WOMEN IN JOURNALISM MAGAZINE - October Issue

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Editor’s Note

Hello readers!

We hope you all are staying safe, healthy and aware.

This month, we greet you while anticipating the results of the US presidential elections. October was packed with news coming in from all corners of America. Following the buzz around elections, we had a Q & A session with Business Insider’s politics reporter Grace Panetta, who shared with us about her experience reporting this monumental event, how she pulled it through despite challenges in the midst of the novel coronavirus outbreak, and reporting in times of fake news, misinformation and disinformation.

We also interviewed journalist Zahra Rasool, the head of AJ Contrast. Zahra is a well-known name in the field of immersive/innovative storytelling and journalism. In this interview with CFWIJ, Zahra talks about the use of immersive/innovative technologies and making it accessible to the audience, how important it is to tell stories that matter, the significance of transparency over objectivity in journalism and lots more.

Samar Elhussieny, our MENA and Turkey research coordinator, writes about the unjustified trend of pre-trial detentions in Egypt. In her piece titled ‘Pretrial detention – the Sisyphean Misery in Egypt’, Samar includes cases of journalists who’ve been arbitrarily held in detentions for their work. Many of these journalists are practically thrown inside jails and awaiting fair trials. Read more about it in this month’s issue.

The issue also includes a report on women journalists imprisoned around the world. Thirteen countries around the world have arbitrarily locked at least 38 women journalists behind the bars. From Iran to China and Turkey to Vietnam, these countries have incarcerated them for their reporting on crucial issues.

With US presidential elections in news, we decided to feature four women journalists reporting the event in our Women Journalists To Follow section. A diverse set of journalists including Alexa Corse, Jane Lytvynenko, Catherine Kim, and Briana K. Stewart share some much-needed insight and updates to keep you in the loop with all that’s happening in the world of US politics.

This month, CFWIJ recorded at least 540 cases of threats and violence against women journalists. Find our regular section featuring a round-up of cases in this month’s issue. You can also access our monthly report here.

To stay updated on discourse surrounding US politics and current elections, listen up to our recommended podcasts and also find some insightful books to read this month.

To share feedback and suggestions, reach out to us via press@womeninjournalism.org

Adieu!

Kiran Nazish, Executive Editor

Rabia Mushtaq, Editor and Writer

Samar Elhusseiny, Contribution

Damla Tarhan, Design

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Interview

Zahra Rasool: A force to reckon with in the innovative and immersive storytelling space

By Rabia Mushtaq

Photo credit-Asiya Khaki

Technology. This word rules our life as much as the term ‘fake news’ does these days. But many people around the world are still trying to wrap their heads around the idea of the former taking over their lives in almost every aspect. From once making calls to now communicating via AR, the use of smartphones and other technology products have left humankind in awe of its power.

These groundbreaking developments have also made their presence felt in journalism. The idea of making their audience experience the feeling of ‘being there’, using innovative and immersive storytelling techniques in modern journalism, is what journalists today are getting pro at. The use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) is no more just a thought. Young and driven journalists are challenging themselves each day to bring something new to the table. Zahra Rasool is one of them.

She comes across as a millennial who is winning her game. Her passion for journalism reflects through her innovative take on storytelling. As the head of AJ Contrast — Al Jazeera's award-winning immersive storytelling and media innovation studio — it makes sense how Zahra’s contemporary style of work has been winning praise around the world. It is remarkable that someone as young as Zahra is at the helm of all the brilliant stories produced at AJ Contrast.

“It is actually pretty tough to be honest. The job seems very interesting, cool and exciting — and it is in all those fronts, but it is also very hard to do anything innovation related within the journalism industry,” Zahra said when asked about leading AJ Contrast and the responsibility that comes with it.

“As most journalists are aware, budgets for journalism work continue to shrink every year. Therefore, to prioritize anything innovation related or niche is very difficult,” she added.

Before Zahra turned into a juggernaut, she was already a media entrepreneur who built her own start-up named Gistory in 2015. It was part of her master’s program, which she pursued after quitting her job as an investigative journalist for Al Jazeera’s broadcast show. Zahra worked on her start-up for an entire semester, presented it at a journalism conference and received immense attention. Her journalism school funded the start-up, which she pursued full-time for the next three years. She deemed it as a “phenomenal experience”.

Raising money for her start-up as a Muslim and immigrant woman of color became increasingly challenging for Zahra, so she put a pause to it and began working as a managing editor at the Los Angeles based RYOT — the first company to use AR and immersive texts in their stories, which was later acquired by Huffington Post.

In January 2017, Zahra joined Al Jazeera and created AJ Contrast to cater to the network’s digital audience. Three months later, it was launched and the platform has since focused on innovative ways to produce quality journalism and storytelling using immersive technologies.

“When doing a story, AJ Contrast’s mandate is to find a more creative, captivating and immersive way to tell it. A good example of that would be our recent interactive web experience Living in the Unknown — a story about the Uighurs, living in exile in Turkey. We created this interactive web documentary and also added a VR component to it. But we just wanted to be able to tell this story that is incredibly urgent in a way that hasn’t been told before,” Zahra said, emphasizing on the way her team focuses on crucial stories using technology.

One wonders how many people actually end up becoming an audience to these technologically advanced stories, as accessibility remains a crucial hurdle in many places around the world.

“It has been the toughest part of working in the innovation space because when we are doing innovation work, we are only thinking of the privileged. But working at a place like Al Jazeera is interesting because so much of its audience is the developing world and we are forced to confront those questions. One of the philosophies of AJ Contrast is trying to train and invest in storytellers in those parts of the world because they are going to the best advocates for making sure that those stories and those ways of storytelling can reach their audiences,” Zahra said.

She added that while she can give a talk or lecture on VR, AR and accessibility, it would be very hard for her to parachute into a location. But since she is not living in those locations, she cannot commit and work on those barriers of accessibility.

“It is the people living in those countries who would actually be able to do that. We work with a lot of storytellers from around the world. Almost every story that we have done, whether it is from Yemen, Congo or any other country shown in our stories, we work with local talents. This helps us widen the pool of the people who know how to use this technology. A lot of times the people that we are working with do not know anything about VR or 360 video, most recently AR,” she informed.

Zahra shared that her team works at the backend to equip them, send them the technology and mail cameras when needed. They train them online using Skype, WhatsApp, Messenger and similar means. They also offer instruction manuals translated in several different languages.

“We put in a lot of time and effort into that, even though the output is a lot less. But I do not need to have a certain number of videos and stories out because the work that we are doing at the backend is more important than us seeing a story coming out of it,” she explained when sharing how the platform is working to lessen the accessibility gap.

Zahra added that another way to do that is via screenings in different places.

“We have arranged VR screenings in different countries where we have done the videos. For instance, we held a screening for people at the Zaatari refugee camp, who worked with us on the videos about the camp. We did it for them to understand and see the video in VR. We did the same in Lagos and Nigeria too. It is limited, but based on our capacity and the small team, this is what we are able to manage,” she shared.

With Zahra leading the platform and the hard work of her dedicated fellow team mates, along with locally hired storytellers, have produced some of the most urgent, impactful stories of conflict and underrepresented communities using immersive technologies.

Still Here, an immersive multimedia installation tells the tale of a Black woman based in Harlem who experiences incarceration for 15 years and comes back home to witness gentrification of her community in the neighborhood and meets her teenage son after spending years away from him. This story was showcased at the Sundance Film Festival in February this year. While Living in the Unknown, the story of Uighur Muslims who escaped from China, won in the Excellence and Innovation in Visual Digital Storytelling (small newsroom) category.

As someone hailing from a Muslim immigrant family from the Indian cosmopolitan Mumbai, it was Zahra’s goal to focus on similar stories to share them with the rest of the world and the reason why she pursued journalism.

“I grew up at a time when the war in Iraq and Afghanistan was all they were showing on television (TV). The images that one saw on CNN, BBC or any international media were of Muslim people who looked like me, felt like me and shared a very similar culture. But the narratives being shown were so distant from my experience. I grew up seeing them speak about and show Muslims in a negative light. It felt like a disconnect between what I saw on TV vs. my lived experience,” she recalled about the state of Muslim representation in international media from her younger days.

Zahra shared that when she started working in this field using immersive technologies, she felt that the skill set to use these technologies were in the hands of very few people, who were often white men. She added that the stories were being told from their lens and for their interests. This felt exploitative and voyeuristic to Zahra and she felt jaded.

“Interestingly, there are a lot of women in the immersive field. But in terms of diversity, it is hard to put a number. During my Sundance experience, the majority showcasing their projects in the immersive space were white. The space is still, of course, heavily white and male. This is also because the skills and software required for development, technical development of the AR and VR experience, and post-production is expensive,” she said.

Zahra stated that one ends up being skewed more towards not just white but mostly privileged people who are creating these experiences, which is why she made AJ Contrast’s mission to work with mostly people of color.

Zahra is a Muslim woman of color and covers her head with a scarf. When talking about dealing with tokenization and discrimination in the industry she explained that her identity as a woman cannot be separated with her identity being a Muslim.

“This definitely impacts most of my interactions. I constantly feel like I have to work so much harder than my peers and those around me. I am also frustrated when I do something successful and then for my next project, it is required for me to prove that it is good enough to get the funding and support. People don’t judge me based on my past work,” she said.

Zahra added that it is challenging for her to get the funding, as people are always interested in the ideas but it never translates into handing money.

“Most people who are giving the money hire and support those who look like them and support their ideas, who they think will be able to carry their project and make something successful. I don’t fit their idea of somebody who could lead a big project or program,” Zahra complained.

During the conversation on tokenization, she shared about being in situations and jobs where organizations in the past took her onboard as their diversity hire and because it makes them look good.

“It really affected my confidence and hurt me, because I was only there as a diversity person. They did not necessarily think that I was equally skilled or qualified, even though I am. But as I grew in the profession and gained confidence, I realized that this is just how the world works. If this is the opportunity given to me, I have to ensure speaking my truth, serving to the best of my abilities and capitalize the opportunity. I am less affected by it now then I was back then,” she said, adding that it is still frustrating and hard to deal with.

Expanding on our discussion on diversity in the immersive field, Zahra mentioned how the offer from Al Jazeera was an opportunity for her to bring some change in the industry and counter the typical narrative. She requested control over editorial in order to serve people from underrepresented communities and those hit hardest due to inequality by bringing them into the process of creating those stories, as well as collaborating with them.

Following Zahra’s work and the topics she brings to the fore through her journalism, it is evident that being transparent as a journalist is more crucial to her than merely focusing on objectivity.

“As human beings, we come with our own preconceived notions, biases, culture and experiences. Whenever we are reporting or telling a story, all of those experiences shape that particular story. Therefore, I don’t think we can be objective, but we can strive to be. We should strive for more transparency in everything we do to make sure that our audience knows where we are coming from,” she opined.

When working on stories in different places around the world, the platform collaborates with people on the ground, which is why Zahra shared that they cannot simply expect these individuals to be objective. It is important to consider the sensitivities and experiences of people who live amidst those ground realities.

