Selam Gebrekidan: this topic’s poll!

Selam Gebrekidan is an investigative journalist for the New York Times. An investigative journalist is a reporter who spends a long time intensely investigating one issue. They often expose secrets, so the job can be dangerous.

Watch Selam’s video to hear about her experiences as a female investigative reporter.

Video not working? Follow this link: https://vimeo.com/912276192/a40144faa2

For this week’s poll we’d like you to look at the following opinion and use what you learnt from Selam to say whether you agree or disagree:

“Women are better at reporting about women and men are better at reporting about men.”

This poll is now closed.

Comments (71)

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  • In my opinion, I think women are better suited to report incidents involving other women as they can relate to their experiences and are not bound by the same societal restrictions as men. This makes them more effective in advocating for women's rights and promoting gender equality.

    1. I respectfully disagree with your opinion and here are my reasons why:

      Consider this scenario: Imagine a famous person being interviewed with both his friend and his wife present. The journalists decided to test who knows him better. The friend has known him for 3-4 years, while the wife has been by his side for over 6 years. In this case, I believe the wife might have a deeper understanding of him.

      Why? Because being in a close relationship, like marriage, creates a unique bond. Living together and sharing experiences for many years builds an intimate connection. This bond allows spouses to understand each other's likes and dislikes, even without explicit communication.

      However, it's important to recognize that understanding someone depends on the situation. While a spouse may excel in knowing personal preferences and intimate details, a friend might understand different aspects of a person, like their interests or hobbies.

      In conclusion, it's not about gender but about the depth of the relationship and the context of the situation. Both men and women can have valuable insights into each other's lives based on their closeness and understanding of the individual.

      1. I respectfully disagree with your statement. While the wife may have been with the famous person for a longer period of time, the depth of understanding and knowledge about someone is not solely determined by the length of the relationship. The friend who has known the person for 3-4 years may have a closer and more intimate bond with them, leading to a deeper understanding of their personality, thoughts, and feelings. It is possible that the friend may know the famous person on a different level than the wife, despite the difference in the length of their relationships.

      2. I agree with you because it depends on the scenario that is at hand and it depends on who is reporting what. There are instances that years women are better at reporting about women when it comes to issues that a woman is familiar with a woman will be in the best position to do that. But when it comes to other situations like in terms of research or medical diagnosis I think it depends on the expert on that field regardless of the gender.

        1. I agree because, In addition to what you said, if an organization is looking for a good hairdresser and the best they can find is a female if they choose a bad hairdresser their business would not grow well as they expected but if they pick the female they would excel in the business.
          It wouldn't be fair if women started doing that to men.
          Fairness means giving everyone what he deserves

    2. I am not sure because I believe that it is essential to give women the same opportunities as men in journalism. While women may have a better understanding of other women's perspectives, it's crucial to break gender stereotypes and promote equality. It's not fair to assume that men cannot report on women as effectively as women can, and it is only perpetuating gender inequalities. Journalism should be based on skills and merit, not on gender. Both genders should have equal opportunities to interview individuals of any gender. As charming artist mentioned, hitting a woman is cowardly, but there is no such phrase for men that is an example of stereotypes
      going on today. So, let's break the gender barriers and give women the opportunities they deserve. It's time to promote equality and create a fair, just, and inclusive society for all.

    3. I disagree because say a woman was talking about another woman or just women in general, some of their opinions and words may be extremely bias due to the fact they are a woman too. this too applies for men.

  • Hi
    I think I agree because women know more about themselves and men also know more about themselves than women about themselves so women should be allowed to report about themselves just like how men report about themselves freely because if a man is reporting about women,it will not be properly narrated like when women narrates about themselves. So I think women should be dependent and narrate about themselves without relying on men.
    Thanks.

    1. I disagree because thinking that men can't report about women like women can do will only promote gender stereotypes. In journalism, the gender of the reporter must not affect their skills. And according to me, thinking that women are better at reporting about women and men are better at reporting about men is a shared belief but not the truth. It is the society that forces us to think so and believe it.

      1. I agree with you, so what is the point of trying to be practice gender equality when in the process of supporting one another is neglected yes, a woman can report about a man beating her but can the same be done for a man that is why I hated a certain phrase that some women usually say "if you hit a woman you are a coward " but there is no such phrase like this for men, so I honestly felt bad not for hearing the phrase ,but being a man .It's hard work.

        1. Men can and should also report violence against them, no matter who did it. You've mentioned a serious but good example of social bias here. Can you think of an example of a social bias that might make it "hard work" to be a woman sometimes too?

          1. An instance I would like to give is when President Muhammadu Buhari declared “I don’t know exactly what party my wife belongs to. Actually, she belongs in the kitchen, the living room and the other rooms in my house.” such statements such as these are often an indication that women's rights in a given country have room for improvement. It also indicates that a woman's life can be hard to.

            1. Hello charming artist

              I agree to this that you have said. Many influential people have a roll to play in increasing the rate of bias towards women for example if a very influential person speaks badly of a woman in the public, the followers of that influential person may agree and decide to do what that person has done. Many women have been looked down on simply because they are seen as the weaker gender. I will like to say that even when some women are limited to only domestic work, they still do their best at that field. I will like to use this opportunity to say that women are very peculiar and that they are doing a very good job from bearing a baby for 9 months to going through pain to give birth to a child then taking care and showing love to that child. I will like to say well done to women in general and I feel they should be celebrated for all the effort that they have put.

              In conclusion I personally feel that celebrities and influential people have a very huge role to play in stopping women from being looked down on and discriminated. many celebrities have tried to stop women being biased an example is Viola Davis. "If a woman does the same job as a man, she should be paid the same amount of money. This is an example of a celebrity that used her fame and experience to try and exterminate gender bias.

