups such as Zero Tolerance to demonstrate to our students how their studies at RGU have an application in the wider world. The responsible reporting of violence against women is a particularly essential issue for our Journalism and Media students to consider.”