“If we are collaborating with someone who has lived through the war in Yemen, we can’t possibly expect them to be objective. We are going to talk about the story from the experiences of utter devastation and suffering they have experienced. This is completely fair, as we are going to let our audiences know that the person reporting on the story has experienced the situation and give them the background,” she said, while also adding that a lot of young journalists think that way. That they are now moving away from the conversation of objectivity and focusing more on transparency.

Before Covid-19 affected the workflow of most organizations around the world, Zahra and her team planned to travel around the country for their now halted series on the US presidential elections called Color of my Vote, which was focused on minority communities around the US. But they instead worked on an election talk show that consisted of eight episodes.

“The election show is essentially your traditional show but created for digital. We talk to public figures who comment on topics that are central to the upcoming elections like healthcare, women’s rights, black lives matter and immigration, among other issues,” she shared.

Before wrapping up the conversation, Zahra shared what it has been like for her to cover the US elections. She said that it is tough for young people to be energized in this country because of polarization and party politics.

“Even though I am also exhausted by the news cycle, the election cycle and Trump vs. Biden updates that you constantly see. But as a journalist, this is my job and I have to do it,” she said.

Zahra added that the American media has become so polarized that the pieces that they are working on and the people that they are talking to are like an echo chamber.

“It is the same people that are listening and watching, who maybe agree to those viewpoints. The people who should actually be watching it are not really watching and you see this happening around the world. I do not know the answer to how we solve that but it is just something that I am thinking about, especially now that we are doing these shows,” she said signing off.

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Focus

Pretrial detention – the Sisyphean Misery in Egypt

By Samar Elhussieny

Photo credit-Caroline Martins

The Greek myth about Sisyphus embodied god's retaliation in doing the same thing over and over with no result. Everytime he climbed up the mountain with high hopes of eventually making it to the top, he was left disappointed. Doing the same thing for life with no result is a cruel punishment indeed.

What if you didn’t piss off a god, what if you just pissed off a president, a police officer, a civil servant, or a colonel - in Egypt, the punishment is almost the same. Endless Sisyphean misery under the auspices of president Adel-Fattah Al-Sisi’s regime.

There’s no definition for pre-trial detention in the Egyptian law but public prosecution defines it as one of the interrogation procedures. Until 2013, pre-trial detention was good news in Egypt. If you were a political prisoner, a journalist, or a criminal, pre-trial detention meant there is a limit for their temporary detention. Their pending status would not last long and soon they were able see a judge, present their defense, and get cleared.

Whereas, Article 143 of the criminal procedures code constitutes that detainees shall be interrogated within three months of their arrest and notified of their charges and court positions that the duration of pre-trial detention should not, anyhow, exceed one-third of the penalty and sets a long list of conditions for pre-trial detention, the public prosecution office in practice does not respect any of these conditions, particularly with prisoners of conscience.

From 2013 onwards, pre-trial detention has been used as a political punishment against journalists, political activists, human rights activists and prisoners of conscience. According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the number of detainees who excessed their pre-trial detention duration was 1,464 by the end of 2016. As of May 2020, the total number of pre-trial detainees, mostly apprehended for political reasons in Egypt, ranged from 25,000 to 30,000.

My first report in The Coalition For Women In Journalism was about the pre-trial detention of journalist Noora Younes, followed by another report on Esraa Abdel Fatah. Ever since I have joined the organization, I have documented a pre-trial detention of women journalists in Egypt every often. As an Egyptian, and in some cases a friend of the detainee, my feelings vary from rage to sorrow, and even helplessness. I want this misery to end, or at least, I need to know when it will end.

Briefly, after her release from a pre-trial detention, journalist Basma Mostafa spoke with CFWIJ and informed us about her meeting with Esraa, who was detained in the same imprisonment facility. When Basma was leaving the prison, Esraa said to her, “My ultimate hope is to get acquitted in one of the cases, to know the time that I will serve and then retain my freedom back.”

When commenting about her own release Basma  said, “I thank God that I am released now and can hold my daughters, and hug them again… I was just trying to do my job.”

Journalist Noora Younes also wrote about her detention.

“The truth is, I expected my detention from two years. I even weaned my daughter earlier in anticipation of this possibility…. I was prepared for the worst-case scenarios… Ironically, I knew from the other prisoners in my cell that Lina Attalah was here a few months ago,” she stated.

Lina Attalah, a journalist and winner of the ICFJ Knight International Journalism Award – who was briefly detained just two months before Noora and ironically, in the same cell – commented on the restrictions and targeting of journalism in Egypt.

“As Brecht said, In the dark times, there will be singing about dark times. Perhaps in the singing about dark times we can find ruptures….. we can hold space for those who are waiting for liberation,” she said.

What haunts me about pre-trial detention is the desperate repetitive misery during every single hearing. There is hope, frustration, rage and fear. However, hearings in front of the prosecutors could be the only way for families and lawyers to see the detainee. When I put myself in a  journalist detainee’s shoe, I would want nothing but a verdict. It is my right as a human being to know how this will end, whatever the charges may be. I have the right to think about my future with a definite date about my release. I have the right to defend myself in front of a judge who is not biased or controlled by the military and security apparatuses. I should not feel like Sisyphus, who continues the same task each day, but ends up in the same spot – either in a cell or below a mountain with a rock on my back or chained behind bars.

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Interview

Grace Panetta: On covering the US Elections in times of Covid-19 and Trump presidency

By Rabia Mushtaq

Photo credit: Marian Siljehølm Photography

In anticipation of the November 3 US presidential elections and the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak in the country, The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) had a chat with New York based journalist Grace Panetta. Grace works as a politics reporter for Business Insider. She covers elections and voting for the publication. In this interview with CFWIJ, Grace tells us about her experience of working as a reporter covering one of the most monumental events this year, how Covid-19 impacted the process and decisions relating to the elections in the country and the way she handles reporting in the era of misinformation and disinformation. Scroll through to read the interview.

 CFWIJ: How long have you been reporting for the Business Insider?

Grace: I started at the Business Insider almost two years ago as in intern/fellow during college. I have been reporting full-time for almost a year now. Shortly after I began working as a full-time reporter in December 2019, the pandemic hit. So most of my professional experience as a journalist has been during this pandemic, which has been interesting and there is nothing like it. This is also my first presidential election working as a journalist.

Tell us about your experience of covering the US elections?

In the beginning of the year in January and February, I knew it would be really hectic and busy, and it turned out that way. It was exciting but funny too during the Iowa caucuses. I wondered what a huge mistake, this will never happen again and the rest of the elections will never be that chaotic or have that many problems. But this was the story I ended up covering this whole year and things took such an interesting turn.

Elections in the United States of America are around the corner. How are you managing the information flow and developing news as a beat reporter?

It is, obviously, impossible to keep up with everything all at once because while covering election administration, there are different things happening in all the fifty states at all times with regards to the voting process. But I do try to follow everything and keep up with it as best as I can. It is really just figuring out what are some of the biggest issues and biggest problem spots. There is just so much litigation over election rules, so it is difficult sometimes to keep up with it all. It has been a challenge covering something so decentralized. But it has also been an exciting and interesting opportunity at the same time. Mainly, I get a lot of press releases about the litigation that happens and follow a lot of lawyers on Twitter. I try to keep tab on as many different things as possible and it is definitely a challenge for everyone.

Covid-19 has affected elections in the US this year. What has it been like for you in terms of reporting the election and voting activities during these unprecedented times?

With regards to the election and the voting process, it escalated really quickly during early March. Life was normal and we had Super Tuesday on March 3. Those elections mainly took place without any major problems. But then a week later, the majority of the country began shutting down, workplaces and schools went remote, and businesses were shut down. Then the first elections that were set to take place on March 10 definitely came up against that.

The first big one thrown into chaos by the pandemic was the Ohio presidential primary on March 17. There was a lot of last minute activity, with the Governor Mike DeWine trying to postpone it and make it all mail. The Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and the public health commissioner got involved. Last minute court rulings were taking place, just a day before the voting was supposed to happen. They were actually able to shut down all the in-person voting that were supposed to take place and ended up holding almost entirely by mail, but some in-person voting.

This was the first time one wondered that this is going to be a problem through our elections. At that point, I hoped that the pandemic would be over by November, but that did not happen. It was at that moment in mid-March when I thought that this is going to be a big problem because all these presidential primaries were supposed to be happening in the next few months.

Look at it from the perspective of the voters. In March, there was so much we did not know about the virus. Now hindsight, even if things had gone differently and we had managed to get way more under control than we did, it will still affect the voting process because we don’t have a vaccine yet.it is not to the point where there is no widespread community transmission; in fact, now we are moving in the opposite direction with a possible third wave this fall. Officials really have stepped up but the pandemic, if ended up in another world with different measures that were taken at the federal level, the virus did not have to be this bad again in the fall.

According to news, it might take several days or weeks for election results to emerge because of Covid-19 and postal voting. Given that you have to be on top of all the news and updates concerning your beat, how are you strategizing your reporting?

The biggest race people are going to be worried about is the presidential race. In the US, we do not have the nationwide popular vote election, we the Electoral College system where every state gets a certain number of votes. So whichever candidate wins the most votes, wins all of the Electoral College votes. This year, we have all these states scaling up mail voting, which take longer to process than in-person votes, especially in the states that allow mail ballots to arrive after election day. There are more and more states saying that as long as the ballots are postmarked by election day, they will be counted, even if they are received afterwards. Every state does this differently and what it really means for us is that there are states like Arizona and Florida that have a lot of experience processing high levels of mail ballots. Florida, for example, we’re expecting to have a lot of results on election night; Ohio has also made a lot of changes to allow officials to process ballots early.

Overall, I do expect that we would not know the winner of the presidential race on election night. Decision desks, like the ones that we work with at decision desk HQ, are going to air on the side of caution and not call a race for the wrong candidate. But it also depends on the margin. It is mostly just about assuring the public that mail ballots take longer to process, it is okay to wait for results and it does not mean that anything is wrong. It just means that officials are working to get the count fairly and accurately.

During times when information is coming in every minute from various sources – particularly social media, how do you tackle misinformation and disinformation as a journalist?

There is so much misinformation out there — even some that is maliciously spread, a lot of which happens to be perpetuated and spread by the US president. The US election system is already decentralized and very complicated, given its rules and policies — not just from state to state but even by county within states, which is why there is so much confusion over the vote. It makes sense because our system is complicated and not always user-friendly or easy to understand. In this climate, where people are so paranoid and scared of what is happening, they can be more prone to buying into misinformation.

The most important message I have been trying to get out through my reporting and in my use of social media is telling people that mistakes do happen in election administration and are prone to happen in any system that is run by humans. Majority of the time it is not any malfeasance or fraud — it is extremely rare. Any mistakes that come up are results of sheer human error or sometimes incompetence in the worst scale of things. Things are always more complicated when a viral tweet, meant to inflame and provoke a reaction, gets across. It is important to understand some of the nuances and complexities in our system.

How have you dealt with sources in terms of your beat reporting, especially while covering the elections?

One of the really great things about covering a beat as decentralized as the election administration and so misunderstood, is that there are so many hardworking, dedicated officials and outside experts who are more than willing to share their expertise. They talk about issues that they are facing and try to deconstruct some of the problems that have come up this year, along with the nuances and quirks to the system.

