EqualVoice initiative launches international discourse on equality in the media

The media companies Ringier, Axel Springer, DPG Media and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) set a strong and binding signal during the EqualVoice Summit by signing the "EqualVoice Pledge". In doing so, the media companies and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers pledge to support gender equality in their organizations, introduce measures to promote gender equality, implement the idea of EqualVoice with their respective media brands, increase the visibility of women in the media, and communicate the benefits of gender equality.

ETH validates the EqualVoice factor

Based on the EqualVoice Factor, a semantic algorithm developed in-house by Ringier, Ringier measures the proportion of women and men in the online reports of its media brands. Two key figures are collected: The Teaser Score evaluates the visibility of women in images, headlines and titles, and the Body Score shows how often women and men are mentioned in the article text. The EqualVoice Factor can also be used by other media houses and corporate communications departments. The EqualVoice Factor measurement method has been validated by ETH Zurich - scientifically documented proof has been provided. Dr. Vanessa Wood, Professor at the Institute of Electronics and Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Business Relations at ETH Zurich, presented the current research results and quality characteristics of the Factor to the Summit participants.

Annabella Bassler, initiator of the EqualVoice initiative and CFO of Ringier, explains: "EqualVoice shows what's what. The EqualVoice Factor turns an emotional issue into a fact-based discussion and solution-oriented action. This in turn leads to measurable change, which is what we see at Ringier Group. I'm even more pleased that we can now offer our EqualVoice Factor to other companies."

Axel Springer will integrate EqualVoice to increase the visibility of women in the coverage of its News Media brands. During the EqualVoice Summit, Mathias Döpfner, CEO Axel Springer SE, announced that the media and technology group, which operates in 40 countries, will support the EqualVoice initiative and deploy the EqualVoice Factor with immediate effect. The launch will be with B.Z.-Berlin, Berlin's largest tabloid newspaper. Editorial integration has been tested at B.Z. Digital, the B.Z. online offering, since January 2022. Best practice models for analyses and measures are to be developed from the pilot and successively applied to other News Media brands such as BILD and WELT.

Mathias Döpfner, CEO Axel Springer SE: "Diversity and gender balance are indispensable for journalism with a promising future. That is why we want to drive this change with Equal Voice and other initiatives. We are committed to ensuring that all genders are fairly represented, as well as nationalities, religions, skin colors or sexual orientations. This is a particular concern of mine and of the entire Axel Springer brands and our goal for the coming years. The Equal Voice technology is an effective tool to create awareness in the editorial offices. And thus to establish diverse reporting as a sustainable standard."

The editors-in-chief of the media brands of the Polish joint venture Ringier Axel Springer Polska have already been supporting the EqualVoice initiative since 2021 and evaluate their publications using the EqualVoice Factor. Other Central and Eastern European countries in which Ringier is active will follow in the near future.

Internationalization of the EqualVoice Advisory Board

On the occasion of the first EqualVoice Summit it was announced that the existing Advisory Board of the initiative will be expanded by an international offshoot. The International EqualVoice Advisory Board consists of Brittany Kaiser (co-founder of the Own Your Data Foundation ), Mathias Döpfner (CEO Axel Springer SE), Katharina Borchert (journalist and former Chief Innovation Officer at Mozilla) and Yann Borgstedt (entrepreneur and founder Womanity Foundation). They are particularly committed to the expansion of EqualVoice beyond the borders of Switzerland.

The EqualVoice Advisory Board consists of: David Allemann (CEO & Co-Founder On), Pascale Baeriswyl (Chief of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations), Nicole Burth (Head of Communication Services Swiss Post), Regula Bührer Fecker (Advertiser & Co-Founder Rod Kommunikation), Ingrid Deltenre (Media Manager), Tanja Grandits ("Chef of the Year 2020"), Dr. Sabine Keller-Busse (President Personal & Corporate Banking and President UBS Switzerland), Carolina Müller-Möhl (President Müller-Möhl Foundation), Simona Scarpaleggia (Board Member EDGE Strategy), Franziska Tschudi Sauber (CEO Weidmann Holding AG), Christiane zu Salm (media entrepreneur and advisor) and Petra Ehmann (former Global Lead Product Partnerships Augmented Reality Google Switzerland and newly Chief Innovation Officer at Ringier).

Marc Walder said: "To successfully master the great challenges of our time in politics, business and society, we need the best at the top - men as well as women. An initiative like EqualVoice makes an important contribution in that it helps to change entrenched role models and trigger holistic thinking. A network of partnerships is important to ensure that the goals and discussions are carried forward. I am pleased that with Brittany Kaiser, Mathias Döpfner, Katharina Borchert and Yann Borgstedt we have been able to win over four personalities who, with their international network and reputation, will help us to carry EqualVoice beyond the borders of Switzerland."

International top-class EqualVoice Summit in Zurich

On May 2, 2022, Ringier CEO Marc Walder and Ringier CFO Annabella Bassler invited top executives from the international business and media world to Zurich to engage in a constructive discourse on gender equality in the media at the EqualVoice Summit.

The program included speeches and presentations by internationally renowned personalities such as human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, Federal Councillor and Minister of Justice Karin Keller-Sutter, behavioral economist Prof. Iris Bohnet from Harvard University, Mariana Santos, founder and CEO of Chicas Poderosas, Carolina Müller-Möhl, founder and president of the Müller-Möhl Foundation, Corine Mauch, Mayor of Zurich, and Brittany Kaiser, co-founder of the Own Your Data Foundation.

On a panel, Aleksandra Karasinska, Editor-in-Chief of the Polish Forbes Women, Nicole Schwab, Co-Director Nature-Based Solutions WEF, Mathias Döpfner, CEO Axel Springer SE and Christian Van Thillo, Executive Chairman of the Belgian-Dutch DPG Media Group discussed the responsibility of the media around equality.

The EqualVoice Summit concluded with a concert performance by singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald.

Statements from participants

Marc Walder, CEO Ringier AG: "The EqualVoice Summit addresses the role of the media around the visibility of women. They are, still, dramatically underrepresented. The media have it in their hands to finally give women more visibility in all areas. This is in the interest of equality between women and men. And, of course, in the interest of readers."

Federal Councilor Karin Keller-Sutter: "I am happy to appear at the EqualVoice Summit to support the cause of having more women in the media. The visibility of female politicians and experts in the media is central to equality."

Amal Clooney, human rights lawyer: "As women, we are not in the minority, but there is a unique connection between us. That connection is not geographic. Or religious. Or cultural. What unites us are our experiences - experiences that only women have, and challenges that only women face."

Iris Bohnet, professor at Harvard University: "Participating in the EqualVoice Summit was important to me because advancing equality is both my passion and one of my primary professional responsibilities."