Closing The Gender gap in who makes the News through Natural Language Processing (NLP).
Thokozani Msezane , Bayanda Kutshwa
Partner: quote
Year: 2024
Abstract:
The real-world question that this project aims to answer is whether the voices of Woman along with members of the LGBTIAQ+ community and people living with disabilities are heard enough in South African media. The hypothesis is that Men are quoted more regardless of the topic being discussed in media. This is an interesting problem because domain experts such as Quote This Woman + (QTW+), a non-profit organization (NPO), identified and provided proof to this problem to existing media houses such as Sunday Times. QTW+ proceeded to contact several South African media houses with a list of potential people that they could consider interviewing to diversify the voices represented in media. The success of this project is important because having an accurate representation of society in media provides a complete picture of society. A closer reflection of the diverse groups in the communities we live in, especially during times like national and municipal elections, has the potential of ensuring that the needs of all groups are heard and met. Harmful stereotypes can be combated when a broader range of experiences and perspectives are highlighted. In the age of ‘fake news’ it is also important for media houses to build trust and having diversity in the news reported will build audience trust in the representation of society that is found in the news.