              Thank You!!!

      2. As both men and women have strengths and weaknesses, I agree with you artistic_engineer. Each has something they are better at. However, since they have to look out for their safety and can row more freely than women, males would be far better at the task. However, males have greater freedom of movement than women, which allows them to simultaneously do more research and find more news.
        Regards.

      3. I agree, both genders can report about each other, all they need to do is their investigation on the matter and share their thoughts and ideas as a team, what I think reporting industries should do is to put both men and women together as reporters equally, this will show the world that both men and women can and do have a say concerning topics.
        Thank You for seeing my views.

      4. I agree with you artistic engineer because there are some cases where men understand women even better than their fellow women, this is because some men are trained in a special way by their parents while growing up and disclosed them to the important of speaking for women in the society. when they grow up with it, they will not leave it and will hold up to it. we keep seeing it from one aspect without looking at the fact men are different and i am pretty sure that some of male journalists still talk for women and also report about the achievements of women. So saying that women will report their fellow women more than men is another way of making the gender stereotypes worst.

      5. I have to disagree with you here artistic_engineer because saying that women are better at reporting about women and men are better at reporting about men is not a gender stereotype.
        This statement doesn’t mean that men cannot report about women it implies that people of the same gender would be able to understand themselves better because of their shared characteristics.
        Take menstrual pains for instance, a woman would understand what it’s like to go through such horrible cramps monthly more than a man ever could because the woman has experienced it before while the man hasn’t. “Experience is better than theoretical knowledge”. The same thing goes for child birth, miscarriage, hormonal changes, puberty etc. Women who have experienced these things can relate to others who have also, that’s why they can explain and describe the depth of emotions involved in these processes. This is also why when a girl is growing older and goes through puberty she seeks for her mother for council and guidance because her mother was once like her and knows best. Even in war men and women are treated differently so a man would be able to report be able to report about another man in this situation.
        Albeit, in situations were gender is not a factor, as far as the journalist/reporter has a grounded understanding of the situation they would be able to report well on that situation whether it involves men or women.

    2. Yes you are extremely right gentle_dragonfruit

    3. Hey gentle dragonfruit,
      I Couldn't agree with you more, I also think that no one can report about a woman better than a woman herself because even if men are able to witness her struggles they still do not now what its like deep down to experience her struggles, constrictions or the inequality she faces due to social biases. As said by American Author and motivational speaker Susie Clevenger, ''Nobody Can Tell Your Story The Way You Can Tell Your Story". No matter how much the people around you see the injustice about women, I feel it is only a woman that will be able to properly express what they are going through

    4. I totally agree with you and I would like to add that women can understand each other by physically, emotionally and mentally better than men reporter. Women would feel more comfortable to women reporter because of the similar gender also, women may feel safer and will be more close by sharing her experience and talks and women could become confident enough to raise her voice by looking and learning from the women reporters who are already confident and knowledgeable.

    5. I sort of disagree; a solid report should be evaluated on the veracity and reporter's confidence in the information presented, not on the basis of the reporter's gender.
      There are instances when a female reporter will support the interests of women whereas a male reporter will

      It occurs with masculine genders.
      Thus, gender isn't really relevant.

    6. I exceedingly agree with you gentle_dragronfruit, the reason being is that I love that you said that women know more about themselves, and men know more about themselves. There are so many phrases women say or actions women do that can be understood by other women and not other men. This is the same for men.
      I also agree about women reporting about women, and men reporting about men, this is because there are certain things that a women can do that only other women can relate to and understand the true reason for doing it, the same goes with the men. However, if a man was supposed to report on a woman, there might be some actions done by the woman that the man might not understand and might misinterpret the action. This leads to society looking at the woman in a strange way since the man reporting the news misdirected her actions and wrote the article in his perspective.

  • Good Day Everyone,
    I have replied with "I agree", as I believe that a women can understand exactly how another woman feels, as they both have the same hormones, similar thought process, and even physically, only a woman can experience what another woman is experiencing, for example, when women have periods, discomfort and pain, only another woman can feel the same way as her.
    In the same way, only a man can understand what another man is going through. Another example can be how I am a female and so, I don't know of the things only men go through and thus cannot write about it like I did above on women, which proves my point that is, Women report better on Women and Men report better on Men.
    Thank You!!!

    1. Yes, I think that women that are privileged should help the less privileged dis cover who they truly are and their true potential.

      1. How do you think women in privileged positions can help other women?

        1. Less privileged woman are at shunned by higher ranking individuals because ,in places like India where the caste system is practiced that is the poorer people are separated from the rich ones and they are referred to as outcasts ,whilst the richer people enjoy life in higher places .That is where more privileged women come in they can help the other women because their voices will be heard especially if it is a very high and privileged woman.

        2. I think that are in privileged position could help those who are not in privileged position by support spreading news educating about their problems using there knowledge to influence those that don't
          Thank You

        3. That's a thoughtful query. According to Eva @ topical talk, affluent women can assist or stand by less fortunate women by speaking up for their rights and standing up for them in public.
          EXCITED TO SEE CORRECTIONS
          Regards

        4. Women like Selam, Luba and the rest are some of the people in privilege who can help others to get their right, because of their hard work and capability, some of these experts where inspired to help the future generation some help those who can not speak, some investigate on the matters to help brig about change in the society. so inclusion women in privileged can help other women to improve gender inequality.

    2. I agree with you on this. Sometimes when a woman reports about a man, it sparks outrage in the subject. Men sometimes feel "How dare a woman put me down?" Such incidences can prove to be difficult for a woman. She could be blackmailed, face threats or other such things. However, if a man reports about something that a man did, he might not have to face the consequences that a woman may have to. Jobs such as an investigative reporter might be difficult for a woman more than a man because as Selam said she is sometimes denied access to places where her male colleagues could go to. Also, women know more about women through experiences and similarly, men know more about men. So I think men should report more about men and women more about women. This would help us keep balance and also reduce the chances of women being blackmailed or threatened.

