Resources on the MEDIA
Section k
"During the past decade, advances in information technology have facilitated a global communications network that transcends national boundaries and has an impact on public policy, private attitudes and behaviour, especially of children and young adults. Everywhere the potential exists for the media to make a far greater contribution to the advancement of women."
Beijing Platform for Action.
Websites and Electronic Resources
GLOBAL
http://www.womenaction.org
WomenAction is a global information, communication, and media network that enables NGOs to actively engage in the Beijing Plus Five review process with a long term goal of women’s empowerment, and a special focus on women and media. This website provides links to women’s media sites worldwide, focusing on Beijing Plus Five. This website is available in English, French, and Spanish.
http://www.iwtc.org
The website of the International Women’s Tribune Centre (IWTC), was launched officially on November 20, 2000. The site features information materials on the monitoring and measuring of the Beijing Platform of Action. Also included are the most recent issues of the IWTC Women’s GlobalNet, a biweekly electronic bulletin of activities and initiatives of women worldwide and Preview 2000, with plans and follow-up activities to Beijing Plus Five.
http://www.womenink.org
This is the website of Women, Ink., a project of IWTC that markets and disseminates women and development publications by, for and about women. The site highlights the Women, Ink. catalogue of over 250 titles from 70+ publishers, several of which are published in the Global South.
http://www.gn.apc.org/apcwomen
The APC Women’s Networking Support Programme is a co-coordinator with the International Women’s Tribune Centre (IWTC) of WomenAction 2000. APC is the pioneer in bringing women’s networks together over the internet. It focuses on the use of Information Technology as a powerful tool to help build social networks and contribute towards progressive and social change for women. This website provides information in research and evaluation, policy and advocacy, training, and online experiences of women accessible in English, French, and Spanish.
http://www.waw.be/sid/won/won.htm
Women on the Net is a collaborative project between SID and UNESCO aimed at creating a multicultural gender perspective on international communication systems. This website addresses how gender identity is being shaped by the cyberworld.
http://www.wings.org
This Women’s International News Gathering Service is an independent radio production company that produces and distributes news and current affairs programs by and about women around the world. Activities include conference recording, audio productions, consulting and training, and women’s news hour.
http://www.femina.cybergrrl.com
This comprehensive database hosts a search engine, created by Cyber-grrl.Inc. It provides women with a comprehensive, searchable directory of links to female friendly sites and information on the World Wide Web, with links to nine different regions, and many other women’s sites.
http://www.comminit.com
This is a media clearinghouse about development and a one stop shop for development news and issues worldwide in all communications media. It provides a forum for diverse voices and views from journalists, experts, and consultants. It also has a great events calendar, and a wide selection of electronic journals and magazines. Partners include: BBC World Service, CIDA; EU; Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Programs; Panos, Rockefeller Foundation; Soul City; UN AIDS; UNICEF; USAID and WHO.
http://www.ips.org/
Inter Press Service, based in Rome, is a global newslink covering issues in Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Euro-Mediterranean, Latin America, the United States, and Canada. Backed by a network of journalists in more than 100 countries, this IPS website provides current news and a focus on important issues for women worldwide.
BASED IN AFRICA
http://www.flamme.org
Flamme is a network of African sisters online, committed to strengthening the capacity of women through the use of ICTs to lobby, advocate, and participate in the Beijing Plus Five process regionally and globally. This website provides contacts, and documents relating to the Beijing Plus Five, in addition to links leading into other women’s sites.
http://www.africaonline.com/AfricaOnline/coverwomen.html
Africa Online is one of the top providers of internet communications services throughout Africa. With six head offices located throughout the region, this website brings Internet users a vast array of information for women ranging from resources for women, to international organizations in support of women’s issues.
http://www.africaonline.co.ke/femnet
FEMNET is the African Women’s Development and Communication Network, accessible in English and French. This Webster provides information on networking, information and communication, monitoring and advocacy for the implementation of the African and Global Platforms for Action, and advancement for gender equity and equality.
http://www.enda.sn/synfev/synfev.htm
Synergy Gender and Development (SYNFEV) is an entity of ENDA Third World, an environment and development, non-profit organisation, based out of Dakar, Senegal. This website provides electronic solidarity for women in Africa working closely with the Association for Progressive Communication’s Women’s Networks Support Programme (APC), and includes annual reports communication for women’s programmes, studies, and publications. Available in English and French.
