Media code of conduct to approach gender, avoid stereotypes

The information minister, Melhem Riyachi, signed on Friday a ‘code of conduct for the media to protect the rights and dignity of women’ with the Arab Women’s Council, represented by Lina Deghlawi Mkarzel. Riyachi stressed his relentless backing to said code and considered as totally ‘unacceptable’ for him to see a Lebanese or Arab woman demeaned or advertised as a commodity on media channels which, he said, is an insult to the whole society. Mkarzel, for her part, underlined the significance and positive impact of the code of conduct on Arab communities at large, saying that a professional journalist can use his/her information at hand outside gender stereotyping and sexism. She pointed out that with collaborative work and networking between official, private and civil society as well as feminist and women’s organizations, it is possible to uphold and substantiate a culture of gender equality that respects human dignity. It should be noted, that the above signed code of conduct encloses 33 articles on standardized practices in the media and advertising worlds that infringe on a woman’s entity and self-respect. The code’s limitations and framework are as follows: the implementation of the clauses of the Constitution and international conventions signed by the Lebanese State; stepping up enactment of the relevant applicable legal provisions and, support for the sovereignty and freedom of the press, so that the media becomes a platform and forum for exchange based on principles and practices of good governance. The overall aim of the code of contact is to mainstream gender while avoiding prejudiced and stereotypical practices in the work of media. (Al Diyar, March 18, 2017)