I have had a very good experience with sourcing this year while covering elections administration. Obviously, it is a crazy time but it is such an important issue that I am very lucky to have so many people who are willing to talk.

How different are the elections this time around for you as a US citizen?

They could not have been more different, but it is incredible to see how things have changed in just four or five years. In 2016, we had just come out of the Obama presidency’s eight years and because Hillary Clinton was a democratic nominee, the election in many ways was a kind of referendum on her and a referendum on a third term of the Obama style agendas. It was really all about Hillary. And that is why a lot of people voted for Donald Trump. Hillary was unpopular and had a lot of controversies, which now seem very tame in comparison.

During that time, the economic circumstances were very different. The economy was doing relatively well in comparison. The nation was in a much better place, so there was more time and energy to focus on Clinton’s and Trump’s various personal scandals. This year, the entire focus is on Trump and his presidency, especially the way he has handled the pandemic; whereas Joe Biden is the one that is far more popular.

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Report

Women journalists locked behind bars

In 2020, The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) documented various cases of threats and violence targeting women journalists. Over the course of this year, we also identified several cases where journalists found themselves vulnerable to state harassment in the form of arbitrary lawsuits, detentions, arrests, and even imprisonments. This year alone, 17 women journalists were arrested, detained and imprisoned in countries including the Philippines, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, China, Guatemala, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Only one among those jailed was released in September.

According to CFWIJ’s current data, 13 countries around the world have arbitrarily kept at least 38 women journalists behind the bars. The Middle East and North African region takes the top spot for locking up the most number of women journalists around the world, Southeast Asia comes second, while East Asia, Africa and Latin America follow suit.

In the MENA region, 28 women journalists are currently incarcerated in countries such as Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Palestine. Iran has jailed the most number of women journalists around the world with nine locked up under arbitrary conditions in its prisons. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have imprisoned five women journalists; Turkey has jailed four, while Palestine and Syria have incarcerated at least one inside their prisons.

In the East Asian region China is the only country that has four women journalists locked behind the bars. Seven women journalists have been confined in different countries across the Southeast Asian region which includes the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Two women journalists are serving imprisonment sentences in Africa and one is kept behind bars in Latin America’s Guatemala.

Following is a country-wise breakdown of women journalists detained and imprisoned around the world, as well as those released this year.

Incarcerated women journalists across the world

Following are the details of women journalists detained and imprisoned in different countries around the world.

Iran

Avisha Jalaledin was sentenced to five years in jail and has been kept behind bars since February 2018. She was arrested for peaceful participation in a protest by members of the persecuted minority in Tehran, which turned violent when security forces used water cannons, firearms, and tear gas to disperse the crowds. Avisha worked for a Sufi community news website Majzooban Noor.

Hengameh Shahidi is serving a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence. She was arrested for “criticizing Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani” in December 2018, after which the court sentenced her to 12 years and nine months in prison.

Marzieh Amiri was arrested in May 2019. She worked as a reporter for a pro-reform daily Sharq. Marzieh was prosecuted for reporting about a workers' rally on International Workers' Day in Tehran. She was sentenced to ten and a half years in jail and 147 lashes by an Islamic Revolutionary Court.

Zoreh Sarve was arrested in March 2020. She was charged for “insulting the founder of the regime", "propaganda against the regime" and "meetings and conspiracy against national security". Zoreh was sentenced to three years and read the interpretation of a surah from the Quran.

Sepideh Qoliyan has been imprisoned since June 21, 2020. She reported to prison and began serving her sentence after being issued a five-year jail sentence for covering a rally by the Haft Tappeh sugar mill workers for unpaid wages. Sepideh was arrested in November 2018 in Shush for reporting the rally. She was released on bail on February 9, 2020. But returned to jail to begin her sentence.

Nada Sabouri, an Iranian freelance sports reporter, started her three and a half year jail term at Tehran’s Evin prison on August 7 this year. Her imprisonment officially began five years after she was originally sentenced on charges of “assembly and collusion” after she accompanied the families of political prisoners during a protest in 2014.

Shabnam Ashaouri, editor of an economic bi-monthly Aghahinameh, was arrested on October 4. She was taken into custody by the Revolutionary Guard intelligence officers after they raided her home.

Iranian photojournalist Alieh Motalebzadeh was returned to prison on October 11, to start serving a three-year prison sentence for “meeting and conspiring against national security.” She was sentenced by the Sentence Executive Bureau of Tehran’s Evin prison, which issued the ruling against her.

On 11 October, Roghieh (Ashraf) Nafari — a student and citizen-journalist — was sent to prison after the court sentenced her to three-months of imprisonment for “anti-government propaganda”. She was persecuted for her social media posts that were rendered inaccessible after which she was arrested by security police on March 26. Her sentence was originally four-months long, but was reduced to three months after an appeal extended to the Tehran revolutionary court.

Saudi Arabia

Nouf Abdulaziz Al Jerawi was detained by Saudi authorities on June 10, 2018. She was taken into custody for her support to Lojain Al-Hathloul, Eman Al-Nafajan, and Aziza Al-Yousef, all of whom protested against the ban on driving of women with charges of “being an enemy of the state”.

Nassima al-Sada remains detained since July 2018 without any charges or trial. She was placed in solitary confinement since early February in 2019, at the Al-Mabahith prison in Dammam.

Maha Al-Rafidi was arrested during a crackdown against activists, journalists and writers across the Kingdom on September 28, 2019. She has been kept behind bars without being sentenced since then.

Zana Al-Shahri was arrested in September 2019, after the Saudi authorities went on a spree to arrest and detain dissidents, journalists and human rights defenders. There has been no update about Zana’s fate ever since she was taken into custody.

Loujain Al-Hathloul was detained in May 2018, and has been kept behind bars by Saudi authorities. She was taken into custody for her activism related to women’s rights and human rights abuses across the kingdom.

Egypt

Esraa Abdel Fatah was arrested in October 2019. She was taken into custody in a series of arrests targeting human rights defenders, journalists, and activists after they took to the streets against el-Sisi’s regime and his luxurious lifestyle. Authorities continue to renew her detention by using coronavirus and other legal tactics as excuses to keep her confined.

Solafa Magdy has been in prison since November 2019. She, along with her husband and a lawyer, are facing charges of joining a "terrorist group", after they were detained amid a string of similar arrests in 2019. Her sentence is not yet served.

Shaima Sami, a journalist and former researcher for the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, was arrested from her home in Alexandria by the Egyptian security forces in May 2020 Her arrest came several days after other journalists in the country have also been detained and arrested for reporting on Covid-19. She has since been incarcerated with no signs of freedom in sight.

Sanaa Seif was detained on June 23. She was protesting outside the prosecutor's office, after which she was forced into a minivan and escorted to the national security prosecution office. She was interrogated for inciting protests and spreading rumors of health conditions due to COVID-19. However, the authorities did not release her.

Doaa Khalifa was arbitrarily arrested by Egyptian authorities and was thrown into the Al-Qantar prison without interrogation. Her detention renewed without being questioned or moved to court.

Turkey

Hatice Duman was arrested in July 2003. She was sentenced to life imprisonment for “managing a terrorist organization”. She appealed her case to the Court of Cassation in 2012, which was rejected.

Hanım Büşra Erdal has been behind bars since July 2016. She was sentenced to six years and three months imprisonment for being a member of an armed terrorist organization.

Ayşenur Parıldak was sent to prison in August 2016. She was arrested on charges of “membership of a terrorist organization” and was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.

Müyesser Yıldız was detained alongside TELE1 TV Ankara Representative İsmail Dükel on June 8, by Ankara Counter-Terrorism Branch of the State Police Department.

China

Journalist Gulmira Imin was arrested on charges of “Splittism, leaking state secrets, and organizing an illegal demonstration” in July 2009. She participated in a major demonstration protesting the deaths of Uighur migrant workers in Guangdong Province on July 5. Gulmira was taken into custody on July 14, after authorities alleged she had organized the protests. The court sentenced her to life imprisonment.

Atikem Rozi has been in prison since February 2014. She was detained at an undisclosed location in Xinjiang on charges of participating in alleged separatist activities led by Ilham Tohti, founder of the Xinjiang news website Uighurbiz.

Wang Shurong has been behind bars for three years and 10 months. She had been volunteering for several years as a citizen journalist with the website 64 Tianwang Human Rights Center when she was detained in February 2016.

On June 22, the family of Zhang Zhan — a citizen journalist based in Shanghai — was informed about her arrest after she was initially detained for her coronavirus reporting in May for her social media posts detailing the state of Covid-19 outbreak in China’s Wuhan city. She was earlier held by the police in the municipality’s Pudong district on “public disturbance charges” and remains detained in Shanghai. In October, CFWIJ found out about Zhang’s deteriorating health conditions after she went on strike to protest against her arbitrary arrest.

Burundi

Two women journalists from Burundi remain imprisoned after they were first detained while on a reporting assignment in October 2019. Both Agnès Ndirubusa and Christine Kamikazi were arrested in December 2019. They were eventually sentenced to two and a half years in prison and a fine of one million Burundian francs for “trying to undermine state security” in January this year.

Vietnam

Huynh Thuc Vy was sentenced in November 2018 to two years and nine months in prison on charges of defacing the country’s national flag.

Prominent human rights campaigner and writer Pham Doan Trang was arrested by the Vietnamese authorities on October 6, from her home in Ho Chi Minh City. She was charged for “conducting anti-state propaganda”, an offence that can land her inside the prison for as long as 20 years.

Cambodia

Two women journalists Long Kunthea and Phuon Keoreaksmey, and their male colleague Thon Ratha, all of whom work for the environmental website Mother Nature Cambodia, were arrested on September 3. They were placed in pre-trial detention three days later on a charge of “incitement to commit a felony or cause social unrest.” On October 20, a judge at the Appeal Court denied requests to drop their cases or grant bail, after which the journalists remain imprisoned till date.

Palestine

Bushra Al-Tawil was arrested from her house and on 16 December 2019, the Israeli Army Commander of the Central Command issued a military order to put her in administrative detention for four months with no set charges, on May 2020 her detention was extended yet again.

Syria

Tal al-Mallouhi was arrested in December 2009. On February 14, 2011, the State Security Court in Damascus convicted Al-Mallouhi of “divulging information to a foreign state.”

Philippines

Filipino journalist Frenchimae Cumpio was arrested along with four human rights activists on February 6, 2020. She was taken into custody during simultaneous raids across the Tacloban city targeting journalists and human rights activists. She remains in pretrial detention till date.

Laos

Houayheuang Xayabouly was arrested in September 2019. She posted a video on Facebook that drew attention to the government’s negligence towards the devastating floods in Champasak and Salavan. Houayheuang has been jailed on charges of “spreading propaganda against the Lao People's Democratic Republic” and “trying to overthrow the Party, state and government”. She was sentenced to five years of imprisonment and a fine of 20 million kip.