  • This statement is in my opinion not right to claim. It implies inequality and is wrongly stated.
    Women can equally report news about both men and women appropriately and vice versa. It all the depends on the personality of each reporter and not the gender.
    We have seen that topica that were years before connected to only men and women now are expressed freely from both of them

  • I am somewhere in the middle. I do believe that all people are equal and both men and women can report the same the news.
    There are however some issues that by mature more sensitive to approach specific topics.
    For instance reporting news about cosmetics, pregnancies or gynecologist issues women can be more understandable. This does not mean that men can not have their say and vice versa.

  • I definitely agree with that, because women are more likely to share some of their experiences with other women, rather than with some men. That is probably because most women face incredibly similar problems, which men could not understand. For example, if a girl has been harassed in some way, she might feel more comfortable with telling what happened to another girl. Girls communicated a little differently than boys. Because of the gender inequality there are more dangers for women walking alone at night than for men. Also women are expected to act in a certain way.
    A female artist, Taylor Swift wrote a song called ,the man, in which she sings about how men are allowed to react, but women can only overreact. I think that a reason there isn't equality is that each time women try to say something, they are shut down.
    So of course that when such things are said about women they prefer to talk about the unfairness of it all together. They probably feel like men wouldn't understand. When journalists are investigating something like this, they need to get accepted by the group, so they could learn accurate information. If a man would try to approach some women who have had traumatic experiences, they would probably shut down. However, if a woman would try to do the same thing, she might succeed because women are more likely to support women and to accept each other. So indeed, until we reach gender equality, women will be better at talking with women and men will be better at talking to men.

  • I disagree with the statement that women are better at reporting about women and men are better at reporting about men because this statement states gender inequality. That shouldn’t be have in any work.
    Journalists should report unbiased and objective reports. Women reporters can report about man and man reporters can report about women. It should not differs from men to women. They have the potentiality to report on any topic regardless of their gender. Journalists undergo training, skill development and acquire knowledge in various sectors. They have the ability to investigate any news about any gender. Having reporters from different genders can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of complex issues. Agreeing with this statement means that we are agreeing social stereotypes about gender inequality.
    We all have to remember that all people are unique and there abilities should not be recognise by their gender.

    1. You make an interesting point that journalists should be allowed to write about any topic regardless of their gender. Can you think of any circumstances and/or topics when you might want a specific person to write and comment about an issue?

    2. The statement that women are better at reporting about women and men are better at reporting about men is one with which I disagree. While both sexes must comprehend the scope of the group they are reporting on, it's equally critical that they uphold their integrity when performing any given task. Sincerity demands that they respect both the individuals they are covering and the professional ethics of their jobs. In my opinion, journalists ought to report the news fairly in every instance. It is not uncommon to see women fighting against each other instead of putting on a united front since they sometimes lack empathy for one another and would prefer to be viewed as in charge.

  • I strongly agree that women are better at reporting about women and men are better at reporting about men because men know more about men and women know more than woman

    1. Can you think of a reason why someone might disagree with you, effervescent_recipe?

  • I agree because some men are sexist towards women and men might be sexiest back.Also men will probaly be rude

    1. Is it true that all men will "probably" be rude? Why must we be careful when making general comments like this?

      1. Because it is no good to make specific comments like that towards people because it does not sound friendly and some people might feel a kind of embarrassed and may pick it up as an offence. Let me narrow it down to the classroom, it may occur that the classroom is not swept and the c lass prefect will come to talk about it, he or she is not supposed to mention the person who had failed to sweep the class directly because they person might feel a kind of embarrassed and ashamed for being the cause of punishment to the class as a whole but he or she can make a general statement like " this class was not swept and we all are going to be punished without calling name. How about that Katie?

      2. Hello.
        In my opinion, it is certainly not true that all men in the world will "probably" be rude .I believe that we must be careful while making general comments like this because one should not make bad comments about someone without proof. Good thinking is one of the most human qualities. It brings social prosperity and maintains brotherhood among people. It also makes a person conscientious.
        On the other hand, making bad comments can never bring prosperity to the society.It creates quarrel, envy etc. in people's minds. As a result, people are affected in a bad way.

        A nation has both bad and good people. Some people behave badly. In this case, if a person thinks the entire nation as bad based on the behavior of that person, then it is not right. Because every person of that nation isn't bad. So, in the hub we have to comment based on evidence and content.
        Thanks.

  • I agree because men might be sexist towards women and women might be sexist towards men. Also men will probably know more about men and women will probably know more about women

    1. I'm curious as to what made you use the word "probably" in your last sentence, jazzed_world. Can you explain it more? It sounds like you've got some great ideas.

  • I agree with this statement as women are usually more open and honest with their feelings and can express themselves more clearly. They also feel more comfortable talking about more specific and sensitive subjects.
    Women (personally) are also feel more secure talking about personal things to known individuals than men.

    1. You used the word "usually" in your first sentence. What evidence do you have for this?

  • Hello everyone,
    I agree with this one because women should have the right to report about themselves because women can understand more about their gender than men do. As a women can feel the exact pain of a another women than a men could feel it.

