A South Sudanese female media practitioner is calling on the media owners to prioritise offering managerial roles to women.
Ms. Simona John is the News Editor for Voice of Hope Radio, a Catholic Radio Network station based in Wau.
She says allowing women and girls to manage the institution will bridge the gender gap between males and females in the country.
Simona discouraged some of the cultural norms that don’t grant equal rights to women and men.
“The Society makes us view the top leadership positions as difficult to be handled by women, but I want to tell the women that there’s nothing difficult. We can do what men do,” she said.
Ms. Simona further highlighted setbacks in the media industry that discourages young girls and women from practicing the profession.
She says the media environment is hostile, unfavorable, discouraging, and not conducive, often forcing female journalists to quit their job.
Earlier this month, a female freelance journalist working for Voice of America (VOA) South Sudan in focus was arrested and detained for one week for covering a protest in Juba
“We should work harder to declaim the narrative that women are not fit to hold top positions held by men,” Ms. Simona further stated.
Another Journalist also reiterated the need for press freedom in South Sudan.
Kerbino Kuel, an Editor of Good news Radio in Rumbek says the government should provide a conducive media landscape to attract young girls and females to continue with the profession.
“Journalism is not only for men as it is perceived here in South Sudan. But Journalism is a career for both males and females. We need to improve on it to encourage the female to join the career,” Kuel urged.
The Director of Catholic Radio Network, Mary Ajith affirms the limited number of female journalists in the media industry is a global concern.
She says female managers will advocate for availing the opportunity to female journalists and lead the news desk like their male colleagues.
“We encourage the media institutions to recruit more female reporters so that they can become Editors to bridge the gender gap and promote gender equality in the media,” Mary stated.
The journalists expressed their views during a two days workshop that concluded on Thursday which brought together Catholic radio Network’s Editors to innovate standard news production funded by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA).
The Catholic Radio Network (CRN) is a media project constituted of community-based radio stations broadcasting in Frequency Modulation from Juba, Yei, Torit, Yambio, Rumbek, Tonj, Wau, and Malakal. CRN also has a station in the Nuba Mountains.