Guatemala

In the Latin American country Guatemala, Anastasia Mejía Tiriquiz — the director of the radio station Xol Abaj Radio and Xol Abaj TV — was arrested by the Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC) in Joyabaj on September 21. She was accused on charges of “sedition, attack with specific aggravations, aggravated arson and aggravated robbery”. Anastasia was taken into custody after she documented cases of corruption by the Quiché municipal authorities.

Women journalists acquitted this year

Six women journalists, who were arrested on different occasions and in different countries, were released this year. Following are the details of their arrests and release.

A few weeks ago on October 7, Narges Mohammadi — an Iranian journalist and human rights activist — was released from Zanjan prison in the wake of a reduced sentence. After serving more than eight years of her prison sentence, Narges was eventually freed following urgent calls for her release due to her pre-existing health issues and possible COVID-19 symptoms. Narges was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment on several counts including for “membership in the [now banned] Step by Step to Stop the Death Penalty” group by the Revolutionary Court of Iran in May 2016. She was locked behind bars for her work since May 2015.

Turkish journalist Hülya Kılınç was acquitted in terms of TCK 329, but was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for "publishing information and documents regarding the duties and activities of the National Intelligence Organization through the press and media". Considering the time spent in prison, the journalist was released in September this year. Hülya was arrested in March 2020 and was sued for her news article about an MIT (Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization) member who died in Libya.

Chimengul Awut, a Chinese Uighur journalist, was released on August 14 this year. She was arrested and sent to a re-education camp for her involvement in editing a novel that the Chinese government took issue with.

Sepideh Moradi, an Iranian journalist and Sufi, was released on February 8 this year. She was arrested after being subjected to physical assault during a protest gathering of Gonabadi Dervishes in Tehran’s Golestan-e Haftom Avenue, which took place on February 19 and 20 in 2018. Sepideh was imprisoned in the Qarchak Prison of Varamin and was later transferred to the Women’s Ward of Evin Prison in Tehran.

Li Zhaoxiu, a Chinese volunteer journalist for the independent human rights news website 64 Tianwang, was released on February 10, 2020. She was arrested by the Chengdu police in September 2017. She was sentenced to two years and six months in prison on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles” in August 2019.

In January this year, Vietnamese journalist Trần Thị Nga was released, after which she left the country to live in exile. She was serving a nine year prison sentence, which was due to be followed by a five year probation period. Tran, along with her husband, was arrested at their home in Phủ Lý in Ha Nam Province on January 21, 2017. She was charged for “using the internet to spread some propaganda videos and writings that are against the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”

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Women Journalists To Follow

Alexa Corse

Based in Washington D.C., Alexa Corse is a reporter at The Wall Street Journal where she focuses on voting, mail-in ballots, election security, and cybersecurity. Her in-depth reporting focused on the US elections will keep you informed about every possible detail.

Follow her work here. She tweets here.

Jane Lytvynenko

Toronto-based Jane Lytvynenko is a senior reporter for Buzzfeed News covering disinformation and online investigations. You’ll usually find her busting all the disinformation you find floating online and get you all the factual information you ought to follow, especially during these very crucial times.

Follow her work here. She tweets here.

Catherine Kim

Based in New York City, Catherine Kim is the Global Head of Digital News at NBC News and MSNBC. She is at the helm of content, editorial strategy, publishing and social for the network’s news content covering everything from politics to diversity. You’ll find her tweeting about the US elections and often busting fake news on her Twitter.

Follow her work here. She tweets here.

Briana K. Stewart

Briana Stewart is a New York based News Campaign reporter and is covering the U.S. presidential elections for ABC. Her focus on reporting the elections as a woman of color reflects in her work. From the significance of race during this monumental event to her timely updates on Twitter, Briana does it all too well.

Follow her work here. She tweets here.

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Round up of threats to women journalists

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Podcast Picks

Can He Do That?

Hosted by Washington Post’s Allison Michaels, this podcast is your best bet to understand the powers that an American president holds. For this podcast Allison speaks with Post reporters with focus on the powers and limits within which the American president runs his office. The show is currently focused on elections, the politics surrounding this crucial event and what the future holds.

Listen here.

Politically Sound

Everyday, Politically Sound gives you access to the best scoop on American politics and ongoing discussion about the elections. What’s happening in the day to day political arena to election-focused content explained in-depth encompassing its various themes, this podcast hosted by Nia-Malika Henderson and David Chalian is all you need to stay informed.

Listen here.

In the Thick

Politics can never be separated from race and this podcast is a testament to this belief. In The Thick gives you a chance to observe politics through the lens of identity and race. As people of color, hosts Maria Hinojosa and Julio Ricardo Varela discuss issues related to racial justice, which are often overlooked or played down. They initiate conversations that crucial particularly in present times.

Listen here.

The Brown Girls Guide to Politics

A’shanti F. Gholar, the founder and host of The Brown Girls Guide to Politics, brings political conversation for women of color through her podcast. From interviews to contemporary discussions, the podcast serves as a resource for women of color who want to dive deep into and analyze the world of politics.

Listen here.

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Badass Women Authors

Everything Is Figureoutable

Written by Marie Forleo, the host of the award-winning MarieTV and The Marie Forleo Podcast, this book serves as a guide to help you become a creative force. It will wire your brain to function more positively and creatively no matter how difficult the situation might seem. Deemed by many as a must-read for anyone aiming to challenge their fears and make their dreams come true, the book will convince you to believe in the idea of figuring everything out.

Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who's Been There

Tara Schuster, an accomplished entertainment executive and playwright, brings us this gem focused on teaching us the importance of self-love. Through her book, she shares the simple, everyday rituals that helped her transform her life. It teaches you how to be grateful even if you’re not experiencing the feelings of gratitude, dig for your emotional traumas and gradually work to heal them, stop limiting and criticizing yourself and start live on your own terms.

The Wrong Kind of Woman

This book, penned by Sarah McCraw Crow, revolves around the '70s-era second-wave feminist movement. It focuses on the life of Virginia, a woman who suddenly lost her professor husband to death. She later finds herself observing four unmarried women who are disdained while working at a college, which is otherwise male-dominated. In the midst of incessant threats and resistance, she stands with them to bring the women's movement to Clarendon College.

Untamed

Glennon Doyle explores the joy and peace that one finds in listening to one’s own voice.  In this intimate memoir, she uses a voice that resonant to most women who strive to be good while performing the different roles throughout their life. But how this striving leaves them overwhelmed, disappointed, weary and stagnant is something you’d find Doyle emphasizing on in her book.

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WOMEN IN JOURNALISM MAGAZINE - September Issue

Editor’s Note

Hello readers,

Hope you all are keeping well and healthy. We’re greeting you this month with the Women In Journalism Magazine’s September issue.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism interviewed two journalists - Lara Bitar from Lebanon and Wiktoria Bieliaszyn from Poland. Lara, the editor-in-chief of The Public Source spoke to our writer and researcher Rabia Mushtaq. She shared about her experience of running the independent media outlet and working on stories that matter in the midst of the crisis in Lebanon.

Our engagement coordinator Katarzyna Mierzejewska interviewed Wiktoria, who talked about the growing hope for change among Belarusians, police brutality and encountering a groundbreaking moment in the country's history.

Our focus story this month sheds light on the threats and violence that Mexican women journalists are subjected to. At least two media professionals have been murdered in the first-half of 2020. The story focuses on how the country is becoming increasingly dangerous for journalists and is obstructing press freedom day by day.

Maha Jouini writes a personal essay about her struggles of working as a freelance journalist in Tunis. Maha graduated from Tianjin University of Science and Technology and has contributed widely to Sino-African relations.

Our Women Journalist To Follow section features journalists who are leading digital media platforms and have successfully made their place within the digital media industry. Marium Chaudhry, Snigdha Sur, Deeyah Khan and Laxmi Parthasarathy are journalists you ought to follow this month.

Last month, we conducted two different campaigns focused on online harassment faced by women journalists in pakistan and around the world. Read the outcome report of both the Pakistan and Global campaigns here and here.

In September, we documented at least 54 cases of threats faced by women journalists across the world. Read our September review report to get more information on the cases we identified throughout the month.

You can also catch up with our regular sections featuring the monthly round up of cases of threats and violence against women jorunalists, CFWIJ’s monthly podcast picks and books to read.

We’re always open to feedback, suggestions and encouraging words. Please feel free to get in touch with us through press@womeninjournalism.org

Stay safe and healthy!

Kiran Nazish, Executive Editor

Rabia Mushtaq, Editor and Writer

Katarzyna Mierzejewska and Maha Jouini, Contributions

Damla Tarhan, Design

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Interview

Lara Bitar – Upholding the values of independent journalism in Lebanon

In conversation with the editor-in-chief of The Public Source

By Rabia Mushtaq

PHOTO CREDIT: LYNN CHAYA

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is notorious for its treatment of journalists. The state of press freedom in most countries across MENA has deteriorated in the last few years and continues to threaten journalists trying to do their jobs. Press and media in Lebanon are vulnerable to laws that can be weaponized against them. While a certain faction of press and media in the country is highly politicized, even divided to an extent, the individuals and platforms that value independent journalism have vowed to disseminate the truth.

Lara Bitar, editor of The Public Source — a Beirut-based independent media organization, is one such voice who fearlessly reports the often overlooked realities of Lebanon. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) spoke with Lara to understand how she runs The Public Source, the stories it delves into, the challenges faced, and the strategies required to make the platform sustainable. She also discussed the matter of accountability and governance in Lebanon amidst the on-going crises.

“Broadly, we identify as a left-leaning publication dedicated to producing quality journalism in various forms,” Lara informed us as we began our conversation. “We see The Public Source as a political project that seeks to disseminate certain ideas and perspectives on crucial issues on one hand, and uncover information on the other.  We don't report on the news; rather, we've been providing big picture analysis of the events that have been unfolding since October 17 as we work on long-form investigations.”

The media platform is based in Beirut, dedicated to reporting on socio-economic and environmental crises. Lara lets us in on the stories they cover and all that goes into its content.

“We write deeply and critically on vital issues from local perspectives. The website has an updated and rolling list of topics that we are interested in looking into, some of which include migration and displacement. On this particular topic for example, we have published a few articles on kafala — the sponsorship system. We are also very interested in tackling issues related to labor and organizing. We have published a few pieces on the role of unions, the working class, and labor-organizing in relation to the October popular uprising,” she said when speaking with CFWIJ over a call.

According to Lara, The Public Source has a small team that consists of a couple of editors, including herself, an investigative journalist, and recently recruited an editorial assistant and two interns. The platform works with many collaborators including videographers, photographers, translators, copy editors, and different types of researchers and journalists on specific stories. It has one core unit that runs the platform, in addition to several side projects. One example being their page Comictern — a platform for fictional and non-fictional comics. A few months after launching the publication, the team also began working on a series of investigative reports tackling the material effects of hegemonic structures and systems in Lebanon, which will be unveiled in the coming weeks. 

When talking about what makes The Public Source different from other media platforms in the country and the Arab world, Lara emphasized on its structure and its editorial and organizational practices. The site also features a whistleblowing platform.

“Our website has two different methods or tools that  potential whistleblowers can use — whether they work in government administrations, ministries or corporations — to send us information or documents that expose the abuse of power, or anything else that they think  is worthy of public disclosure and is in the public interest,” she shared.

