and girls, then we must reject the reduction of women to sex objects, and challenge the rape myths and victim-blaming attitudes too often peddled in our national newspapers." Anna van Heeswijk, OBJECT CEO, Comment Piece in the Observer

Challenging Media Sexism

The last month has been monumental in our campaign against media sexism  

Read key press coverage of our campaigning here
Watch the video of our Page 3 protest, as featured on The Guardian website, here

     

Launch of Joint Report into media sexism

On the UN Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women, OBJECT, Eaves, the End Violence Against Women Coalition, and Equality Now launched ‘Just the Women’ - an evaluation of the content of eleven British national newspapers over a two week period in September this year. 

It was perhaps unsurprising, yet no less shocking, that our report found endemic sexism throughout the British press.

Read this crucial and illuminating report here
Read the Observer article featuring our report here
Read our letter to the Prime Minister regarding the report here
Read our press release and key findings here                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Launch of the Everyday Media Sexism website

OBJECT launched the Everyday Media Sexism Website in partnership with Eaves, End Violence Against Women, Equality Now, Everyday Sexism Project and Turn Your Back on Page 3  as a means of exposing media sexism, collating testimony, and providing a safe space in which to share stories, speak out, and object.

See the Everyday Media Sexism website, and add your voice here

The release of the Leveson recommendations

Along with our partners, we provided evidence and have lobbied hard for the portrayal of women to be included in the Leveson debate on media reform. Lord Leveson responded:

“The evidence as a whole suggested that there is force in the trenchant views expressed by the groups and organisations who testified to the Inquiry that the Page 3 tabloid press often failed to show consistent respect for the dignity and equality of women generally, and that there was a tendency to sexualise and demean women...

Importantly, these criticisms of the Page 3 tabloids do not derive from the fact those newspapers contain an image of a topless woman on Page 3 (or not only from that fact). They are criticisms for which evidence can be found on a reading of all the pages in those newspapers as a whole.^"

This was a significant victory, and, along with other statements made in reference to our evidence, it provides greater weight to our arguments and demands for an end to the discrimination of women and prejudicial reporting in our press.

We have had further lobbying meetings since the launch of the report, and we will be sure to keep you updated with our progress in the struggle against objectification and media sexism.  

Read our joint response to the report here

Read more media coverage here

Season's greetings!                           

On a note of success, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support, dedication, and hard work - without which, our campaigning would not be possible.

If you are a member, please remember to fill in the membership survey and to take this opportunity to vote on the member-proposed motion regarding our Articles of Association, as outlined in the members' bulletin last week, and if you are not yet a member - now could be the perfect time to join, and even to suggest a friend!

So, to all of you, from all of us, we wish you the very best of season's greetings - and a very happy new year.

Let's see what is possible in 2013!