The campaign, celebrated this year for the fifth time, is aimed at celebrating the professional achievements of women journalists. The initiative seeks to promote equal professional chances and equal access to decision-making positions for both men and women in media newsrooms.

Women Make the News 2006 promotes a genuine dialogue and reflection on topics such as “Where are women currently fitting into newsrooms? Are opportunities for women in newspaper, TV and radio newsrooms equal to those of men? What it takes for women to climb the ranks and why the media “glass ceiling” remains intact ?”

Women Make the News 2006 aims to provide a platform for learning from each other's experiences and challenges with a view to develop partnerships for designing effective responses to persisting ingrained preconceptions that women are not fit for media executive and leadership positions .

UNESCO is dedicating the month of March to collecting stories and features about outspoken women media personalities, who have made a critical difference in journalism, about their ability to move an agenda and their effectiveness in securing gains for the society at large and for women, in particular.

Those who wish to support the initiative can register at http://www.unesco.org/march8, in addition to

Giving women editorial responsibility in your media to mark International Women's Day;

Signing up and telling UNESCO their plans. If you support this initiative, spread the word –March 8 is not far away!

Sending articles, features, interviews and comments about female reporters, newsmakers and editors who have made it to the top to UNESCO.

There are only two kinds of journalism — good and bad. Good journalism involves fair and accurate representation and a search for diversity and balanced reporting in subject matter, perspectives and points of view, including those of women.