Lara gave us an insight into how the platform operates, and what differentiates the organization from the otherwise traditionally operating media outlets in the country.

“We are founded on principles of non-hierarchy and mutual aid. We do not run like a traditional media organization with a top-down approach. Decision-making is shared by all of the members of the collective and reached by consensus. We do almost everything transparently, and in particular, when it comes to our sources of funding and its allocation. On that note, we are clear with our readers because we are an independent publication and it is important for our readers to know that our editorial policies and direction are guided by no one but the members of the collective,” she briefed CFWIJ about the platform’s operations and financial transparency.

She added that the funding received by The Public Source comes with no strings attached; the members of the collective are the only people who have a say in the platform’s decision-making, including those related to content.

“It is difficult to attempt to run an independent platform in this context — especially, since the media landscape in Lebanon is saturated by outlets funded by political parties with a lot of wealth, power and access. We are operating without any of those things, so even the simplest requirements of our work, like getting a filming permit, is difficult. But we continue to be committed to actualizing and embodying the values and principles on which The Public Source was founded.” Lara asserted.

When talking about the feedback the platform has received in a very short time, Lara said that the reception has been, for the most part, tremendous.

“We have received a lot of support and feedback from our readers in the different communities that have been following our work. It has been exciting because we are a newly launched publication and we are still quite far from reaching our potential, yet the reception has been generous and positive. We've been told by our readers, peers and veteran journalists that The Public Source is an urgent project, that it is needed, necessary, and timely. Readers are appreciative of the kind of work we are doing, especially on specific topics that are usually intentionally ignored; and if they are, they are usually covered in a shallow manner. So, we delve into as much depth as possible through our articles, while trying to keep our material accessible.” she mentioned.

She also discussed how The Public Source’s editorial practices cannot be compromised by funders and investors that may come with preconditions. The platform prioritized editorial liberty to stay true to their work.

“We are, for the most part, selective about where we get our funding from. We have, and continue to build, a list of criteria of who to work with and who not to. We list our funders and supporters on our platform and — for the most part, with minor exceptions — these are organizations that resemble us politically. We are an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist collective, looking at pressing issues through a feminist lens, which is evident in our body of work. While we are keenly aware of the myriad of issues that come with accepting funding from Western sources, the reality we were confronted with left us no other choice. Some of our peers are now reviving and renewing older media platforms and their funding is local, sure, but tied to establishment figures or the banking sector. We would much rather close shop than advance the agenda of someone else," she informed CFWIJ.

The platform is attempting to develop a model that would allow them to become completely sustainable and financially independent in three years.

“Whether we will be able to meet that goal or not is still unclear, but it is ultimately our aspiration to be funded by our readers. We are thinking about different models, like subscriptions and memberships. As an organization that attempts to do work in public interest, we thought that it would not be possible to do so from behind a paywall. So what we’re doing now in the first phase, is getting readers acquainted with our publication, with the quality of our work, and with the kinds of topics, material and issues that we take on,” Lara said.

She also touched upon the crisis journalism is facing and deemed that as a major hurdle for news organizations suffering all over the world.

“Newspapers and other media organizations are slashing secure jobs, shutting down permanently, or increasingly relying on the exploitation of precarious freelancers and I've been through all these experiences, as have most of the founding members of The Public Source. So when the idea for this project was being nurtured, it was first and foremost premised on the belief that we need to democratize our workplaces and, for me, that attempt is a daily practice and, again, that's why our structure is so integral to who we are and how we situate ourselves in this landscape," Lara said.

Moving on from the structural and operational systems of the platform, we then spoke with Lara about the latest article published on the site, a testimony of a person profoundly impacted by the Beirut port explosions on August 4.

At the time of the interview, Lara said the testimony, featuring a domestic worker named Doris Agbakey, was about to be updated with a more accurate reflection of her life in Beirut, adding that the Lebanese sponsorship system is very cruel for domestic workers. When Doris was initially interviewed in Beirut, she was not able to speak freely, particularly after being severely injured during the blasts that shook the city. However, once she was able to return to her home in Ghana, Doris spoke about the injustices she faced throughout her time working in Beirut.  As the editor of the publication, Lara thought of a creative way of updating the original testimony which she believes made it even more powerful.  

“I was faced with a number of options. We could have simply taken down the article and act as if nothing happened; we could have taken down the article and then republished a new one that portrayed a more truthful recounting of her life in Lebanon, or we could have left the first intact and added select excerpts from the second testimony, particularly in places that reveal deep contradictions,” Lara said, explaining that she eventually decided on the last option.

PHOTO CREDIT: LYNN CHAYA

“This will allow the readers to see the difference between Doris’s first and second accounts. Originally, Doris said she could contemplate coming back to Lebanon, but once she was back in her home country, her response was ‘hell, no. I would never come back.’ Side by side, the reader can compare and see how vast the difference is between these two testimonies,” Lara added.

With concerns regarding the fate of independent journalism across MENA, we asked Lara what it is like for The Public Source to operate as an independent platform, despite the fear of draconian laws threatening press freedom in the country.

“It is obviously in the back of my mind and we have taken some security precautions. We recently got a lawyer on-board for legal representation, if needed at some point. We continue to strengthen our digital security and, of course, we have some mechanisms in place to ensure our physical safety. We are conscious of the risks and we try to mitigate them as best we can, but we will not allow them to make us paranoid or hinder our work,” she responded.

Lara added that when The Public Source was initially conceived, the mission of the organization was precisely to "respond to this moment in particular." 

“We knew that there was going to be harsh austerity measures. We knew that the ramifications of those measures were going to be severe, we knew a  financial crisis was looming and we had, at that point, identified the need for an organization like ours...  that's why we cannot veer too far off from that initial idea, because this is essentially what the organization was founded to respond to. We were working on the establishment of the whistleblowing platform, the only in the country that's tied to a media organization, one of a handful across the region, months before October 17. So, yes, we are aware and conscious of the dangers, but we will not allow the state and its repressive tactics to stop us from doing our work,” she remarked, underlining the weaponization of laws in the country against the press.

Lack of accountability among the ruling class in Lebanon is a norm. Lara shared with us how the many issues that the country faces today are a result of the different crimes committed by those who hold some form of power in the country. She highlighted the lawlessness with examples of the environmental crimes committed regularly in Lebanon.

“A couple of days later, or maybe the day after the explosion, I don't remember exactly when it took place, there was a huge fire next to my place. I’m not sure whose decision it was but they took a lot of the garbage and the debris including glass, metal and different types of material then dumped in a valley, which later caught fire. This is just to give you a sample of the crimes, carried out every single day and no one ever faces any repercussions,” she informed us.

Lara shared that even though the press informs the public and exposes problem areas within the country, there is no accountability, which makes it difficult for justice to prevail.

“Despite its limitations and political affiliations, the press in Lebanon is still very strong. But merely informing the public of wrongdoing is not enough. It doesn’t matter how much you expose these criminals and thugs, nothing happens. Some journalists are doing excellent work but there is no one at all to pass the torch to. No independent judiciary, no real revolutionary forces. They are only one link in a long chain required to attain some form of justice, but everything comes to a halt at the moment of exposure. There is scandal after scandal every single day and people are unfazed by them at this point, and understandably so. Corruption is not a symptom of a deficient system that needs to be reformed. Corruption is the system… so what we need right now is its radical overhaul,” Lara commented.

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Violence threatens women journalists in Mexico, obstructs journalism

By Rabia Mushtaq

Photo credit: Miguel Tovarfor

Femicide, drugs cartels, corruption, violence and organized crime — a few keywords that have taken hold of Mexico. The country, despite its vibrant culture and rich indigenous history, has become infamous for its violence. While life in Mexico is relatively affordable, it is overshadowed by the cost of criminal groups and drugs lords.  Simply being a woman adds another layer of vulnerability.

At least 645 women were killed between January and August this year. The Mexican government recorded at least a 2.2 percent rise in gender-based killings of women in 2020, as compared to 2019, as stated in a report by the Executive Secretary of the National Public Security System. Sexual assaults also increased by 57 percent. However, these statistics were disputed by activists who suggested the number of gender-based homicides could be higher than reported.

While the state of security is already bleak for women in Mexico, it becomes increasingly difficult if they are journalists, especially those who report on politics, crime, corruption, and lawlessness in the country.

Press freedom is a luxury for journalists in Mexico. At least six people working in the country’s press and media industry have been killed this year, including four male and two female professionals.

Itzel Aguilera, a documentary photographer based in Ciudad Juárez, stated that it is not exclusively a gender issue, as even male journalists are at a higher risk of being killed over their work.

“Murders of male journalists such as Armando Rodríguez Carreón in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua (2008) or Javier Valdés in Culiacán, Sinaloa (2017) were also rampant in the country. In journalism, it is not just a question of gender,” she said.

Photo credit: Associated Press

Julio Valdivia, a crime reporter working near Oaxaca State’s rural zone, was found dead and decapitated in Veracruz this past September. He was reporting on gang warfare in the area for El Mundo de Veracruz. This chilling murder served as a message to anyone who dared to uncover the organized crimes taking place in the country. Pablo Morrugares was killed in August, Jorge Miguel Armenta Ávalos was murdered in May and Víctor Fernando Álvarez Chávez was found decapitated in April this year.

Mariana Martínez Esténs, an independent multimedia journalist based in Tijuana, said that Veracruz is one of the most dangerous places to work as a journalist. State and local politicians — including the governor — have openly and aggressively painted the press as the enemy, in attempts to silence them.

“Some of the media is bought by the federal and state government and politicians, in general. If all of the media is praising the governor, then someone who does not, stands out more, becomes a nuisance and eventually remains vulnerable to attacks,” she said.

Among the women, Teresa Aracely Alcocer Carmona and Maria Elena Ferral Hernández were murdered in February and March, respectively. Chihuahua based Teresa aka Barbara Greco was an announcer for an astrology segment on a radio show at La Poderosa, while long-time journalist Maria was the co-founder of El Quinto Poder — a local news website based in Papantla, Veracruz.

Maria was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle in broad daylight on March 30. She was known for her reporting on corruption, crime and the police. She wrote a weekly column — titled Polaca Totonaca (Politics of Totonaca) — on her website. Before being killed, Maria wrote about the murders of four potential mayoral candidates in Gutiérrez Zamora — a town known as a prized territory for criminal groups.

She was shot three times with rounds that caused excessive bleeding and eventually succumbed to her injuries. Reports later suggested that her killing was a result of her profession. Her killers remain at large.

Teresa, on the other hand, was reportedly killed for her views on violence against women and children in Mexico, particularly in relation to the killing of a seven-year-old girl in Mexico City. Teresa was shot by a group of gunmen, who opened fire as she stood with her father outside her home on February 19. They immediately fled the scene and are yet to be apprehended.

Photo credit: Anadolu Agency

“In the case of María, it is evident that it was a direct constant persecution and intimidation. Teresa was murdered after she condemned a girl’s murder, just like many women do. We all show solidarity and condemnation. We should not lose sight of the fact that in Mexico they are killing ‘us’ whether or not we are journalists, artists, or activists,” Itzel said.

