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Gender and Science News in the Arab World

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Science Journalism in the Arab World

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Journalism and the Global South ((PSJGS))

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Abstract

In the MENA region, women still get fewer opportunities than men in regard to facilities that help journalists improve their skills, as well as having less access in the hierarchies of the media and continue to be discriminated at large across the region’s newsrooms. Many female journalists continue to be treated differently and to be seen, by many men in position of editorial power, as not capable of producing work of as high a quality as men do. Furthermore, some news sources avoid giving information to female journalists because they do not believe in their journalistic abilities, especially when the woman mentions her name on the news. In this chapter, the authors explore gender imbalance in the region and how this affects the overall reach and quality of science journalism. Women practising journalism do so in the context in which they also face additional challenges and problems relating specifically to the activities they carry out when reporting STEM news. Overall, the empowerment of women in journalism in Arab countries still faces important challenges that range from lack of professional autonomy, limited access to sources, absence of appropriate training and education towards specialisation and lack of economic incentives. There are undoubtedly common issues that one can observe across the region in which issues such as culture and politics play a central role in shaping gender and participation in the gathering and production of science news in MENA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Media and Communication, King Khalid Military College, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Abdullah Alhuntushi

  2. University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

    Jairo Lugo-Ocando

Authors
  1. Abdullah Alhuntushi
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  2. Jairo Lugo-Ocando
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Alhuntushi, A., Lugo-Ocando, J. (2023). Gender and Science News in the Arab World. In: Science Journalism in the Arab World. Palgrave Studies in Journalism and the Global South. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14252-9_7

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