SECTOR 2 2.7 All media fairly reflect the voices of both women and men. The degree of gender diversity in the media is a reflection of the state of gender equality – or inequality - in Malagasy society generally. More men than women are interviewed and quoted in the media because in most cases, leading positions in institutions, ministries or agencies are held by men. The outcome of this imbalance is that women’s voices are less present in the media though this is not a voluntary or deliberate decision on the part of journalists. The panel noted that media content is not discriminatory per se when it comes to gender. Neither the newspapers nor the journalists aim to favour men on the one side or women on the other. Most newspapers convey stereotypical concepts regarding women, though, and content aimed at women readers is largely confined to articles on beauty and fashion. The same goes for the daily Jejoo, the only paper dedicated to a female readership. Boasting a print run of about 25,000 copies each day, a fairly substantial figure in Madagascar, the paper also focuses on “women’s issues”: beauty, fashion, cooking, etc. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator. 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 3.3 (2006 = n/a; 2008 = n/a) 2.8 All media fairly reflect the voices of society in its ethnic, linguistic, religious, political and social diversity. While some noticeable efforts are being made by journalists and media outlets to reflect diverse opinions, there does not seem to be any purposeful intention on the part of the media to promote such diversity. Radio and television news reports do not really reflect the ethnic diversity of Malagsy society and different dialects are not given enough space. This applies to both the private and public media. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MADAGASCAR 2010 93