  • i slightly agree because i think that it is more relatable if a person is speaking out about the same gender , and it comes out more popular to that gender, for example if a women speaks about women then there mite be more connection to the women viewers and if a man speaks about manly things then all the man who hears what he hears he mite relate.Overall i still think i am in the middle and that was me haring my point of view

    1. I agree because women right is being fought for all around the world. For this reason, women and men who fight for women's rights tend to be regarded as heroes and people who stand up for the weak. Women are trying to be equal with men in all aspects majorly in politics. Other issues are set aside because women are "fighting for their rights". We should not pay unnecessary attention to matters that do not affect everyone. My point here is not hat women should not fight for their rights rather, with time adjustments would be made to the system. Focusing on global issues that affect everyone is the most important thing. Based on the statistics presented, for every 1$ an average man makes, a woman makes 77 cents. The difference between these figures is not much. If we were to be honest with ourselves, we are not fighting for equality rather, women just want to be closer to the achievements have.
      Thank you and if you feel otherwise, let me know.

  • I agree with this statement because men know more about men and women know more about women so that is why i agree.

  • In my considered opinion, I disagree with this statement. First and foremost, being a reporter has nothing to do with a person's gender and a professionally competent reporter should have integrity, ethics, moral courage and above all passion for bringing out truth. Both men and women can be equally competent or incompetent. So it's more about reporting qualities than gender.

  • I completely agree with that statement for numerous reasons, the main reason being that people of the same gender will be able to relate more with each-other, especially if a girl and boy have been separated from each-other they just won't understand as well as if a boy and boy were making a statement about each-other and a girl and girl were making a statement about each-other.

  • Dear Selam Gebrekidan,
    I'm in the middle with the statement "Women are better at reporting about women and men are better at reporting about men" because women know 1,000,000 more things about women than men do and men know 1,000,000 more things about men than women do. But then men can interview a woman and then report about women and then a woman can do the same with a man.

    1. Can you share the evidence for these numbers, cherished_physics? Why might using numbers in a discussion about the news cause problems if they aren't accurate?

  • It is my belief that, women are better at reporting about women buisness because they could relate way more and have more experience than men talking about women without any experience .It's the same for men.They would most likely be way better because once again the men are able to relate,understand, and have more experience about the topics of men buisness more so if a women did a report about it ,so I would complety agree with this topic for this week.

  • My personal opinion is women could speak better about women and men could speak better about men because that's their own gender most people with that certain gender knows better about others with that gender. Even though some girls grew up with plenty of brothers or a boy who grew up with plenty of sisters they may not know what they think they know. I support both opinions but I strongly agree with men speaking better about men and women speaking better about women.

  • I agree with the statement because if men report about women, then they might say something that isn't true about women. Same thing with women reporting about men. Technically, if men report about men, then they know a little bit more than women because they're the same gender. Again, the same goes with women reporting about women.

  • I think I would be around the middle because if you think about it some men are more heartfelt about women's opione and women think that what was done with women's responsibility is right because everybody has their own opinion and I think every women and every man can concern this amazing topic.Moreover some men want to portray being a women in your gender division so they may know how it feels to be mabey a women. Sadly women are being looked at as pitiful in the field of sports. think women and men can have a different perception of being their certified gender.

  • I disagreed with the statement. This is because your gender doesn't and shouldn't depict what you are best at reporting.

    Many people are saying that they can relate to the incidents when they are reporting, but a reporter's job isn't to have an opinion on a topic it is to say what is going on and the truth. So if you can relate to an incident or event then maybe you shouldn't be the one reporting as it could lead to bias in the article or report. This idea of having no shared opinion or bias in an article is crucial.

    A reporter's talent shouldn't be based on their gender and the gender of the person in the report, but their capability to perform the job. So in conclusion, the best reporter should be put on an article, not the one who is necessarily the same gender.

  • In my opinion woman are better at reporting woman and men are better at reporting men. I said that women are better at reporting women and men are better at reporting my men it's only a woman that can relate with a woman a man can't relate that much with a woman what I mean is that the similarities of women are the same while the similarities ofa men and women and not the same, even during period/pregnancy it's only a woman that's on the understand what another woman is feeling a man can't understand because he has never went through that so I think it is better for a woman to report a woman and for a man to report a man it's also like this a woman can't understand a man pain and a woman can't relate with a man but a man can understand another man's pain and relate with him perfectly than when a woman is relating with him.
    Thank you

  • I disagree with the statement that women should report for themselves. Reporting should be done by a representative who analyzes the data properly and gives the correct news. But segregating men and women in journalism will just increase the number of biased opinions.

  • I believe that this idea is supported to the belief that they may have different perspectives and experiences. So people feel.more comfortable talking with people who are like them.
    However I think that women can report the news the same as men and in some topics they can gave deeper understanding because of the challenges they face as women.
    They are falsely considered for me that they can talk only about more feminine topics such as maternal issues.
    They can provide unique contributions to the way they report the news!

  • I disagree with this belief and in my perspective, it is very discriminative and it also comes as an ensurment that equality has still a long way till it is utterly eliminated. Journalists despite their gender, should judged about their capabilities on the specify job and their future prospects. Racial discriminations between the female and the male gender doesn't have to define our value and our knowledges on the profession we occupy with. Journalists should be able to report about both women and men despite the gender they were born to be. This is a great start for inequality in the context of journalism to be eliminated solemnly.

  • This topic is a bit controversial, It can’t be all right or all wrong. If you choose that women are better at journalism, it’s neither wrong, nor correct. A person can be said better at a particular work by its skills and experiences, if you say that women are better at journalism, expressing emotion etc then it’s a stereotype for men. This stereotype’s impact as same as women has when people say women can’t serve in armies. Many topical talkers are saying that women are sensitive, has emotions so they can be a better journalist but it’s not true, every human being has same type of happiness, grief, guilt etc, ones feelings aren’t dependent on their gender. It’s just a stereotype that a man can’t be a better journalist. This type of thinking is just another example of gender inequality.

