The media is duty-bound to report on available data, facts, and statistics on sexual and reproductive health to advance it. This is according to Voices for Choices and Rights Coalition co-founder, Ndilokelwa Nthengwe, who was speaking at a reproductive justice sensitisation workshop on Wednesday. Nthengwe also emphasised that journalists should ensure that there is a considerable amount of objectivity in such reporting. “The media has the responsibility to report to the public on information which is most important, but also zooming in on human rights and gender equality and making sure that it is language inclusive because these sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) concepts continue to be spoken about, but not many people internalise them based on their own biases,” she said. Nthengwe highlighted the need for a reform of newsroom policies to hold journalists and media houses accountable. “There is withholding of information or inaccuracy in information provided. We are looking at all of those many facets in which we can consider a comprehensive and gender-affirming way of reporting that is inclusive, policies to hold newsroom editors accountable and to ensure that journalists are not gagged because they have a story to report on,” she said. She added: “We have to find creative ways in which we can introduce different templates of theories and concepts that are digestible at incremental stages. Forming and co-creating the gender equality dispensation is influenced by one of the biggest stakeholders which are media who influence public opinion that later on upholds everyone’s human rights.” Nthengwe also stated that newsrooms should consider interventions of SRHR sensitisation for journalists willing to report on gender and women’s health, adding that media practitioners have a responsibility to evaluate how current systems are working, statistics on adolescent girls, young women, and gender diverse persons who have been able to obtain safe abortions under the current laws, amongst others. On her part, health and human rights activist, Michaela Clayton said once a law on abortion is reformed, it is important to have such information shared with all stakeholders. “The law reform on its own does not solve all problems. We need to communicate the new criteria for legal abortion to the public, medical professionals, legal professionals and law enforcement professionals,” she said.