Introduction
It is indeed true that the media can play both constructive and destructive roles in patriarchy. It is possible for media channels to reproduce patriarchy in various ways. For instance, skewed reporting of gender issues affecting women can negatively contribute towards a patriarchal mentality among men and women. A case in point is the issue of abortion.
While men are directly responsible for all pregnancies, the media often fail to highlight the contribution of men when abortion takes place. The high rate of abortion today is blamed on women owing to the propagated messages by the media. Gender-related stories reported by the media should not favor men at all because when societal morals deteriorate, the male gender should be equally held responsible.
The Main Theme
The modern media coverage is presumably dominated by a patriarchal mindset especially when male offenders who abuse females are portrayed as successful individuals who cannot be deterred by circumstances surrounding them.
Second, the media can reproduce patriarchy when it employs more men than women in the industry. While women can perform even better than men when employed as news anchors, editors, field reporters and producers, the media might find itself embracing men in these roles and ignoring females during the hiring process.
On the other hand, the media still has the opportunity to challenge a patriarchal mentality through unbiased reporting of gender-related matters and employing more females as members of staff. In addition, developing gender-sensitive programs that favor or agitate for basic rights of the female gender can definitely challenge patriarchy. The media should take the center stage in voicing the concerns of female gender when it comes to issues such as gender fairness, voting rights, marriage, divorce and separation.