Itzel further added that women journalists are at a greater risk of being killed for their journalistic work. She highlighted some of the incidents from the past including Lydia Cacho’s case, as she had to leave the country following threats and intimidation.

“In 2019, assailants entered her house and murdered her dogs. It was a way to show her that she could be killed too. Regina Martínez was also murdered in 2012 for her investigative journalism,” Itzel shared.

Mariana, on the other hand, highlighted that both women spoke against the machista culture in Mexico.

“It is fascinating and sad that both of these women had very different paths, but they coincide when they’re talking against the machista culture and violence against women,” she said when commenting on the two murders.

Almost two months later, María Fernanda de Luna Ferral — Maria’s daughter — was attacked by gunmen in Gutiérrez Zamora. She was subjected to this physical attack after her car came under fire by attackers while she was on her way to Xalapa. de Luna luckily survived the attacks after her bodyguards — provided by the state of Veracruz — resisted the attack with equal force. She was known to have taken over the reins of her mother’s publication after her assassination. de Luna was also provided a supervised residence in Xalapa since the beginning of April, following threats to her life.

“There are many interests involved, so if a family member wants to continue with the investigation, their lives will also be at risk. As long as there is impunity in this country, murders will continue to silence the voice of those who denounce these crimes,” Itzel opined.

Mariana said that family members of those disappeared, murdered and attacked take it upon themselves to fight for justice.

“This is not only true for journalists. Usually the families of those murdered and disappeared remain in great danger. A lot of them flee their hometowns and states, only to have their lives completely destroyed because they are left without any protection,” Marina observed.

According to The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ), at least nine cases of threats and violence against women journalists have been documented from January to September. These are the cases that the CFWIJ found through various sources including news websites.  Many such incidents do not even make it to news, considering how often women are threatened for speaking up against their perpetrators. They are vulnerable to murders, impediments and attacks both in the field and within newsrooms. They are sexually harassed and also intimidated with violence.

Mariana said that while working as a journalist in Mexico is already dangerous, this vulnerability is exacerbated for women.

“We are more vulnerable to danger because of our gender,” she said, while emphasizing that the real danger starts in the newsroom, where harassment or dismissal of women reporters is very common.

“You are overseen by your bosses, who choose a male reporter to do certain reports and topics. If you are a mother, you are not considered reliable and become less hirable. When we go out on the streets, we find sources that sexualize and harass us. Drug cartels use sexual violence on their victims, including journalists," she stated.

Photo credit: Hector Quintanar for AFP

Many of the attacks on women journalists are often portrayed as cases of domestic violence in the media. This provides criminals an escape from being investigated and punished for their possible involvement in these crimes. In most cases, family members of these journalists are also at risk of being persecuted.

“This argument about domestic violence or dispute is a way to lessen the number of attacks against journalists. When big international organizations are trying to document the attacks against journalists, whether they are men or women, the latter is mostly tried to be kept off the list in the guise of domestic violence,” Mariana said, adding that there is a lot to gain for criminal groups when an attack on a woman journalist is dismissed and linked with their private life.

Women journalists are time and again subjected to different types of threats and discrimination, regardless of whether these attacks are linked to their journalistic work or not.

In February 11, Julia Santín of news website Los Llanos del Sotaviento, was attacked by members of the Fuerza Civil who hurled death threats at her and her colleague while they were reporting a protest in Ciudad Isla. Edna López, a reporter or A Título Personal, was also threatened by a Fuerza Civil policeman, who held a gun at her head during the coverage of the same protest.

Lucy del Carmen Sosa — an El Dario reporter and co-founder of the Network of Journalists of Juarez — was subjected to discriminatory behavior by Javier Corral Jurado, the Governor of Chihuahua, after he refused to respond to her questions during a press conference held on February 17 and 24, respectively. She then filed a complaint against him for violation of her rights to information.  Later, it was reported that authorities visited her office under dubious circumstances, while she was away on leave.

Isabel González, a journalist working for Grupo Imagen, was openly threatened by a male journalist earlier this year. Self-proclaimed journalist and vlogger Paul Velázquez verbally attacked Isabel and said, “I hope they shot her”. Even though he later apologized for his threatening remarks followed by criticism on social media, the damage was already done.

Isabel denounced this "act of hatred and incitement to violence" against her during a conference at the National Palace in March. She addressed President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at one of his regular morning conferences and requested protection from the Interior Ministry. Instead of taking her plea seriously, the president offered her ‘hugs’.

In June this year, Baja California Governor Jaime Bonilla discredited the work of Aline Corpus — a journalist and member of the Mexicali Journalists Network — during a press conference. She had reported a story about local authorities concealing actual figures related to Covid-19 cases.

Legal threats are also another dilemma for women journalists in Mexico. On September 12, journalist Carmen Olsen — a journalist in Baja California State, who investigates acts of corruption committed by the police chief of Rosarito — was charged with a six-month prison sentence for alleged offenses made to municipal policemen in 2013.

Miroslava Breach, a journalist who worked as a correspondent for national newspaper La Jornada and regional newspaper Norte de Juarez, was gunned down outside her home in Chihuahua on March 23, 2017. Her reporting was focused on human rights, corruption, organized crime and drug trafficking. Her murderer, Juan Carlos Moreno Ochoa aka El Larry, was sentenced to 50 years in prison in August this year.

Last year was also scarred by the brutal killing of journalist Norma Sarabia, as well as male journalists. Norma worked for a local newspaper Tabasco Hoy and was shot dead in the south-east city of Tabasco on June 12. To this date, her culprits have not been caught or punished. At the very least, these women journalists deserve justice.

“Those restricting press freedom in Mexico are criminal groups who hold power in certain sectors. Journalists, who hinder the interests of these mafia or criminal groups through their work, are killed,” she commented.

Mariana, too, echoed Itzel’s words in relation to different dangers that journalists face in Mexico.

“The current president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been very critical of the media for their reporting on his government. Whoever questions him, his policies and politics is labeled as an enemy of the public good… This allows other enemies of the press to feel that somebody has their back. Therefore, they can attack the press more freely. We’re surrounded by all sides and remain in a ring of fire at this moment,” Mariana lamented about the worsening state of security for journalists in Mexico.

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Interview

“Telling a story is crucial” — Wiktoria Bieliaszyn

Polish journalist talks about the growing hope for change among Belarusians, police brutality and encountering a groundbreaking moment in the country's history

By Katarzyna Mierzejewska

Wiktoria Bieliaszyn is a Polish journalist, specializing in Eastern Europe, who spent almost a month in Belarus covering the ongoing protests. “I hope I can come back soon. I need to come back soon” she says.

Wiktoria prepares news updates, reports and interviews for the most prominent Polish media outlets such as Gazeta Wyborcza, Tygodnik Powszechny, Tygodnik Polityka and Magazyn Pismo. She has spoken to representatives of Belarusian opposition, including Maria Kolesnikova and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, as well as human rights activists and the many individuals who feel the time has finally come to say “enough”. 

“My goal was to depict the present social and political landscape in Belarus, as accurately as possible. I wanted my pieces to reflect the current spirit that is flowing through the people. It was crucial to put into words the level of motivation that pushes Belarusians to consistently continue to protest” she reveals. Wiktoria admits that the power and strength that resonates among the citizens is unprecedented. Even though the country has encountered protests following previous controversial elections, they by no means compare to what is happening now. This is undoubtedly a historic example of widespread mobilization in Belarus.

Wiktoria successfully reached the places meant to be kept from the public eye. Where the access was denied not only to citizens, but also —perhaps even especially— to foreign correspondents. The regime has been persistent in their effort to impede a leak of information that could paint the authorities in a bad light and expose their uncompromising behavior towards peacefully protesting citizens.

One of such places is the infamous prison in Minsk, Okrestina (Akrescina in Belarusian).  “Director of the Centre for Human Rights Protection openly told me that the brutal incidents in the prison can surely be described as crimes against humanity. People have been beaten and tortured. Detainees have been exposed to both mental and physical abuse. Although most of the victims are men, women also suffer. Numerous heroines of my articles were threatened to be raped with police batons. We now know that many women were, in fact, raped” describes Wiktoria. All because Belarusians dare to protest a rigged vote.

Being surrounded by the shocking level of violence that emanates from Okrestina is very challenging, even as a mere observer.  Journalists covering the protest in Belarus have quickly realized that their press badge may not protect them from police brutality.

“Current protests in Minsk are a very difficult environment to work in. Not only for me but also for more experienced journalists. We were on the front line, making us targeted by OMON. Law enforcement agencies wanted to prevent us from conducting our research freely and presenting the situation truthfully. They created obstacles to ensure that fewer people abroad would see how the protests look from the inside — how they tackle social uprising and how they really treat people” mentions Wiktoria.

It’s despicable yet understandable from a certain point of view. Free press is a natural enemy of any authoritarian regime.

Wiktoria admits that although she is now back in Warsaw, her mind has stayed in Minsk. “I saw a lot of hope but also a lot of violence. A man died close to where I was working one evening. It is a lot, though I don’t want to sound like a heroine” she confirms but quickly adds that she could not imagine a different job, especially after what she has experienced there.

“I now realize more than ever that journalism entails a high risk. We need reporters in such situations, we need access to information. Indeed, the fragility of life strikes me, and I reflect on how I put myself in danger.  At the same time, there is no alternative for journalists who love their job and are committed to it. I absolutely understand and respect those who choose different paths. I surely know now which one is mine”.

Wiktoria did not go easy on herself, wanting to be the first in even the most uncertain hotspots.  By seeing everything personally, she ensures her testimony can be valuable and authentic to the audience. Witnessing the massive social movement in Belarus has shaped her perception on journalism: “I wanted to show how far the authorities can go to protect their position in power. And they can do a lot” – she says and continues “This job helps me to understand the mechanisms that support the state apparatus. I can verify information and try to prevent disinformation from spreading, for instance, by repudiating fake news in conversations with people”.

Does she ever get scared? “Yes, I did get scared, moreover I let myself be scared. This is a lesson I took from my colleagues who have more experience in the field. However, the key is to not allow stress to take power over you. Feeling it is normal and human, but you need to stay focused while, of course, keeping your own safety in mind. I have doubts, but I stay motivated. I know I both want and have to do it” she explains.

Wiktoria frequently visits Russia and covers the violations of human rights there; she is no stranger to the abuse of power and widespread suppression of political opposition. She admits that such events mark their influence and stay with her. “I strongly oppose injustice and I can’t remain passive. People who are innocent and unarmed take to the streets to fight for freedom, not to cause harm.  In return they are hurt, even killed, and their rights are violated. I feel like we cannot let this topic become forgotten, dismissed. Belarusians value the presence of the media. They want to be heard, they want their stories featured in foreign news for the world to see and acknowledge their reality. They don’t want to be left alone” Wiktoria enumerates.

