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Anesu Madiye Herald Reporter
Female directors of civic organisations on Thursday held an interface meeting with Zimpapers editors and journalists that was facilitated by the Gender Media Connect (GMC) to familiarise and enhance media skills of the directors.

GMC national director Ms Abigail Gamanya said it was important for the female directors to have an appreciation of how the media works through this engagement.

The process was engaging. We have planted a new seed for women who used to fear interacting with the media.

It was a learning process for both the media and us as female leaders. Our mandate is to assist women to become visible in the media and to be able to articulate themselves effectively, said Ms Gamanya.

The group had a no-holds barred question and answer session were both parties raised pertinent concerns.

Ms Gamanya said for long, the female directors had sought to understand how the media works and to have a platform where they could air their concerns.

She said that the whole process was to assist the female directors become comfortable as they engage with media personnel in a bid to enhance their visibility.

During the question and answer session, the female directors wanted to know if Zimpapers as a media house had a gender policy, and they were advised that it was still a draft that needed to be fine tuned.

Zimpapers editors present in the meeting said even though the gender policy was still in draft form, some of its provisions had been adopted in its newsrooms.

The directors were told that Zimpapers insist on a female voice in every story carried in its publications.

H-Metro deputy editor Charles Mushinga said to ensure gender equality, they are prepared to give space, even a whole page, for opinions and other related articles from women as a way of empowering them.