Members of the society have on most occasions blamed the media for “not doing enough” to report on the issues affecting vulnerable groups.

There have been complaints of inadequate reporting on matters such as gender-based violence, women’s rights, and the rights of people living with disabilities.

But one of the most salient questions that people have failed to ask in anticipation of an answer is: Why is the media not doing enough?

Can we say there is a gap somewhere caused by the lack of enough space for the media to conduct their work or that the victims themselves are not willing to cooperate with the media?

It is important to understand the situation in which the media is operating and the kinds of people living in that society. We need to understand that our society itself is not very friendly to the media because the people are not cognizant of their rights. If you are a media practitioner, you might have experienced a case where the victims refuse to talk to the media. In that situation, what do you expect the media to do? Hence, it becomes harder for the media to report about it.

Also, people should understand that there is a huge difference between activism and news reporting. While the activists often focus on the side of human rights, the journalists mainly go for the news values. They look at something that can make news for them instead of just reporting the human rights aspect of it. This could be one of the possible reasons why some issues are under-reported by the media. It is based on the science that “it leads better when it bleeds.” However, “what bleeds” may often not be of interest to the readers.

The media, as an independent body, has a big role to play as a watchdog, but this also comes with the responsibility of maintaining peace in society and the country at large.

There is a lot of work to be done by the media, but this requires capacity building to enable the journalists to do their work professionally. It is also pertinent to note that two-to-three-day workshops have proven futile in attempts to build the capacity of journalists. Even so, the majority of people who often attend those workshops are not active reporters. So, the knowledge and skills they get cannot be applied in the field. It is like training a combatant who does not go to the front line.

We need real training, such as in-house training for the journalists, because ever since the journalists for human rights left, the country has lacked adequate training for the reporters. There is a need to bridge the gap that makes the media not report much on some issues. One of the most important things is that there is a need to create a good working environment for journalists to conduct their duty as they adhere to the law and ethic of journalism.