Protests in Belarus have already been announced by many as a “feminist revolution”. Wiktoria agrees that women play a fundamental role in the current anti-government movement. “One of my longer reads is completely devoted to Belarusian women. I do agree that this movement has a female face. Not only literally in the figure of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, but in the numerous inspiring women who attend the protests daily. They regularly organize solidarity actions, they wear white dresses —the colour emblematic of innocence and peace. Women are fearless, they encounter OMON with confidence and try to release men from officers’ hands. As Belarus is still deeply rooted in patriarchy, men are motivated, even feeling obliged to join women on the streets, thinking: when our women are aiming to overthrow the dictator, we can’t be worse!” explains Wiktoria.  

The patriarchal mindset, deeply imprinted in social structure, sometimes means that women experience slightly better treatment, especially when it comes to direct confrontation with forces in the crowd. However, Wiktoria emphasizes that OMON has used violence towards people throughout the country, a well-established systematic strategy. She was detained herself —“Due to so-called patriarchal customs I was released quite quickly, just in time for my flight back to Poland. I was lucky that it happened after the peak of violence. If I had been detained earlier, they would have probably had me deported. I can only wonder what would have happened in the prison.” she reveals.

She had another encounter with police units fresh after arrival in Minsk. “I was coming back home in the middle of the night after covering the protest. Suddenly, I saw a white bus packed with OMON officers in black uniforms, faces covered, who immediately ran to the street from the vehicle. That day I had already escaped OMON once and now I was just too tired to do so. One of them grabbed my arm and stopped me. I decided to speak English and pretend to be a naïve tourist, unaware of my surroundings. It worked. He let me go and started chasing other people who decided to run at that very moment.”

It wasn’t the last time she was approached by the officers. It also happened a few days prior to her departure. “I was about to go to Freedom Square with a Belarusian friend who was showing me around in the city. Luckily, I didn’t have a press badge nor a passport, just a confirmation of the flight on my phone. They stopped us but we were able to leave freely”. On that day Wiktoria also found out that OMON was under orders to stay away from women and focus on men.

Wiktoria repeated on various occasions how valuable the support from other journalists was.

 “Colleagues who were more experienced in the field, familiar with such work conditions, always helped me estimate the real danger of certain situations. Yet the motivation to document these events remained strong. Every journalist who is attached to the story, not indifferent, will find energy to continue doing his job. Telling a story is crucial. We don’t need special spurs, maybe just psychological support. I still don’t know how my body and mind will deal with the aftermath of what I saw, heard and experienced” she admitted.  

Wiktoria’s support system was not limited to comrades from the industry. She shared how much good energy and hospitality she received from Belarusians themselves. “People who had never met me before, never heard of me, came and offered help with no hesitation. My laptop had broken and some people lent me theirs for two weeks. They never checked if I was who I claimed to be. They simply asked me to write and publish stories from their country, so the world can grasp what is happening in Minsk” – she adds with gratitude.

The protest is surely fueled by the immense energy of the young generation, yet it’s not limited to them. “73-year old Nina Marginska takes part in every single demonstration. She strongly believes that the time for young people has come and they understand what freedom should look like.  The older generations should listen to them” – describes Wiktoria.

Wiktoria is glad that Belarus has finally been making headlines in the largescale media. She is aware though, that its peak may be soon over and interest in Belarus will slowly fade away. “I am familiar with media specificity and I am concerned that soon the international community will get used to ongoing demonstrations and the whole movement will cease to exist in people’s minds. We cannot let this happen. On a purely human level we should be mindful and engaged” – she concludes.

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Between economic fragility and societal violence — this is how I live as a freelance journalist in Tunis

By Maha Jouini

I start my day with a cup of coffee placed in front of my laptop. Then I send proposals to websites and Arab magazines, anticipating their acceptance, with hopes to make some money through that work to pay for my internet subscription and purchase new sneakers that fit public transportation.

Even though I am fluent in more than three languages and have several academic certificates, I do not have a fixed salary or work certificate or social insurance or even a document that proves my profession as a journalist. Why? Because I am a freelancer. After I finished my Master’s degree from China’s Tianjin University, I began writing for media outlets and then began the waiting game.

Every time I write something, I wait for the remuneration to be transferred to my bank, which would only arrive after three months or more. By the time the payment arrives, I am already on the verge of a nervous breakdown, anxiety, and sometimes, even shame and guilt. I am often unable to face my mother, whom I left to study abroad, and promised her that I will earn a respectable certificate in technology and Artificial Intelligence. While I came back with my certificate, there was no job that I could boast about. I could barely look into her eyes.

My limited financial capacity makes me feel weak and helpless in front of my mother. Whenever I write about women’s rights in Tunis and support the LGBTQ community, Defaming campaigns and attacks by former regime supporters in Tunisia, as well as online harassment and calls for physical attacks against me take pace. These, however, do not kill me. But my mother's questions about my future kill me every single time.

I try to gather strength, keep my head high and tell her what the famous Egyptian poet Ahmed Fouad Negm said: “This byline is mine and these words are mine.”

But while I speak, she intervenes and questions about the impact of the work on my health. She says, “You stand for so long holding the camera. What about your swollen feet? Your back is now almost bent by writing all the time. What about your medicine?”

Writing about freedom in Arabic is like standing in the midst of a wartime battle. This is how you get strokes that explode the ground beneath you and call for ravens to eat your body. Just like what these online insects do to our reputation, damage our lives and hold trials in the name of honor, national sovereignty and religion.

Writing freely made me swing between economic fragility and marginalization like the groups I picked to defend.  Since 2012, I have been writing about my Amazigh ancestors and blogging under my Amazigh name, which has deprived me of many privileges. I still remember the Arabic platform that refused to publish my articles, only because I am proud of my Amazigh identity.

I can also write in English and French, but I always feel like Arabic letters are carved inside me like the Amazigh letters tattooed on my aunt's arm that she still has not erased, even though religious leaders told her it is not acceptable.

To be a freelance journalist is being starved while standing in a long line of social support, without an identity that proves your affiliation to the profession and without a bank account and some balance in there to fall back on for financial stability. A freelance journalist is a fighter without identity. I am one.

Maha Jouini

Maha Jouini is a Tunisian author and journalist. She graduated from Tianjin University of Science and Technology and has contributed widely to Sino-African relations. Currently she is working as Communication assistant at Arab Institute for Human Rights. She has previously worked as a media coordinator in the African Union campaign to end child marriage in Africa and was based in Ethiopia from late 2014 to 2017. The Maghreb Voices platform named her as the personality of the year in 2018 for her major role as a social media influencer. She is one of the most prominent human rights defenders in the Arab region, particularly around the rights of indigenous peoples such as the Kurds, Nubians, and Amazigh. In her many publications and television appearances, she has championed the rights of these peoples to preserve their heritage. She has received many honours and participated in international conferences on women’s and indigenous people’s issues.

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Women journalists you should follow

Snigdha Sur

Snigdha Sur is the founder and chief executive officer of The Juggernaut - a premium publication that focuses on stories related to South Asia and also highlights the stories on global  South Asian diaspora. Snigdha’s platform has provided South Asians across the world to share their voices in a way that encourages discourse on relevant matters. Their take is simple and engaging, especially for millennials, who are looking to learn about the region through diverse content.

She tweets here.

Marium Chaudhry

Marium Chaudhry is the founder of The Current - a digital media platform focused on politics, entertainment and lifestyle news from Pakistan and beyond. Her past experiences of working as a journalist in Pakistan are reflective of the work her platform does, all while keeping up with wokeness to engage with digital-friendly audiences. Through her platform, Marium has transformed the way youth in Pakistan is participating in political and social discourse.

She tweets here.

Deeyah Khan

Deeyah Khan is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. She is the founder of Fuuse - a media company, and sister-hood - a digital magazine. Deeyah has won the Emmys and Peabody awards for her 2012 film Banaz: A Love Story. Her 2017 documentary Jihad: A Story of the Others also got her nominated for the BAFTA, Grierson and Monte-Carlo Television Festival. While Deeyah’s magazine spotlights the voices of women of Muslim heritage.

She tweets here.

Laxmi Parthasarathy

Laxmi Parthasarathy is the Chief Operating Officer of the Global Press Journal - an award-winning news publication. Global operations of every Global Press brand is led by her and she has been diligently heading the expansion and sustainability plans for the publication around the world. Laxmi is known for her prowess at managing initiatives involving media and development in different countries around the world.

She tweets here.

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Round up of threats to women journalists in September

CFWIJ documented at least 54 cases of threats and violence against women journalists in September. Following are some of the most prominent cases of the month.

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Podcast Picks

The Tip Off

The Tip Off allows you to explore the best works in investigative journalism. In every episode, they speak with journalists who have worked on an investigative scoop and take you behind the scenes of their process. The way these journalists put their detective skills to use and reach their ultimate goal of getting the scoop out for the world to see is something that you can look forward to.

Listen here.

The Writers’ Co-op

Hosted by freelance experts Wudan Yan and Jenni Gritters, The Writers’ Co-op is a business podcast for anyone interested in understanding the freelance industry. From finding clients to managing time and from handling different assignments at a time to getting fairly paid, the podcast is your one-stop solution to everything you’ve ever wanted to learn as a freelance writer or journalist.

Listen here.

It's All Journalism

Produced in partnership with the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, It’s All Journalism is focused on changing the state of media. Michael O'Connell and Nicole Ogrysko invite journalists and ask them about the work they do, while also discussing latest trends in the industry and its impact on America’s democratic society.

Listen here.

The Mobile Storytelling Podcast

Hosted by MoJo pros Wytse Vellinga and Björn Staschen, The Mobile Storytelling Podcast is your go-to guide to everything you need to know about mobile journalism. They offer you the best advice on how to pull off your journalistic stories in the palm of your hands, especially during a time when you are working from home.

Listen here.

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Badass women authors

A World Between

Emily Hashimoto writes about two college-going teenage girls who meet in an elevator. The girls are nearing adulthood with massive ideas, get gripped into a romance and eventually separate. After several years, they both meet again on the streets of San Francisco. Both have grown up, changed and are joined with their partners. Theis debut novel by Emily is perfectly narrated focusing on two women who are different yet interconnected as they try to manage their families, friendship and their own romantic past.

Why Should I Tell You?: A Guide to Less-Extractive Reporting

Written by Natalie Yahr - a fellow at the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Journalism Ethics, this is a guide you’ve been waiting for to help with all your reporting woes. Comprising 12 rules to make reporting more useful for reporters and their interviewees, this guidebook also focuses on communications with sources, being aware of boundaries, and introducing inclusivity to the editorial process.

Afterland

This eerily prophetic plot by Lauren Beukes is set in the aftermath of a pandemic that kills the world’s male population. Cole’s son is one of the last males left on the planet and the mother-son duo are on the run. While it follows a peculiar sci-fi, dystopian and apocalyptic storyline, the book is a relatable read given how the world has spent most of this year amidst a global pandemic.

Transcendent Kingdom

This is a follow-up novel to Yaa Gyasi’s debut work Homegoing, which focuses on a family from Ghana that now resides in Alabama. Gifty, a member of this Ghanian household, is a PHd student at Stanford. Through the lens of neuroscience, she struggled to understand her family’s experience concerning addiction and loss. Yaa interweaves religion, love and science together, and turns it into an emotional tale.