    1. Do you think that women are better at reporting about women?

      1. In my opinion, it doesn’t depend on gender. You asked that are women better at reporting about women. According to me, it depends upon one’s reporting skills and experience. Sometimes, it may be true that women are better at reporting about women, for example if there is a case which needs sense of complex emotions and better interacting skills with women. Women can be beneficial in empathizing with the victim and getting deep into the topic and let people understand the situation in a better way.

  • I agree that women are better than men at journalism why ? because when a man tells about a news or a story about a woman they cannot describe the story well or better and already society believes more on how men work so the society gets persuaded very quickly and easily and on the other hand if women report on a woman 's story so that woman journalist knows how to narrate the story in an order what to tell what to not tell let's take an example kerela story recently made by sudipto sen a male after making the film I heard alot of news that the story was fake that the story was a prevarication I think this story was narrated in a wrong order or a way. Basically women are more coherent or clear in telling a story because they are more emotional than men so women journalists can understand another woman's feelings, women are more likely shown a housewife useless in a society, and this topic can be told by a women journalist because she can narrate a story by giving a good example of gender inequality they can play a crucial role in the the gender discrimination. Many great female news reporters are Amber Lyon, yamiche Alcindor, Hu Shuli etc.

    Thank you

  • Good day to all ,
    Alot of people have their different point of views and some might agree , and some might disagree with their own considered opinions , but in my perspective, I agree with the question but not fully , it is because it is about the skills of the reporter he/she has. The gender stereotype should not be considered as the reason . But , women can be better at reporting about women in some circumstances, and same goes with men. So , at last -a reporter should not be judged on gender , he/she should be judged with skills and ethics .
    Thank You !

  • I agree that women's are better at reporting about women because the inequality or the justice which are done with women can also be understood by women. Men can also report but the wat that women's will report will be really different from men's. If there's a story of women then men will not say in that way how a women can say. And men's narrate the story of their own in their way and women's narrate in their own way.

    1. How do you think the inequality or justice understood by women impacts their reporting?

      1. The inequality or justice to women can understood only by women , it will impact their reporting because they will telecaste it with their own perspective, priorities, understand the matter and choose to highlight it. Women's understand the pain or happiness of that people and they telecaste it . One women understand the pain of other. Women's will be better about telecasting about women. They are experienced and say that things which may hesitate to say.

        1. Hi confident_apple, can you explain your last sentence please? What do you mean about things that some are hesitant to say?

          1. Sorry actually there was an error i wanted to write which men may hesitate to say that is the injustice done to women not all the men will telecaste it some people hide it but women's know that, that thing is wrong so they will definitely telecaste it. Anything which is wrong men will hide it but women's will telecaste it if it is about the injustice done to women.

  • I totally agree because I think-
    Women- They are better suited in reporting an occurrence that happened with another woman because they have the same hormones, pain, thinking, etc. I mean that they can emphasize better with other women than men. They feel safe in admitting their fears/problems. Same goes for men. If you ask me to write something about a woman I would not be able to do it because I am a male and I might not know about them. On the other hand, if you asked me to write something about men I would totally ace it! Let me show you a real life example-
    This topic that we have on the hub, about women was easy for girls in our class as they could easily express their thoughts, but for some of us, like my friend it was difficult. He asked me what to do as he could not even understand the topic nicely! This is the proof!
    Now the second question, What would Selam's reaction be?
    I think her reaction would be " I agree" because she could easily report an incident that occurred with another woman because they have the same experience on things.
    Thank You!

  • Yes I think that women are better at reporting women content than men. Because they are also female so they can understand a women more than men. For example a mother can understand her daughter more than her father . Where as men understand men more than women.

    1. Hello digital_lake!
      I agree with this point because you truly can not understand others unless you have experienced it yourself through the ups and downs. So if I was going to report on a school girls life I could feel comardarty with said girl since our lives would be simular where as if a boy did so they would have not felt simialritys at all to this girl.
      Thank you.

  • Good afternoon!
    After discussing with my partner, we weren't feeling represented with that quote, because we thought a women could easily report better a women's about new, as well as men because each gender could base on their personal experience, so they maybe could empathise more with their gender.
    What do you think?

  • I agree with the statement that women can report on women better and men can report on men better. Women are most often more sympathic than men. They can freely discuss and confide in each other. I see women striking conversation easily in waiting rooms.
    Women that have experience similar challenges can emphasise with other when making reports and the women can be allowed into the deepest parts of other women's homes.
    Men cannot reach deeply and communicate with the women on that level. Some women may feel shy and uncomfortable. A victim of abuse mostly perpetrated by a man will not easily confide in a man but can confide in a woman.

  • I agree that women are better reporters than men with my following points:
    1.Women reporters can get women to talk more about women's problems. They won't feel shy discussing intimate problems unlike with male reporters.
    2.Women reporters can empathize more with the women as they may have experienced similar situations like them such as harassment or bias.
    3. Women reporters do share similar interests with women that's why alot health and family cooking magazine are written by women for women audience
    On the other hand men share interests with other men in fields of sports, competitions and can get angry when another man wins a certain game or will watching football when the team wins they get over excited while when they lose their get seriously angry.
    In conclusion women reporters are much more better than men reporters.

  • Even if I am a total supporter of equality I think that sometimes men can comprehend better some ideas or meanings by men and the same the women. For instance a woman could feel more comfortable talking about gynecologist issues with a woman than by a man. This does not mean that this is not equality. It is just that they are feeling more secure with someone that experiences the same .

  • Hello topical talkers!
    In my opinion I believe women are better at reporting about other women then men. I believe this because men normally dumb down womens problems to try go for big jobs about men even though these stories hold important information. I feel that women would have more empathy towords said women as they have had these experiences and want these stories to be told to society to make changes for women. So in conclution I believe women are better reporting on women then men.
    Thank you.

