Challenges and Pains of Nigerian Women in The Media

The media is considered the fourth estate of the realm. Print or Electronic, the practitioners are expected to watch the governed as well as those that govern. They are expected to be the transmitting point and melting point of Information, Education and Entertainment. It is their cardinal responsibility. As the fourth estate of the realm they are expected by everyone to tell the truth about governance, point out when things are not being done in the sense of the mandate received from the people. Telling the truth can be a risky business to someone who has not asked you to and would prefer you do exactly as he says. So the relationship of the media person to the public and those who have been elected by the public to manage our joint commonwealth is most times fraught with challenges.

The media stands as a two way channel of information

a) from the government to the people and

b) from the people to the government 

It is expected to have attributes to make the channel viable. It must be a channel that should not in the dispensation of the message it is passing across, colour it in shape, or form with its own opinions or sympathies. Their language should be forthright, polite and directly to the point at issue. They must be seen to be objective impartial and interested only in the common good. I guess it must be the reason that they are called gentlemen of the press even if they are wearing skirts!

Skirts?, women in the media. What are the challenges women in the media face?

Nigeria like most African countries is a patriarchal society, where the muscle holds sway and the man lays down the law. What is the concept of the society as regards to women in the media? Women brought glamour to the media and do run the risk of being seen as solely only good for women and children’s columns in the print or running such programme in the electronic media and unfortunately too as prop, as well as sop to a man’s ego..

What is the perception of the society of women in the media? I will give just a few examples

Virtuous?

I doubt if our men really see us that way unless we announce every minute about the day we gave our life to our saviour and dress down deliberately, yet we know that for electronic media a bit of glamour is not only required but often times demanded by the public as women are the prettier sex. This glamour has given way to misconceptions and even myths about women in media. It has also unfortunately given an overblown sense of importance as well.