PANAJI
Ahead of the International Purple Fest next month, a national workshop on inclusive and intersectional disability reporting was held to guide journalists and media professionals on fair and respectful portrayals of persons with disabilities.
The workshop, titled Spotlight ” organised by Rising Flame with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Government of India), the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Goa, the UN in India, and UN Women ” brought together around 50 journalists, editors and communication professionals. They discussed how disability is shown in the media and how language and framing can shape public attitudes.
“Too often, the media shows people with disabilities either as heroes or as objects of pity. We need to move past this. It is important to amplify disabled voices and tell nuanced, human-centred stories. Since media strongly influences public understanding and policy, journalists can make sure disability is covered with accuracy, dignity and a rights-based approach,” said Nidhi Goyal, founder and executive director of Rising Flame, at the workshop held in New Delhi on Monday.
The first session, Disability-inclusive and Intersectional Media Representation and Reporting, looked at how media narratives affect society’s views. The second session, led by UN Women, focused on the lived experiences of journalists reporting on disability and gender.
Panellists emphasised that disability should not be treated as a side or token issue, but as central to reporting on wider subjects such as health, politics and disaster response.
The International Purple Fest will be held in Goa from October 9 to 12, with inclusivity and the rights of persons with disabilities as its key focus.
