Sexual Harassment of Female Journalists in the Ugandan Media Newsrooms
摘要
Sexual harassment of female journalists in the Ugandan media is a common practice; however, as in some other parts of the developing world, it is rarely documented in either mainstream media or academic scholarship. In this study, sexual harassment is highlighted as one of the challenges female journalists face in newsrooms. Using data collected with the help of an open-ended, self-administered structured interview guide and media house policies from four mainstream media newsrooms, this study investigated the modes of sexual harassment of female journalists through the experiences of victims in selected Ugandan media. The findings show that a number of participants experienced sexual harassment in the newsrooms. The practice exists in different forms, such as unwarranted touches, suggestive remarks, soliciting for sex, verbal attacks, aggression towards victims, attempted rape, and rape. The victims also respond in a number of ways, including confronting the perpetrators, going mute, beating perpetrators, and quitting certain media beats and the profession altogether; yet little or nothing is done by media managers to address the situation. To stop the sexual harassment of female journalists in newsrooms, several recommendations, such as installing CCTV cameras in newsrooms, giving deterrent punishments such as dismissals, and promoting women to leadership positions within newsrooms, have been proposed.