MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed – Having a masculine language and journalism, mainstream media reports the cases of femicide and crimes against women without showing any sensitivity. While they do not show faces of men in their reports on femicide and violence against women, they openly write all details about women. Thus, they subject women to violence again. Selen Doğan, member of the Flying Broom Women's Communication and Research Association, stated that the media should report crimes against women as rights violations and that alternative media outlets focusing on rights and seeing people from all segments should be strengthened and become widespread.

‘Media is a field of struggle for women’

Pointing out that the media has always been a field of struggle and a means of struggle for women, Selen Doğan said, “We always need the means of communication, the media or the opportunities it offers us in our fight against inequality, violence and discrimination. Media should be a partner. The media itself becomes a field of struggle for us because it has the power to fight all these inequalities and rights violations.”

‘My one and only hope is alternative media…’

Indicating that journalism based on gender equality and human rights can empower both women, children and all segments in society, Selen Doğan stated that the media reporting should focus on human rights. “The current media only appeals to men. As women, we are invisible in the mainstream media. Like children and other ethnic groups.  The mainstream media should first question itself to change itself. But I do not think there is a media system to do this. My one and only hope is alternative media outlets. They should become stronger and more widespread.”

‘Violence should not be normalized’

Stating that the alternative media outlets become the voice of people from all segments, Selen Doğan said, “We should support the alternative media outlets. Media outlets must be very sensitive when reporting on women. Media outlets should never normalize femicide, gender-based violence and crimes against women. If we report all details of these cases, we will ignore the sensitive part.”