The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Berenice Owen-Jones, has highlighted the need for women to be included and regarded in the field of journalism.

Delivering her remarks at the HerPress Summit, which also doubled as the graduation ceremony of 20 female journalists from the HerPress Fellowship on August 23, she pointed to the challenges women journalists face globally.

This, she noted, includes underrepresentation, online harassment, and limited access to leadership roles and the importance of international solidarity in addressing them.

“This is not just a Ghanaian conversation; it’s a global one. But we're also seeing female journalists succeed, support each other, and change the face of journalism,” she said.

“Women bring perspectives, experiences, and truths that broaden our understanding of the world. And when women do well in journalism, societies become more inclusive, more accountable, and more just,” Mrs Owen-Jones said.

She captured the essence of why initiatives like HerPress matter, not only for the professional development of individual journalists but also for the democratic health of society at large.

The Her Press Fellowship, launched earlier this year by the Dikan Center, is aimed at nurturing a new generation of female journalists through mentorship, safety training, and skills-building workshops. The program also encourages solidarity and leadership among women in the newsroom.

The initiative acknowledges that many of the most powerful, untold stories in Ghana, particularly those affecting women, children, and marginalized communities, are best told by women who understand those lived experiences.

“Today, seeing you gathered here, I know that you’re embarking on what I’m sure will be a remarkable career. You’ve been equipped not just with technical skills, but with the confidence to lead and the resilience to thrive,” the Australian High Commissioner told the fellows.

Mrs Owen-Jones paid tribute to pioneering women in Ghanaian media, including Gifty Afenyi Dadzie, the first woman to lead the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), whose legacy continues to inspire younger generations.

Additionally, she encouraged the Fellows to draw inspiration from Godwin Asediba of Media General for winning the prestigious BBC Komla Dumor Award 2025, eand to carry forward the belief that their voices mattered in shaping both national and continental narratives.

Mrs Owen-Jones commended the Founder of Dikan Center, Paul Ninson, and his team for their role in founding and sustaining the Her Press Initiative.

“You’ve not only provided training. You’ve created a platform for transformation, one where women journalists can flourish, and where Ghana can continue to shape the future of African media,” she said.

On her part, President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Efua Ghartey, called on the media to stop treating women’s leadership as tokenism, urging journalists to instead recognize it as a necessary corrective to structural injustice.

“Journalism must not treat women’s leadership as tokenism, but recognize it as an essential corrective to injustice. What happens when women’s voices are muted? When half of society is excluded from the stories that shape the nation, the media fails in its duty to serve the public good,” the GBA President said.

Describing women’s leadership as “the practice of taking initiative, exercising influence, and assuming responsibility to drive change,” the GBA President emphasized that it was rooted in empathy, collaboration, and resilience.

However, systemic barriers still prevent many women in media from rising to leadership roles. Among the challenges cited were structural sexism, resource gaps, underrepresentation in decision-making, and credibility-undermining stereotypes.

“As a legal practitioner and mediator, I have seen how systems resist change until persistent voices demand accountability. Journalism must play that same role, amplifying women’s voices not as a gesture, but as a justice imperative,” she charged.

Citing Article 21.1A of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and of the press, the GBA President described this freedom as “not something placed on a mantle, but the bedrock of our democracy.”

“You, as journalists, are its chief custodians. This duty is both legal and sacred. Scripture tells us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves… and this is the call not only of journalists but of the legal profession as well,” she said.

She also issued a compelling call for greater protection and representation of women in journalism, warning that a press environment where women were unsafe or misrepresented could not claim to be democratic or just.

“A free press cannot exist where women are unsafe. Protecting women journalists is not optional. It is a test of whether our media and our democracy truly serve justice,” Madam Efua Ghartey said.

The GBA President addressed ethical lapses in reporting, using recent media coverage of a tragic helicopter accident as an example of how journalism can stray from its duty to uphold human dignity.

“Every word, every image, every headline carries the weight of consequences. Ethical journalism is not just a professional obligation. It is a discipline of truth-telling, guided by integrity and a profound respect for human dignity,” Madam Efua Ghartey pointed out.

Drawing parallels between the legal and journalism professions, the GBA President reminded the gathering that both were called to be “voices for the voiceless and mirrors of truth to power.”

“Women’s leadership is not a symbolic gesture. It is a justice imperative,” she stressed.

She highlighted the role of photojournalism in portraying women’s resilience, especially during elections, and noted how campaign images of women leaders such as Vice President Professor Nana Jane Opoku-Agyemang have inspired new generations to believe in leadership.

“Pictures are not mere illustrations; they are stories in themselves. They preserve history, confront bias, and strengthen the core of equity,” she stated while delivering her speech.

“A single photograph can do what paragraphs of text may struggle to convey, pictures speak a universal language,” she added.

She challenged government regulators, media houses, civil society, and the security services to enforce laws against harassment, implement clear newsroom safety protocols, and establish robust reporting systems to ensure women in journalism are protected and supported.

In closing, she urged the media to ensure that women are not just participants but leaders in shaping the future of journalism, especially as digital platforms continue to redefine news production and consumption.

“The question is no longer whether technology will change the media, but whether women will lead that change,” she said. “Innovation without justice leads to exclusion.”

Among the notable guests at the event were Gabrielle Gretner, an Australian journalist and CNN producer based in the United States, who shared insights from the global newsroom; Efua Ghartey, President of the Ghana Bar Association; Genevieve Partington, Country Director of Amnesty International; Portia Gabor; and Israel Laryea.