http://www.famafrique.org/site/document1.html
is the internet voice for women in francophone Africa. This website is in French only, and provides information on Beijing Plus Five, resources, announcements, international organisations, and links to other African Women’s websites.
http://www.isis.or.ug
Isis-Women's International Cross Cultural Exchange (Isis-WICCE) is an action oriented women's resource centre based in Kampala, Uganda. Currently, the focus of activities is on Women’s Voices in War and the website has a special section on that. Also included is information on the Exchange Programme, the Publications Programme and the Information and Documentation programme.
http://www.kabissa.org/wougnet/
Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), whose goal is to promote the use of information and communication technologies by women organisations and individuals for the better being of Ugandan women. In line with this, WOUGNET supports a mailing list and website for information exchange and dissemination. The WOUGNET website profiles women organisations based in Uganda (including links to their websites where available) as well as women related projects and activities in a variety of areas including health, agriculture, business, education, and women in parliament.
http://www.womensnet.org.za
Womensnet is a vibrant and innovative networking support programme based in South Africa and designed to enable women to use the Internet to find the people, issues, resources and tools needed for women's social action.
BASED IN ASIA/PACIFIC
http://www.jca.ax.apc.org/aworc/org/front.html
The Asian Women's Resource Exchange (AWORC) is an Internet-based women's information service and network in Asia. It is an initiative geared towards developing cooperative approaches and partnerships in increasing access and exploring applications of new information and communication technologies for women's empowerment. This website links Asian Women’s Resource Center websites based out of Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Manila, Mongolia, and the Philippines. It also contains a multilingual search engine, a Beijing Plus Five section that includes a directory of NGOs in the Asia Pacific region, and information on campaigns, publications, and reports.
http://www.isiswomen.org/organization/index.html
Isis International, based in Manila, is a feminist NGO dedicated to women’s information and communication needs, focusing on advancing women’s rights, leadership and empowerment in Asia and the Pacific. This website is an invaluable resource for women on the net, advocacy, and publications. It also includes a resource center, archive, and links to sister organizations.
http://www.igc.org/wfs
Women’s Feature Service (WFS) is a news-feature service that reports from 40 countries in all regions of the world. WFS's network of women journalists produces approximately 400 articles a year, written from a women's perspective, with a special focus on developing countries. This website contains recent articles and news from different parts of the world.
BASED IN LATIN AMERICA/ CARIB
http://alainet.org/mujeres
The Agencia Latinoamericana de Informacin (ALAI) is a communications organization committed to full respect for human rights and the participation of social movements in Latin American development. Its action pursues the democratization of communication as a basic prerequisite for democratic society and social justice. This website provides a vast amount of information about advocacy, social networking, training, women’s programmes, campaigns, events, links and resources. This website is available in English, French, and Spanish.
http://www.fempress.org
This is the website of FemPress, the Latin American women’s media network and press service based in Santiago, Chile. The site includes issues of the monthly magazine "Fempress Mujer", Special Editions that focus on one particular issue area, a data base of articles, and a manual for journalists. FemPress also runs a radio service, producing audio cassettes on a variety of women’s concerns and issues. Available in Spanish only.
http://www.isis.cl
Isis Internacional, based in Santiago, Chile, is an information and communications service for women. The site contains information on their documentation centre, publications, networks and other cativities, with a focus on issues such as violence against women and follow-up to the Beijing plus Five Special Session in new York. Isis Internacional is a partner with ALAI in Latin American WomenAction 2000 activities.
http://www.fire.or.cr
This incredible website belongs to Feminist International Radio Endeavour (FIRE), a ground-breaking women’s media network that began short-wave radio broadcasts from their base in Costa Rica on May 1, 1991 and web-based radio broadcasts on the Internet in May 1998. The site contains both written and broadcast interviews from women worldwide, and is available in Spanish and English. The Real Player programme needed to hear the broadcasts can be downloaded from the site. Definitely worth a visit! Covers Beijing plus Five and all the critical areas of concern from the Beijing Platform for Action as well as other activities of feminists in the region.
http://www.CAFRA.org
The Caribbbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA) is a regional network of feminists, individual researchers, activists and women’s organisations that respond to the needs of the feminist movement and seek to encourage regional collaboration and solidarity. This website provides information about communication and networking, education, institutional development, research, actions, international campaigns, as well as publications.
