WHEN a Moslem extremist gunned down the Dutch film director, Theo van Gogh, in November 2004, media in the Netherlands then turned to look for knowledge and perspective about Islam, Sharmila Badloe, coordinator of the Media Prof Network with Mira Media, said.
“Most of the media [here] only have the ‘white’ perspective, they don’t know about Islam. But then they think [to write a comprehensive story on the murder] they need to know about it,” she said.
To promote the importance of involving professionals from various ethnic backgrounds in the mainstream media is the core work and objective of Mira Media established since 1986.
Mira media has committed to bring diversity and pluralism in the media organizations in the Netherlands. Because even in a modern country like the Netherlands, pushing media companies to employ qualified ethnic media professionals is not easy.
Sharmila estimated the number of media professionals from non-western background in the Netherlands media is very tiny, “less than five percents,” she cited.
In average, there are only five or even less ethnic media professionals in a newsroom that has a hundred staffers in total, she added. The number doesn’t even equal, compare to the total ethnic population that stands at around 11 percent of about 16 million Holland Population.
“Intelligence does not have something to do with discrimination. You can have a high IQ, but you can be still very narrow-minded. Discrimination, it’s something you cannot totally get rid of,” she said.
To achieve the equality in the media, Mira Media – the government and European Union-funded organization – pushing some strategies. Not only advising talented journalists to get job in the media, but also conducting trainings to journalists and students on diversity issues.
Mira Media also initiated network meetings, debates, experts meetings and conferences. They also have set several websites and ethnic communities to support the group.
Susan Bink, a desk researcher, said at the moment, Mira Media is distributing online newsletter, magazine, and running another website called Wereldjournalisten.nl or literally means world journalists – where media professionals are invited to write on diversity issues in the Netherlands.
Mira Media also initiated an establishment of a commercial company Media Shakers that offers advises for those who need jobs in the media.
However, Mira Media admitted that the lack knowledge of media organizations of many ethnic media professionals present in the Netherlands that have the quality of good journalists as well as discrimination in the offices remain a problem.
Badloe stated concerns are not over after an ethnic professional gets in a media business, but furthermore, on how to make them stay.
Several ethnic minorities publications, including magazines
“Ethnic media professionals do recognize us, but not the mainstream, that’s something we should keep working on,” Badloe said.
Despite the odds, Mira Media is confident that through hard works they will be able to promote qualified ethnic media professionals better in the future.
Both Badloe and Bink believe in the future there will be more ethnic professionals in the televisions, radios, print and online medias in the Netherlands. And as its name, the media in the Netherlands will truly be a “mira” or a mirror of the society. (Anita/Anta/Jacko)
No comments:
Post a Comment