BLOG: 16×9 producer reflects on her work in honour of International Women’s Day

It’s been a year where many issues relating to the lives of women, both here in Canada and around the world, have made the news… some of it good… much of it not. There have been top stories about sexual harassment, missing and murdered women and the ongoing struggle for gender equality, to name a few. One of our producers, Mia Sheldon, has covered many of those issues here at 16×9. In honour of International Women’s Day I asked Mia to reflect back on the work she has done on these topics over the last year and tell us, from the heart, what covering those stories meant to her.

– Laurie Few, Executive Producer, 16×9

As a producer on 16×9 it is my job to pay attention to what is going on in the world, what people are talking about, what is changing, who is leading the way and what it means. It is also my job to be impartial and fair in telling stories, a challenge made harder when people’s stories are personal, heart wrenching or close to something I have experienced, which in turn serves to emphasize how important it is that these stories are heard.

Women’s issues are nothing new and every year there are more hurdles to overcome as society makes its way through the gauntlet towards gender equality. And it is incredibly exciting that I get to chronicle these battles, meet women who are demanding change and watch the world react to them.

This was probably most notable in “Gender Identity”, a story I did about two transgender children in British Columbia. Harriette Cunningham and Tracey Wilson are eleven-year old transgender girls. Born as boys, they identified as girls early on and it was with the support of their families that they are able to live life as female. They changed their names and they wear only female clothing, but being a girl is more than just clothes and names. It is who you are. It is what you feel inside and it determines how you want to interact with the world around you. A world that should respect your decisions.

WATCH BELOW: 16×9’s “Gender Identity”

Tracey and Harriette showed remarkable courage, taking on the government and school boards to be recognized as female, a fight that would be daunting even for adults. But Tracey and Harriette are both determined to make change happen. No one can tell you who you are and if Tracey and Harriette tell me they are girls, I believe them. The Catholic School Tracey attended was told, by the court, to believe them. The BC government came around and now believes Harriette. We should all believe them and let girls be girls.

As a producer, I have to keep the conversation moving forward and find women to tell their stories. The hardest stories to produce are ones about violence against women. When the Jian Ghomeshi assault charges hit the news cycle, the reaction of women in the media was palpable. Many women working in the media were aware of Jian’s reputation but even for many of those women the extent of the allegations made was shocking. When those allegations happened I had already been talking to my executive producer about a story on sexual assault. I had already had many conversations with her about how to address the issue for our show. It had not gone unnoticed that over the last few years, the way people were talking about violence against women was changing. But violence was still happening.

I had done stories about Anita Sarkeesian, a female gamer who receives (still to date) endless death and rape threats. I had been researching sexual harassment in the workplace, and sexual assault on campuses, there were so many ways this issue could be illustrated. But, in the end, we decided to take violence out of the silos it is often talked about, silos of where it happens and who it happens to (it happens everywhere and to everyone) and try and shed some light on what the experience is like for women when they make that brave, and almost impossible, decision to come forward and tell authorities about their experiences.

While researching “Coming Forward” I spoke to women who had been raped, beaten and assaulted at home, at work, on the street by family, co-workers, lovers and strangers, way too many women. Every story hurt me to hear but I knew how important it was to listen.

I also had conversations with co-workers who asked me why it was hard for a woman to talk about sexual assault. Shouldn’t they be able to talk about it like any other violent crime? I wanted to make a piece that addressed all these concerns and put the issue into context.

WATCH BELOW: 16×9’s “Coming Forward”

Hope and Ellen took great personal risks to talk to me on camera, and I am thankful to them, but the feedback I have gotten from men and women, some of them victims, reminds me every day that what I do can make a difference when presented fairly, accurately and with sensitivity.

Many stories illustrate that not all women are treated equal, whether because of race, economic status or age. Sometimes it’s for all three reasons. “The Missing and The Murdered” reminded me aboriginal women face dramatically higher rates of violence. “Babies Behind Bars” looked at controversial programs that allow women to raise their babies in prison. “Torn Apart” told the story of women, thought to be ‘undesirable’ as parents (mostly because they were teenagers), who were forced to give their babies up for adoption in the 1960s. All stories come out of Canada, women treated in a certain way, simply because they are women, and worth a moment of thought this women’s day.

WATCH BELOW: 16×9’s Babies Behind Bars

Not every story about women has to be depressing or about a fight. I also get a chance to highlight the work of powerful women. Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco is one of those women. She is the go-to person to talk to about Saturn and the magic of space (and a sort of hero to my nieces). In the piece “The Search for Life”, she was able to perfectly express how science and philosophy cross paths. She says we are really looking inward when we explore outer space. It still gives me chills.

One of the most memorable women I have met was Shari Greer, whose daughter was murdered in the 1970s and was featured in “A Mother’s Resolve”. She is tough, swears and has refused to give up on finding her daughter’s killer. This year she finally got some resolution when a man, long suspected to be the killer, was arrested.

WATCH BELOW: 16×9’s “A Mother’s Resolve”

In our industry, it is hard not to take your work home with you. I think about it all the time. I dream about it. Talk to my loved ones about it. Sometimes it is good dinner conversation. Sometimes it is awkward. But it is always important, especially when we are still talking about women’s issues.
Women have won many battles over the years. We have taken on churches, governments, stereotypes and it is always worth it. But we are not done. And as long as women keep fighting, I am not done telling their stories. But I look forward to the day when I don’t have to report on inequality.