Victim tropes still common in coverage of persons with disabilities

It’s time to ditch the stereotypes and cover persons with disabilities as equal members of society who are more than their disability, writes Jackie Lidubwi People with disabilities experience inequalities across many aspects of society. They are often denied access to opportunities available to their non-disabled counterparts. A UN writeup on disability and the media […]

We couldn’t find suitable internships, so we created our own media house

Three years ago, three university students were at the cusp of their journalism careers, looking forward to starting their journeys in newsrooms in Zimbabwe. However, they met with unforeseen roadblocks.   Nicole Kurebwasweka couldn’t get placement for the industrial attachment unit of her journalism course at the University of Zimbabwe. The production department of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation turned her down, saying they […]

Pandemic took away my paycheck, but brightened my career prospects

Janet Otieno was editing the final page of a magazine for the Citizen, a Tanzanian newspaper, when she received a call from human resources. It was 5pm in April 2020, about a month after the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Tanzania. Janet, the acting managing editor and features editor at Mwananchi Communications in Tanzania, stopped mid-sentence […]

To Think I Almost Missed #RCCE2020

To think I almost missed this training!   I heard about AWiM’s RCCE programme through a forwarded WhatsApp message in one of the groups I am in. The lady who forwarded it wrote: “guys jaribuni” translated as “guys try your luck.” I applied for the training immediately, then I also forwarded the link to a friend to try her luck. I am on a maternity leave, and both electric and internet services at my place had been interrupted for almost a week. […]

How #RCCE2020 Changed my Perspective on Safety by Ann Ndung’u

Safety to me used to be just about physical safety, however that perspective has been broadened via the #RCCE2020 Training of which I am a participant. During my internship period, I faced one of what I can now say were threats but at the time, I did not understand what was happening around me, and I thought that has to happen in every working […]

Gender Bias and the Media Woman

“I raise my voice not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot succeed when half of us are held back.,” Malala Yousafzai.  Gender bias is a preference or prejudice toward one gender over the other. Bias can be conscious or unconscious, and may manifest in many ways, both […]

How Journalists can stay safe while reporting Covid 19

Safety especially journalist safety is very vital in this day and age we find ourselves. The corona virus pandemic has heightened the already present need for safety of journalists and now more than ever, journalists who are at the war front with health care workers deserve to be safe. Journalists in a bid to bring […]

DR. YEMISI AKINBOBOLA

C.E.O & Co-founder, AWiM

Dr Yemisi Akinbobola is an award-winning journalist, academic, consultant and co-founder of African Women in Media (AWiM). AWiM’s vision is that one-day African women will have equal access to representation in media. Joint winner of the CNN African Journalist Award 2016 (Sports Reporting), Yemisi ran her news website IQ4News between 2010-14.
Yemisi holds a PhD in Media and Cultural Studies from Birmingham City University, where she is a Senior Lecturer. She has published scholarly research on women’s rights, African feminism, and journalism and digital public spheres. She was Editorial Consultant for the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 commemorative book titled “She Stands for Peace: 20 Years, 20 Journeys”, and currently hosts the book’s podcast.
She speaks regularly on issues relating to gender and media. In 2021 she was recognized as one of 100 Most Influential African Women.