19 FEBRUARY2026W MAN LEADERGLOBAL W MAN LEADERGLOBAL DIVERSITY IN NEWSROOMS, IMBALANCE IN NARRATIVESDespite the bleak picture, the data finds small but tan-gible improvements. Women now make up 41 per cent of reporters in traditional news reports, up from just 28 per cent in 1995.This matters because research has established that women journalists' accounts are consistently more likely to have women as subjects with 29 per cent compared to 24 per cent in men's reporting. The increase in women reporters indicates how diversi-ty in the newsroom can affect coverage and begin to counterbalance perspectives.But yet, progress is precarious. While greater numbers of women are speaking out, their voices as leaders in stories remain small. Women are quoted more as eyewitnesses or personal testimony than as experts in fields, even though they are qualified. This structural imbalance sustains the residue view of ex-pertise as male, limiting the full range of authority spoken through media."The GMMP is a global accountability tool," not-ed Sarah Macharia, GMMP Expert Group Convenor. "Thirty years of data reveal both the persistence of deep-rooted stereotypes and the need to radically change our strategies toward a more inclusive, repre-sentative journalism."FINAL PUSH FOR EQUALITYThe 2025 report is at a pivotal world moment when the world starts its final five years of the Sustainable Development Goals and marks Beijing+30 in the 80th UN General Assembly.The warning is clear i.e., progress is in reverse, backlash is real and accountability cannot be delayed. Equality's destiny lies not only with governments and institutions but also with editors, platforms and poli-cymakers deciding what stories are worth telling and whose voices are heard."Women and girls deserve to see themselves repre-sented in media and to have their stories told. The re-sponsibility now lies with governments, editors, plat-forms and policymakers to make this equality real," emphasized Kirsi Madi. "We will not back down until women's voices are heard in every newsroom and ev-ery story."
< Page 9 | Page 11 >