BASED IN EUROPE/NORTH AMERICA
http://iiav.nl/mapping-the-world
Mapping the World is a project of the International Information Service and Archives of the Women’s Movement (IIAV) which includes international, national and local women’s information, women’s documentation and research centres connected to various universities, gender-specific information sections connected to governmental organizations, resource centres in which women’s information is collected, and a wide range of women’s magazines, radio or TV programmes, which function as a focal point for distributing information in countries where the women’s movement is in its early stages. This website also includes links to other women’s sites.
http://community.web.net/womensweb
Womensweb is a Canadian-based organization that aims to build the capacity of the women’s movement by using the internet to collaborate and further its aims. Womensweb provides networking information about people, issues, resources and tools for women’s social activism. This website lists a variety of web networks, organizations, conferences, mailing lists, campaigns and issue alerts.
http://www.waw.be/sid/won/won.htm
Women on the Net is a collaborative project between SID and UNESCO aimed at creating a multicultural gender perspective on international communication systems. This website addresses how gender identity is being shaped by the cyberworld.
http://www.aviva.org
This is a free "Webzine" being run by an international group of feminists known as Aviva, based in London. This international women’s magazine enables women all over the world to make contact with each other, and act as a "host" site to women’s groups and services globally. Other services include news, and tutorials.
http://www.femina.cybergrrl.com
This comprehensive database hosts a search engine, created by Cyber-grrl. Inc. It provides women with a comprehensive, searchable directory of links to female friendly sites and information on the World Wide Web. This website provides links to nine different regions, and many other women’s sites.
Selected Books
Many of these publications can be ordered online at http://ww.womenink.org
The Busy Women’s Guide to the Internet: Activism and Research Online
Kelly Mannix
This handy little guide is a useful tool to enable women activists to get started on the Internet. It is packed with information on the Internet community, creating and getting on listservs, newsgroups, search engines and selecting the right service provider. It also provides a brief glossary of common Internet terms and a directory of various women’s organizations accessible online.
1999. 80 pages. ISBN 1-55014-382-4. US$6.00
Changing Lenses: Women’s Perspectives on Media
Isis International
This report provides a comprehensive overview of the state of women and the media in Asia and the Pacific, with a particular focus on violence against women. It comprises research done by ISIS International and on a multi-media forum organized by ISIS and UNIFEM at the 42nd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 1997. Offering a general look at media policies and media monitoring, the report also features ten country experiences. Together these reveal that, despite some headway made in the women-and-media situation, many issues still remain on the feminist agenda about the media’s representation and portrayal of women.
1999. 173 pages. WE 498V. US$8.00
Communication, Education and Development: Exploring an African Cultural Setting
Kwasi Ansu Kyeremeh
Through a study of communication patterns among some Ghanaian villagers, this book provides concrete examples of the systems used by indigenous societies. It proposes a framework for developing participatory models of communication based on village cultural experiences to facilitate learning and community development. Bibliography.
1997 (2nd edition). 145 pages. US$17.00
Gender and the Information Revolution in Africa
Eva Rathgeber and Edith Ofwona Adera
The essays in this well-compiled book examine the current and potential impact of the explosion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Africa. The focus is on gender issues and the book analyzes the extent to which women’s needs and preferences are being served. Whether in the field of agriculture, health, microenterprise or education, the essays emphasize the needs of rural women. The authors argue that women must be decision-makers and active participants in the process of using new ICTs to accelerate African economic, social and political development. Appendices include contributing author information and acronyms and abbreviations.
2000. 256 pages. WE503V. US$24.95
Knowledge Societies in a Nutshell: Information Technology for Sustainable Development
Andreas Cred and Robin Mansell
Countries in the Global South are being encouraged to invest in information and communication technologies (ICTs) in order to experience the expected future social and economic benefits, but at what cost? Summarizing the findings of the Working Group on Information Technology and Development of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development that met from 1995 to 1997, this book investigated the benefits and risks of "being wired." In doing so, it focuses particularly on the dangers of not tailoring ICT strategies to the specific and changing needs of developing countries.
1998. 49 pages. US$9.95
Liberating Cyberspace Civil Liberties, Human Rights and the Internet
The National Council for Civil Liberties, UK (Ed.)
This timely book assesses the impact of the Internet on our basic civil rights. Divided into the two main areas of policy and practice, the essays range from the detailed and technical (on encryption, for example) to the highly personal and anecdotal, such as Kate Burke’s account of setting up the AVIVA Women’s web site. The examples used come mainly from the North, but anyone interested in the impact of the Internet on privacy, freedom of expression and freedom of information will want to read this book.
