The secretary of the Media Council of Papua New Guinea (MCPNG) Belinda Kora believes that women in the media industry need more recognition and she is determined to set up a Women in Media (WIM) chapter in PNG.
Kora has experienced her share of challenges in her 20 years as a journalist, but she has also had opportunities to build her career. She was fortunate to work with female veteran journalists who guided her, but said she still had to prove herself coming through the media industry.
During the 6th Pacific Media Summit in Honiara, Solomon Islands in 2022, that she learnt about Fiji’s Women in Media (WIM).
“Many of our women media professionals do not appreciate how important their everyday work is. There is no motivation, no help, no understanding of the pressure they are under, not only as reporters but as community members and mums. I want WIM PNG to enable women to reach their full potential by providing training, mentoring and guidance to many who want to excel through further studies or training but don’t know how.”
Whether they are journalists, public relations professionals, or media managers, women make vital contributions to media by bringing together different perspectives. Yet, the profession is still largely male dominated– there are less than 50% of women in various areas of media including content creation, human resources and administration and technical roles.
With the support of Australia’s Media Development Initiative (MDI), the MCPNG started regional consultations in April with female media personnel across the country.
“It is important that we hear from all our women media workers and get their view on this new initiative so we can tailor it to the needs of our PNG workers.”
Kora recently attended the Australian WIM Conference where she met and connected with other women who are focused on addressing similar issues and needs.
“My biggest takeaway from the WIM Australia, is that I need to value myself more. And I want the same for our female media professionals and I want them to have a safe place to go when they need help, where they can have mentors who can help them improve their reporting about issues that matter to our people and communities.”
The Media Council is working towards establishing this WIM initiative to be a platform for women in media to be empowered to break through barriers and accomplish the best they can.
Belinda Kora (far right) and Joys Eggins (red coat) with Pacific media colleagues.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100