Gender and Media Reporting (With Special Reference to Selected Socially Concerned Incidents)

Abstract

Media has a key role in forming social consciousness. Gender is a power oriented cultural construction. Ideology of patriarchy directly and indirectly influences media reporting's of incidents involving women and the depiction of women is also stereotypical. Objective of this study is to analyze whether the reportage of incidents of the attack involving a girl at Wariyapola (2014), murder of Siwalohanadan Vidya (2015), murder of Seya Sadewemi (2015) and murder of Malki Sadamali Premachandra (2016) all of which took great public attention cause gender issues. The main problem of this research is whether the Sri Lankan media reportage causes gender issues. Content analysis and case studies were used as the research methodology. Data were gathered using in-depth interviews and reviews of literature qualitatively. The conclusion of this research was that Sri Lankan media reporting's create gender issues. The incidents involving women have been reported with the male dominated view point as the 'women' as a representation of the entertainment culture and fortifying stereotypical social ideas of the women. Serious ethical problems also can be identified in the reportage of the selected incidents.