  • Hi everyone,
    I'm going with the option true; I chose this option because the statement is correct. Women and men have different perspectives in life, the way a woman goes through life cannot be imagined by a man and vice versa. I want to apply that theory to the reporting job. Journalists of same gender will feel free to open up to their fellow gender, but when handling opposite gender might feel nervous or feel that the person doesn't understand their situations. I think that the cause of this, is the feeling that your same gender understands you more.
    Another reason women are better at reporting women cases and men are better at men cases is identity. Men and women love to associate with their same gender because... It makes them feel connected to each other and it helps them to clarify their thinking. When trying to collect information from your same gender they can even help you to understand the investigation even more because the know your identity through your gender.
    Selam's opinion might actually be true because she already has experience of this kind of reporting issues. From the video we see that she has had some difficulties when collecting news from male, but reverse is the case when it comes to female. I think that everyone should be open to the people you meet irrespective of gender because... you may never know if they could help you.

    THANKYOU.

  • I think women are better at reporting women and men are better at reporting men because women try to solve the issue of stereotypes cause women are said to be more serious and attentive then men women can relates with women more better than how a man can relate with a women I said so because women can feel the way a women is treated as in how people are just saying women don't have right to education which is very wrong everyone has the right to education be it a man or a woman they all have rights. And if a woman is not treated equally as the other gender that would be gender bias. Women are more likely to be understood in news than how men are understood.

  • I agree because as a woman, you know yourself more than men do and understand your fellow women more than men do, so you can give news or report your fellow woman. And so I agree with option A

    1. Hello, unbiased _planet,
      I agree with you because, as a woman, you will be able to understand what other women are going through more than men because you are of the same gender so there is a high chance that the other woman would have experienced something like that before. For example, a female journalist goes to investigate on case that involves another woman trying to save her life, a female journalist may be able to relate with her more about that because they are of the same gender. According to https://mediacareerng.org/2021/11/04/some-things-women-journalists-can-do-together/, some things that female journalists can do together are: Empower others, change minds, make history and break down barriers. These things can change the world positively because when women help to explain more things to the world, it will be a better place because the women are able to understand each other, with this the world will be able to understand each other better because each gender is backing each other.
      In conclusion, I say that the world needs to know that women are able to understand each other and that man are also able to understand each other more. I am not saying that it is bias but I think that female journalists can understand each other more than men being able to understand women because each of them can easily relate and this will cause the word to be better.
      THANK YOU.

      1. You made a good comment but here is a question that I would like you to answer. Do you think it is only women who can empower other women or change their minds positively?

  • To be honest I disagree with what Selam Gedrekidam said because since men talk about their gender and women talk about their gender as well we can't really say that women are better reporting things about women than men are better at reporting things about men. In some ways saying that can also be a bit sexist because we don't actually know if it is true. It could just be one big opinion that Selam Gebrekidam is thinking about.

  • It is true that some people believe that men should report about men and women should report about women. I definitely disagree with that because I usually watch the news and I think that is better when men report about women and women report about men. I think that because two different genders meet each other and they learn the way that each gender lives. So we can say the same about reporting the news. With reporting news about the opposite gender they experience and learn more about them

  • I think that I agree because women need to say news or do interviews with women and men make interviews with men because men understand each other more than women understand men also women understand each other more than men understand women. In addition, women can discuss with each other informally or without thinking that they need to be formal and men will discuss and create more discussions they feel near each other. There's no problem when a woman makes an interview with a man or the opposite but it's better when they are the same gender.

    1. That's an interesting point beloved_dolphin Do you think when men and women discuss things together it might help make society a more understanding place/space overall?

    2. i agree because i have sawn my self woman getting treated differently and unfairly and it would be amazing if woman and men could be treated equaly.

  • Social bias a false belief that something in true based on assumption rather than facts.for example, that women are better at looking after children than men, or than men are better leaders than women.
    Male domination harassment not seen as an equal nations that fail women fail

  • In my opinion, women are better at investigating and reporting on both men and women because they have the freedom to investigate discreetly, whether it's from women or men. People are less likely to suspect them because they are women, making it easier for them to accomplish their mission compared to men. That's why women often figure out information faster than men.

    1. I'm not sure about this. Please can you explain your comment about people suspecting women less?

    2. I actually I am not sure about this! I think that women because of their maternal nature are better not only on reporting but also on getting in touch with many people that they want to get the information.
      They are more patient and they can find alternative solutions simultaneously. These assets makes them very strong persons. Let's not forget what they have achieved until today and the way they progress for their rights.

  • i think it is unfair for women because some get discriminated and that is wrong they should be able to do anything and get the same reward as men

  • In my opinion, I would agree with polite_king as they would more likely relate more to an experience of the same gender. If a man was reporting something amazing a woman did they wouldn't be able to write something as good as a female because he can't relate to their experience like a woman would. I think women should stick to more documenting about other women and the same goes for men. They are better suited for reporting their own gender so they could add relatable content for people reading or watching.

  • in my opinion, choice A is the best for me, us women don't get enough screen-time, i do understand that there is not a national men's day but honestly i don't think there should be. Men get noticed enough. i just think the national women's day will help us women and girls feel special and needed again.

  • Yes, women are good at reporting about women and men are good at reporting about men, I do agree with this statement, but! In different cases, people differ in different situation and at different time. It doesn’t matter about the gender; it matters about the comprehension and how he/she understands the information when he/she collets and gather facts and make researches on the report or issue. Sometime, it depends whether the reporter gets the information or not. Some people just want to get money so they do not care to all the root cause of the issue. It can be possible that women gets to understand the report of a male, as good as the male, it can possible that a male understands the report or issue of that of the female and a female does not report the new as good as the male, you know, people are different in many ways, people’s comprehension on particular topic can be very different from other’s view point. We have different perspective, that what make us so unique. So, in conclusion, it does not matter about the gender, it matter about the apprehension.