1999. 290 pages. US$19.95
Participatory Video: A Practical Guide to Using Video Creatively in Group Development Work
Jackie Shaw and Clive Robertson
This step-by-step guide offers practical advice on video equipment and how to use it, teaching technical skills to others, running video workshops, and planning and organizing long-term projects. Illustrated with photos and drawings, and sprinkled throughout with hints, checklists and games, it is ideal for a wide range of professionals.
1997. 287 pages. US$27.99
Traditional Media for Gender Communication
Pamela Brooke
This training manual focuses on planning and conducting effective communication through a process of community self-diagnosis,mobilization and action. It describes how to use traditional media to: conduct research at the village level; identify issues; plan the presentation; develop story dramas, songs and dance; and develop slogans and pictures. Photographs; vignettes.1996. 68 pages. WE318Z. US$15.00
Video for Development: A Casebook from Vietnam
Su Branden with Than Thi Thien Huong
Based on an experiment in Vietnam, this book describes how a team of NGO workers from four countries, trained in the participatory use of video for community development, worked with villagers on issues identified and researched by the local community. It shows how community-made video can be used locally for the purpose of conflict-resolution and advocacy, and internationally for fund-raising and staff training.
1998. 106 pages. US$12.95
Whose Perspective? A Guide to Gender-Sensitive Analysis of the Media
Women's Media Watch of Jamaica
Written at a basic level with illustrations, hand-outs and exercises, this useful manual provides all the materials needed to hold a workshop on a number of different topics related to women and the media, including: gender images in the media; media and violence against women; and criteria for critiquing the media. Glossary; bibliography.
1998. 81 pages. US$16.00
Women@Internet: Creating New Cultures in Cyberspace
Wendy Harcourt (Ed.)
The first major analysis of the emerging cultural characteristics of women’s activities on the Internet across the globe, this fascinating collection brings together anthropologists, communications experts, development workers, media analysts and women’s movement activists to demonstrate how the Internet can create new spaces for women working within radically different cultural environments to access and transform knowledge. It examines the type of cyberculture women are creating and the barriers they face and puts forward concrete proposals for increasing women’s engagement with the new communications technologies. It is essential reading for students and academics in sociology of science, communications and cultural studies, development and women’s studies, as well as those with an interest in the newly emerging cyberspace.
1999. 240 pages. US$25.00
Women, Information and the Future Collecting and Sharing Resources Worldwide
Eva Steiner Moseley (Ed.)
The articles in this volume address topics such as technology applications, classification and archiving procedures; new information formats; the role of information in advancing human rights; and outreach to minority and immigrant women.
1995. 296 pages. US$20.00
Women’s Experiences in Media
Rina Jimenez-David (Ed.)
The women writers, newsmakers, film producers, radio announcers, and media critics around the world introduced here produce media which "encourage dialogue and debate...that reaffirm women’s wisdom... and that advance women’s creativity." This book not only enlightens and inspires, but also provides useful tips for creating truly egalitarian media.
1996. 109 pages. WE335Z US$23.00
The Women’s Guide to the Wired World
Shana Penn
This "user-friendly handbook and resource directory" covers everything from what is the Internet to choosing a browser to downloading shareware. It also highlights the gender-focused corners of cyberspace, listing hundreds of sites in a range of categories: women’s studies, education, health, lesbians, travel, relationship, family and media. Glossary.
1997. 307 pages. WE352Z US$17.95
Women’s Voices on FIRE: Feminist International Radio Endeavour
MarÌa Su·rez Toro
This fascinating and informative publication is not just a comprehensive history of the Feminist International Radio Endeavour (FIRE), but also offers an account of the organizationís role in the growth of the global feminist movement.. Since its beginnings on short-wave radio in 1991 in Costa Rica, FIRE has taken its microphones around the world to record women’s lives and experiences. A major activity has been the catalyzing and recording of local, regional and international tribunals of violations of women’s human rights. This book shows how, whether broadcasting from tiny rural villages or massive UN conferences, FIRE has provided a space for the voices of women to be heard.
2000. 510 pages. WE 496V. US$20.00
WOW: Women on the Web: A Guide to Gender-Related Resources on the Internet
Helen Fallon
This guide explores topics such as the relationship between gender and science; on-line sexual harassment; and pornography. It offers a well-researched directory of gender-related resources, with the Internet addresses for electronic conferences, bibliographies, library catalogues, research centres and more. Also included is a beginners guide to setting up a home page.
1997. 86 pages. US$12.00
Many of these publications can be ordered online at http://ww.womenink.org