The founder and Executive Director of the Gender Strategy Advancement International (GSAI), Adaora Sydney-Jack, has urged Nigerian newsrooms to rethink how they frame and report stories involving women, warning that entrenched newsroom practices continue to diminish women’s visibility and distort public perceptions of gender-related policy issues.
Mrs Sydney-Jack, also a broadcast journalist, spoke on Friday at a media training organised for members of the House of Representatives Press Corps.
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The session, themed Strengthening Reporting on the Reserved Seats for Women Bill, was convened by the House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs in collaboration with the TOS Group, an organisation that supports vulnerable communities, particularly women, youth, and children through initiatives in education, health, civic engagement, and sustainable development.
She began by correcting the terminology used in public reporting on the bill, stressing that it should be referred to strictly as a “reserved seat” bill, not a “special seat” bill. According to her, the latter carries a connotation of bias and tokenism that undermines the purpose of the proposed constitutional amendment.
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Mrs Sydney-Jack also noted that women rarely make front-page or hard-news coverage in Nigeria, not because their stories lack importance, but because editorial decisions frequently sideline them.
“Women hardly make headline stories; they hardly make hard news,” she said. “I have been in editorial meetings where crucial news about women is pushed aside for commercial considerations. Because men dominate media buying, such stories are treated as alternative news, even when they are breaking news.”
She warned that the newsroom remains the primary engine room for advocacy and narrative formation. The language used in reporting issues, she said, either reinforces gender stereotypes or elevates public understanding.
“Reporters may say ‘women, now demanding more seats,’ instead of ‘leadership requires inclusion.’ One phrase feminises the issue; the other frames it as a governance imperative. That is how narratives are shaped,” she added.
Media must interrogate bills, not wait to be spoon-fed
Mrs Sydney-Jack criticised the notion that journalists should wait to be “given” a bill before engaging with it. She reminded participants that journalism demands independent scrutiny.
“As media professionals, we are eternal researchers,” she said. “It is our responsibility to examine every bill, read between the lines, question contradictions, and ensure parliamentarians feel our scrutiny. That is accountability.”
Patriarchy embedded in editorial culture
She argued that patriarchal norms have seeped into newsroom culture, often unnoticed, leading to subtle but consistent relegation of women’s issues.
Stories related to women, she observed, are typically categorised under lifestyle, entertainment, or domestic issues, even when they involve governance, public interest, or national development.
She recalled instances where breaking stories on gender-based violence were dismissed by editors because they fell outside the “16 Days of Activism” period.
“That mentality normalises pushing women’s news behind,” she said. “It is not always intentional, but it is a reflection of patriarchy that has migrated into editorial practice.”
Mrs Sydney-Jack emphasised that the success of the reserved seats campaign depends significantly on media engagement.
“No matter how strongly advocates push, it is still the media that controls the narrative. If the media does not take ownership of how these stories are told, from the newsroom to television, print, and social media, the debate will continue to suffer,” she said.
She urged journalists to highlight women’s political expertise and policy achievements rather than focusing on their domestic responsibilities.
She recounted frequent sexist questions put to women politicians or experts, questions rarely directed at their male counterparts.
“When a woman appears on the radio or television, the interviewer asks how she balances marriage, children, and work. But men are never asked how they juggle family and public office. We must shift focus from personal lives to competence, public interest, and policy,” she said.
She warned that careless phrasing, even when intended as humour, can easily go viral and reinforce damaging narratives.
Understanding the reserved seats bill
The Reserved Seats for Women Bill forms part of the ongoing constitution review process. The constitution review bills, initially 84, have been consolidated into 44.
The proposed legislation, “A bill for an act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to provide for seat reservation for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly; and for related matters is one of Nigeria’s most ambitious attempts to correct the longstanding imbalance in women’s political representation.
The bill is sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, and 12 others: Tolani Shagaya, Mohammed Hassan, the late Oriyomi Onanuga, Blessing Onuh, Joshua Gana, Kama Nkemkanma, Chinwe Nnabuife, Amobi Godwin, Khadija Ibrahim, Jonathan Gbefwi, Jafaru Leko, and Francis Waive.
READ ALSO: Women leaders push for reserved seats bill, collective political power
Under the proposal:
• In the Senate, each of the 36 states and the FCT would have an additional reserved senatorial seat for women, creating 37 new seats.
• In the House of Representatives, one additional seat would be created per state and the FCT, also totalling 37.
• Each state House of Assembly would have three additional reserved seats for women, one per senatorial district.
The seats are additional, not drawn from existing constituencies. This is designed to preserve electoral fairness and reduce political resistance.
