Author-journalist Elizabeth Becker had once remarked on the few women who had covered the Vietnam War: “Female reporters covered that war, rewriting the rules so that the phrase ‘woman war correspondent’ would never again be an oxymoron.”
The fight against this “oxymoron” is waged by women reporters in all conflict zones. Kashmir is no exception.
As the number of publications increases in the state, it is worth noting that most stories are written, edited and published by men, while women are reduced to a wailing image and mentioned with reference to the men in their lives – as wife, mother, sister or daughter.
Author Essar Batool had pointed out that by voicing over women’s concerns and disallowing them agency, the news only ends up catering to and reinforcing patriarchal stereotypes.
A male journalist who chose to remain anonymous admitted that no matter how sensitised a man is, there is still “a barrier which makes it impossible to access the stories behind the veils”. “To delve into the minds of women ‘is not a man’s job’,” he said.
Where are the women?
The irony is that in Kashmir, more women than men graduate after studying media courses. Yet, more men dominate the profession.