  • I think that women are better at reporting about women than men and men better than women in their case. Women can relate to different experiences that they may have seen or been through whilst it would be harder for men to, but also women will find it harder to know the experiences of men. However it does depend on the person as well, because for example a women can write about a experience that has happened to a man and may know a lot depending on the relationship between them, vice versa.

  • HELLO!
    I agree that women are better at reporting on women and men are better at reporting on men because, maybe the woman has experienced something that happened to another woman so the female reporter will be able to understand what is happening more than the male reporter.
    THANK YOU!

    1. Why do you think women experiencing different things helps them to be better at reporting?

  • I disagree with the statement above, because as Salem rightly pointed out,it's a journalists' personal opinion on the world, their skills and experiences that shape their reporting and decide what they bring to the table regardless of their gender. It is commonly accepted by the society that women are more empathetic and understanding than men which does not do justice to those men who understand the situations and adversities that women face. The notion reflects that the barrier of gender stereotypes is too high for us to break now and that, no matter how hard we try, men and women would always be on unequal terms despite their individual capabilities. Which is why if opposite genders report about each other they'll not influence the perspective of society and transform it into one based on equality but being urgency to the situation of their counterparts.

    1. I agree with you. It is true that a journalist's personal opinion and other things shape how the news is reported. For me apart from discussing backgrounds, abilities, and personalities, the level of risk-taking that a woman or male journalist is willing to do, is in my opinion, another factor to take into account. I think there is always a risk involved, even with all the news that journalists offer to the public. Journalism needs risk-takers in order to produce accurate and impartial news. In an unwelcoming setting with women who are at risk, a female journalist may find herself unable to disclose the problems these women are facing if she is not willing to take risks.

      1. The point that you've made is truly valid. We can not force a woman to go to a war zone to report about the lives of the women there, if she doesn't feel safe, and that's where the male reporters should take it upon themselves to do the job with just as much understanding and gentleness as a woman would. In some cases, even if the female reporter is willing to take risks her superiors may not allow her and question her competency. It is generally not considered normal for women correspondents to report from the front line due to the risks involved. However there have been several female war correspondents in the history like Martha Gellhorn, who covered the pivotal moments of World War II, The Vietnam War and the Arab-Israeli Wars. What we need is for the society to be more accepting and respectful to the opinion of journalists regardless of their gender.

  • I believe that, generally speaking, women are better at reporting women than men, and vice versa. Women understand what other women think and feel, while men also understand what other men think and feel. 
    This is the general consensus. But there are some exceptions, the most notable of which is that of a husband and wife. Both of them understand each other intimately. It may also depend on the person's status, beliefs, ethnicity, religion, and even sociopolitical status, alignment, and understanding. Different people can understand specific groups better than others.
    So, in short, I believe that, generally speaking, women are better at reporting women than men, and vice versa. In some rare cases, it may be family members who understand a specific individual. In even rarer cases, it might depend on who you are asking.

  • I strongly agree...women better to talk about women and men better to talk about men because they know themselves and they have to mind their own business.
    As people might feel more understood by someone who may share similar experiences and feelings.

    1. I'm not sure about this because... Sometimes there might be an issue that needs the attention of an expert and probably that expert is not from the same gender. Using an opposite gender that is not specialized can lead to not accomplishing the solution to the problem. For example look at our teachers years we have more female teachers and sometimes there are the male teachers so if we see we will only divide the children and the male should teach the male children and the female should teach the female children it will definitely affect the teaching profession and the learning progress of the children.
      In my opinion everyone that is best suited to do a certain tasks irrespective of his or her gender should be given the chance to do so.

  • I don't believe the gender of the reporter should necessarily affect the quality of the report whether the report focuses on any of the two genders. Even though many might think that women understand the issues of women more than men or vice-versa, I believe that this will just create more stereotypes. There have been so many instances where men have reported articles about women in a very presentable and unbiased way. I also think that if both the genders will report about the opposite gender it will help them know more about that gender and establish gender equality on a greater level.

  • I believe that woman are better than men at reporting because they have a more natural tone and act in the case of stress or worry, this is a important feature as it can prove ones natural features or actions. It would also be far easier to give an opinion or solution because it would be far easier to have a normal tone. Although, when a man is in a stressful or worrying position, they very commonly have a different voice or visible feature, such as darker eye-bags.

  • hey!
    in my experiences it is valid that women are more suited to report on women and vice versa with men. I'm not saying they shouldn't, i just feel as though they are better suited for their own gender because they know more about how they work like women don't really understand men and men definitely don't understand women, so yes, i believe that it is more beneficial to report on ones own gender so that no misinformation or misrepresentation is given.

    1. Interesting point. If people only report or engage with people of the same gender, how do you think that would impact the fight for gender equality?

      1. I never said not engaging, I said reporting because of the anatomy difference. Frankly I fully support engaging and in some ways, believe gender equality is honestly stupid. Now I'm not saying in all cases, like yes women deserve equal pay and equal opportunity based on their abilities and skills they have used to get this far. Though in total reality some men I'm not gonna say all but some men take advantage of this by slacking yet in some cases women take advantage of this too. a crime a woman does can get less time for a man even if they do the same crime. that's not equal but when someone hears the words gender equality they first think of feminism though there are some cases where men are treated terribly too. In conclusion both genders take advantage to not only slander the other gender and full out do wrong things knowing either they would get away with it or they would get a lighter sentence. So in all honesty the fight for gender equality is impacted by what people bring to light and it wouldn't matter if a man reported on a man for the exact reason of anatomy and women better report on women.

