By Julia Perkins
SYDNEY — More than 100 women and men demonstrated outside the offices of Kerry Packer's Australian Consolidated Press in Park Street on May 26 to protest against the sexist portrayal of women in the media.
The rally was called by the National Union of Students and organised by women's groups on several Sydney campuses. Australian Consolidated Press publishes People and Picture.
Speakers at the rally pointed out the link between pornographic images of women and sexual discrimination, rape and sexual harassment. The determined demonstrators stormed the ACP office, ripping down front page spreads, writing graffiti on the walls and chanting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, sexist media has got to go!".
The building was plastered with stickers and posters expressing anger at Packer's exploitation of women. As the police arrived, the march moved on to Parliament House.
An ongoing campaign against sexist media is planned. For more information, contact PIECES (People Initiating Education Campaigns Eliminating Sexism) at Macquarie University (805 7629) or SWARMS (Student Women Against Rampant Media Sexism) at Sydney University (660 5051).