In a world where media shapes perceptions and influences public discourse, ensuring equal representation of genders is not just a matter of fairness — it’s essential for creating an informed and balanced view of society.

The Ringier EqualVoice initiative stands at the forefront of this endeavour, striving to enhance the visibility of women in media coverage and thereby promote gender equality.

At the heart of the EqualVoice initiative lies the EqualVoice Factor, a sophisticated algorithm developed in-house by Ringier, one of Switzerland’s largest international media companies.

This tool is specifically designed to measure the representation of women and men across various media formats — including text, images, and now, videos. The introduction of the EqualVoice Video Score marks a significant advancement in our approach to media analysis, allowing us to extend our evaluation to the dynamic and influential realm of video content.

A key success factor for EqualVoice is that each publication is encouraged to set its own objectives, tailored to its specific context.

Bridging the gap with the EqualVoice Video Score

The Global Media Monitoring Project 2020 revealed a stark underrepresentation of women in media, with less than 30% of news Web sites and tweets featuring stories about women.

To address this disparity, Ringier has expanded its measurement capabilities to include the EqualVoice Video Score. This innovative feature not only counts the faces of men and women but also measures the duration of their presence in video content.

Our inaugural assessment with the Video Score at the Blick newsroom demonstrated promising results — a nearly balanced representation of women and men at 43.4%. This initial success is a testament to the potential of the EqualVoice initiative to transform media practices and content.

However, our journey doesn’t stop here. Continuous development and refinement of our tools are crucial as we aim to better understand and mitigate the gender biases that often permeate media content.

Impact on media professionals

Implementing the EqualVoice Factor and the Video Score has altered the way our content is created and the mindset of those who create it. By making gender visibility measurable, Ringier is helping journalists and content creators become acutely aware of gender stereotypes and unconscious biases that may have subconsciously influenced their work.

This awareness is vital as it drives the integration of gender equity principles into daily media practices, ensuring that our content more accurately reflects the diversity of our audience.

Ensuring diversity reflects reality

As media consumption continues to evolve, so too must our methods for ensuring fair representation. Ringier’s EqualVoice initiative is leading the charge by adapting its tools to modern media usage, particularly in analysing video content. The EqualVoice Video Score automatically evaluates each article that features video, promoting a richer and more diverse portrayal of society in our newsrooms.

By championing technological innovations like the EqualVoice Factor and the Video Score, Ringier is not only advancing gender equality in media coverage but is also setting a benchmark for others in the industry to follow. It’s a commitment to making sure that women and men are given an equal voice, thereby enriching our collective understanding of the world.

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