Media needs to cover women in the region with honesty, CNN news anchor says

Dubai: Becky Anderson, International CNN news anchor, told delegates at the Global Women’s Forum that the best way forward for women in the media is to appreciate the value that they can provide to the industry.

Speaking to Khalid Al Ameri as part of the Women in Media Hub session, she explained that the tide is slowly turning for women.

However, Anderson was quick to remind participants that the media needs to cover women in the region with honesty and impartiality and move away from sensationalism.

“The region has quite a fractured media environment,” she said. “It’s a mix of global and local players in a multitude of languages. Some are supported by the government, some privately owned. It’s a difficult area to negotiate.”

She stressed that media outlets need to be careful with their use of social media when gathering sources as they can easily spread the wrong information.

“Don’t forget that social media can be a propaganda tool,” she said. “In order to produce true, correct and accurate reports, we need to look to multiple, credible sources in order to be fair and balanced. Although great for initial leads, media should not gather news from social media.”

And her mission for her future and the future of women in the region?

“To make every child smile all the time,” she said. “The headline news is pretty depressing — the wars in Yemen, Syria. But behind every news story are people doing great things. Go and find them and tell their stories.”