  • I agree with the statement "Women are better at reporting about women and men are better at reporting about men.” I said this because when I watched Selam Gebrekidan's video she made a point about how her male co-workers could care less about the woman having to escape to Europe. Another reason to why I agree with this statement is because men and women have different experiences throughout their life and I feel that if the reporter is the opposite gender of the person being reported on the reported person might feel uncomfortable or the reporter might not feel any empathy on how the reported person feels about a certain conflict.

  • I think that, in general, members of the same sex have a mutual understanding that does not exist with the opposite sex.This means that in some topics it is better to have women reporting about women and men reporting about men. However, when it comes to fields that require specialists, it is better to have the expert reporting regardless of gender.

  • I think all genders are brilliant at reporting on all genders so why should we report on only one since we are all able to relate to others?

    1. It is true that the quality of the reporting has absolutely nothing to do with gender, but wouldn’t you feel more comfortable if someone of the same sex as you was interviewing you or writing about you? You would certainly speak or present things differently which will affect what the reporter writes or says. The fact alone says a lot about who should write about whom.

  • I disagree because I think no journalist should be specialised on one or the other gender because I think that every news report should be written by two people: one man and one woman because that would be perfect to see both points of view of the same topic, so society can find a middle point between both and we will have a most accurate version of the topic.

    1. You have a point allowing_piano, but the truth is that people react differently to people of different genders and there will almost always be a slight difference in treatment. Most people don’t do so deliberately, or even consciously, but even the fiercest supporters of gender equality will treat the members of the opposite sex differently from the members of the same sex as them, if only because they grew up in a world where gender inequality exists. I say this because I have seen it, in myself and others. These differences in treatment can be as simple as feeling uncomfortable speaking to the opposite sex, or as huge as openly discriminating against a member of a specific sex. This is what I think and believe, and I hope you understand why point of view is what it is. Thank you.

  • Somewhere, I support that, "Women are better at reporting about women and men are better at reporting about men." In some cases, women feel free, safe and understandable telling another women the problems she has faced. And, so women may recognize an issue of a women more diligently than a man. Similarly, for legal issues, men may prefer a male lawyer for his case.
    But, now days, in many areas, people's this mindset in changing. Except some, many people agree with gender equality. Even, they have to do nothing with the gender of the reporter, the task it to understand the problem of the person and report.
    Altogether, some people don't judge the reporter or the experience, knowledge and skills of the reporter on the basis of gender, which makes me believe that gender equality really exists. Women are better at reporting about women and men are better at reporting about men, is not completely wrong and it's in not something unbelievable in many countries, with many people, it just contradicts to the thought of gender equality, and simply creates social biasness.

  • During a recent class discussion, we debated the idea that women know women, and men know men. While most of my classmates' agreed with this statement, I expressed a different opinion. While it's true that women may have a better understanding of each other, we should also acknowledge that every individual is unique and not just defined by their gender. The same applies to men. I respect my classmates' opinions, but I wanted to share my perspective!

  • I agree that women are better at speaking about women and men are better at speaking men. This is because women know more about women and their personality and why they did what and men will have the same impact. It is about knowing that you can understand women more then men when you are a women. If you know you do know more about men then women and you are a man, then that is great news to me. It is good if you can understand more about your own gender

  • I chose agree as women know more about other women because they have the same gender and this is the same for men. I feel like it should be in the middle because sometimes women could be better at reporting men and men could be better at reporting women however I am more on the side with agree. This is because they have the same gender and easily could tell a whole report on them. Also, women should be allowed to report about themselves and men should too. Furthermore, women and men could do whatever they want so whatever suits that women or man they do it, if they want to do a report on women then they can or if they want to do one on men then they can. It is their own choice.

  • In my Opinion, Men are better at reporting Men and the same for women since they obviously know what they're talking about since that's their gender. Also if someone was to talk about their opposite gender there is a possible chance it can start something controversial especially if the person reporting is the opposite gender. People reporting their own gender is a lot more safe option.

  • I disagree! I believe it wrong to classify reporting standards on the basis of Gender. Several men of the 21st century are more sympathetic towards women's right, than several women themselves.
    The most important criterion of any reporting is the "Ethos, Pathos, Logos" Persuasion Techniques. And I consider the skill of reporting to be one centred around providing the necessary information.
    While it can be argued that women would be able to understand the sentiment of women better, I think that emotions, which are largely hormone generated, which are in turn, genetically regulated, cannot be segregated or grouped on the basis of Gender.
    Humans with the same Gene Sequence will feel equally deeply, regardless of the gender.
    And reporting involves exactly that - the ability to feel deeply, which cannot be regulated by Gender, as largely as it can be by the uncanny similarities expressed in the form of coincidences or common choices, amongst people.

  • i feel like a woman should report for a woman and a man for a man since a man can understand a other man and a woman can understand a other woman. I feel like this could end a lot of fusion with men reporting for females or females for men

  • I think women should report about women and men should report about men because if women reported about men they would not be fair about it and the same for men.

  • In my opinion, I think women can better report on incidents involving men because they have less expirence this gives them the opportunity to know more about men incidents and give their opinions on the matter making the news also intersting and the vice versa.

  • I agree!! Men will be better suited to report about men and a women will be better suited to report about women because:-
    1) They both know about themselves better than the opposite sex and therefore this will make their task more easier.
    2) In many scenarios journalists have to hear personal accounts of people and men will be more open to share it to a man instead of a woman and same goes for women too.
    3) Just as Selam told that sometimes women can be mistreated or their lives can be at stake more often while they deal with men and therefore for their own safety it will be better if they allow men to deal with men.