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WOMEN IN JOURNALISM MAGAZINE - August Issue

Editor’s Note

Hello readers,

As we're reading about the fluctuating cases of Covid-19 around the world, we hope you're all staying safe, healthy, and wearing a mask when stepping out.

We come back with our latest issue of Women In Journalism Magazine. Our August issue features interviews of two journalists - Ghada Alsharif from Lebanon and Jendella Benson from the UK. While Ghada tells us all about her reporting post-explosions in Beirut, Jendella sheds light on her editorial work at online website Black Ballad.

The magazine's focus story this month highlights the chilling effects of Hong Kong's National Security Law. We talk to some of the local women journalists about the impact of the law on press freedom and how it'll effect their own reporting.

Our Turkey coordinator Damla Tarhan writes about the benefits of yoga and meditation, and how journalists can take some time out to relax themselves in the midst of their chaotic work schedules.

In August, we documented at least 81 cases of threats faced by women journalists across the world. Our monthly review report reflects the astonishing situation of press freedom in Belarus, the devastating impact of explosions on journalists based in Beirut, and Pakistani women journalists' campaign against online harassment, along with the many cases of threats and violence identified during the month. You can follow these crucial stories from this month on our dedicated in-focus web-pages on Belarus, Lebanon and Pakistan.

In our 'Women Journalists To Follow' section, we feature four journalists from Beirut who have been reporting the aftermath of the blasts, the protests that have ensued, Lebanon's tumultuous politics and state of governance amidst the turmoil. Find more them in this month's issue.

Scroll through our regular sections providing a round up of prominent cases, podcast picks and books to read this month.

Have some feedback, suggestions or words of encouragement? Write to us on press@womeninjournalism.org

Cheers!

Kiran Nazish, Executive Editor
Rabia Mushtaq, Editor and Writer
Damla Tarhan, Design and contribution

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Interview

Ghada Alsharif - On witnessing the Beirut port devastation and its aftermath

By Rabia Mushtaq

On August 4, around eight minutes after the clock struck six in the evening, Beirut witnessed one of the most horrific explosions in its history. The city was left devastated after 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate blew off in Hanger 12 of its port area. It remained lying there without any safety measures in place since 2014. More than 180 people died, thousands were injured and over 300,000 were left homeless as a result of the blasts. The explosions shook Beirut, but also left the world in shock, as the day, and the destruction caused by the blasts, will forever remain etched in one’s memories.

Four days after the catastrophic explosions, Lebanese citizens took to the streets to condemn their government's negligence, same as they did amidst the country’s worsening economic crisis in October 2019. However, this time around, it was suppressed by the authorities after they imposed a state of emergency. The explosions, the protests, and the Lebanese government’s resignation were events that ensued one by one. Beirut is currently in the process of picking up its pieces after the devastation, while the country’s authorities have been failing to serve the interests of its people.

Following all these events that have yet again brought Lebanon in the spotlight, The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) reached out to Ghada Alsharif, a Saudi-Palestinian journalist based in Beirut. Ghada works for The Daily Star Lebanon - one of the most prominent news outlets in the country - in its Beirut office. We spoke to her over a Zoom call to understand the on-the-ground situation in the city, how she has been reporting the events in its aftermath and changes observed in the local, political dynamics, particularly as a result of the devastation that Lebanese people have endured in the past month. When we spoke with Ghada over a call, she was trying to chase a story about the cleanup in the city. “You think it’s going to slow down a bit, but then it never does,” she said when talking about the series of events that have unfolded in the country ever since the blasts.

On the day of the explosions, Ghada was working in her office as usual. She immediately dropped on the floor after the blasts jolted the entire city and wreaked havoc.

“The whole office shook, the glass exploded, parts of the ceiling fell, desks, papers and almost everything turned over. I never really lived through anything like this. It definitely shook me up,” Ghada said when speaking with CFWIJ.

She added that despite so much destruction around her, she remained safe. However, the mental toll left her shaken for days after the blasts. Ghada said that she instantly ducks and freezes after hearing any loud noise. The Daily Star Lebanon’s office was severely damaged and Ghada posted a video on Twitter showing the significant devastation in her office after the blasts. While neither Ghada nor her colleagues were physically injured, the paper’s doorman sustained a minor head injury.

“It does take its toll though. When we immediately went outside the building, we looked around trying to figure out what had happened. Around 10 minutes later, I realized that I need to write on this now,” she shared.

Ghada ran back into the building to get back to work and saw that her editor-in-chief did not leave the building at all. She immediately started typing, sitting in the damaged office, where the internet was surprisingly still working, despite the destruction. Ghada was engrossed in her work and detached from what had happened to report all the information. But much later, she realised that her house, located in Beirut’s Gemmayzeh locality, could have been damaged following the explosions, as it was one of the most impacted areas in the city, given its proximity to the port. The area, as told by Ghada, has several restaurants, bars and cafes. It is also residential. She ran to her place to get her valuables from the apartment, which indeed as she found out, was destroyed.

“When I was walking through Gemmayzeh, I saw people carrying those who were critically injured. They were emerging from under the houses and cars. I ran home and grabbed my stuff. The structure of the house itself was still standing, but the electricity had completely gone off. My front door was completely blown off and the windows were damaged. I walked into my kitchen and it looked like I was standing outside. To go into my room, I had to crawl under the doors that had blown off from the door frames. Then I grabbed my passport, money and everything I could think about, and rushed back to the office,” she said when explaining the scenes she witnessed while visiting her neighbourhood and the apartment.

Photo Credit: Reuters

Ghada shared that after the explosions, all the reporters in her office worked for 12-15 days straight, with very little time to process what had happened.

“Most journalists in Beirut had a similar experience. We just had to keep getting the information out, keep going until something is solved here,” she said and added, “Other than that, I’m okay. I am one of the luckiest people. I’m physically okay and staying with a friend. It could have been so much worse. Other than the work-related stress, I’m doing okay,” she repeatedly said, informing CFWIJ about her safety.

However, knowing that one can never be safe in a country where the government is so negligent, leaves one fearful about the vulnerability of their life. We asked Ghada if she ever feels the same and whether the fear would ever make her leave the city, where she has been residing and working for the past two years.

“I’m human, I do of course worry about my security after this explosion. It is 100% still a thought that lingers in my head of what else could go wrong, after seeing the negligence that happened and wondering what else is hiding beneath the surface that we don’t know about. But as a reporter, I see it as my job to continue reporting. I treat Beirut as my home, and while the security situation is a lingering fear, the idea of leaving because of that has not crossed my mind — no. I wouldn’t leave because I was scared. As a reporter, I have to put that to one side and keep going. My fears are probably the same as anyone’s who has lived through something like this,” she said.

The protest, which erupted a few days after the blasts, has become one of the most unforgettable in the country’s history. The world witnessed the most powerful and moving images from Beirut. People were angry, and rightly so.

“Thousands of people gathered at the Martyrs' Square, which was the epicenter of the October 17 revolution where we saw things first kick off last year. People gathered there again five days after the blast. Uber drivers and shop owners, even the day before the days leading up to that Saturday, said ‘Just wait until Saturday’, ‘wait until you see what happens’, ‘you’ve never seen it before’. It was true. Saturday came and they called it the Judgment Day' protests, which became the most popular name given to a protest among others,” Ghada said.

“I remember speaking to a woman who said that in October we wanted them (authorities) to leave, but now we want them (authorities) to hang. I still had not seen the level of anger, up until that day. People were trying to regain whatever semblance of power they had in that moment for the lives that had been lost. At least 180 people died, over 7,000 were injured by the explosion. It was embarrassing and humiliating for them because they did not even receive an apology from the authorities nor an explanation for why that happened,” she shared her experience of speaking with people on the ground.

Ghada compared the 2019 demonstrations with the recent ones, yet emphasizing that rage she witnessed among the protestors now, has intensified to a massive extent.

“During the 2019 protests, the majority of protestors would start leaving if tear gas and rubber bullets were thrown at them, while some would stay. This time no one moved. People would move a little, but the crowd stayed. Even though really upsetting and sad, it was incredible to see those scenes. There was an element of ‘enough’. People had lit a couple of ministries on fire that day, which we hadn’t seen before. They lit a massive construction truck on fire. There was a lot of anger and people were saying enough is enough,” she said.

Two days after the protests, the Lebanese government stepped down. Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned, following a number of resignations from his cabinet of ministers. However, it has not calmed people down, as they do not find Diab’s administration completely responsible for everything that has happened in the country. Instead they blame the previous government for all the mess. This way Ghada explained to us the broader context of current social unrest. 

After the explosions, it was difficult to spot any signs of governance in Lebanon. However, the country’s President Michel Aoun decided not to step down to avoid a ‘power vacuum’. We asked Ghada about her observations of the situation, given the local and political dynamics.

“When you talk about the power vacuum, you talk about individuals who have been in power for decades - and their grip on power is unbelievably strong. We saw a revolution happen on October 17. It was massive, nationwide, and he (the President) did not step down. These guys - whom the public sees as responsible for the blasts and for everything just the way the country is going - have been in place since the Lebanese Civil War. Lebanese people do not know where to even begin when trying to get them down. Citizens have protested, lit things on fire, got blown up and still the political system is in place. There is helplessness among the Lebanese, because they don’t know what the solution is,” Ghada said.

She further added that a lot of people - not all - would like is to see an overhaul of the entire sectarian, political system, which they perceive as the main issue, the core of the problems right now, which is negligence and corruption. Ghada said that it’s just that the systemic corruption and negligence has been epitomized in a way by the explosions.

According to a popular belief, Beirut - as symbolized by the phoenix - will rise again. The city has been through so many disasters, yet it somehow manages to get back on its feet. We asked Ghada what she thinks about the damage that the explosions have done to Beirut, how it will be assessed and if the city will rebuild again, as we have already seen the community coming together to help one another during the recent destruction.

Photo Credit: Anwar Amro for AFP

“It’s a tough thing to assess. A lot of people who have found other places to stay and might be able to patch up their homes, don’t really want to go back because of trauma, as they saw the destruction to their buildings and it is not safe enough to live inside them following the explosions. Following the government's lack of response to the explosions and devastation, people can see that they are on their own and have to clean up this mess without any assistance,” she said.

Ghada informed us that a lot of the immediate response came from volunteers in Beirut and even those coming from outside the city. She shared that they came to pick up a broom to sweep up the glass and debris. A lot of foreign aid arrived. NGOs and grassroots initiatives mobilized people to help clean, and also to distribute food and clothes.

“It was honestly one of the most incredible things I’ve seen because within a week, most of the glass that had covered every inch of the street in Gemmayzeh, was cleaned up. There were tents set up, hundreds of people were sweeping the streets, giving food and medical aid. When you see that kind of community mobilization, you’re encouraged by that but then you’re also discouraged because no one else from authorities was really helping or explaining what the next steps were. It just further added to this feeling of helplessness, as a result of the response, or the lack thereof, by the authorities. In terms of rebuilding it is really not clear how quickly it’s going to happen,” she further added.

Given the ongoing political turmoil and the repercussions of the Beirut port explosions, we Ghada asked what the future of Lebanon looks like.

“I’m very hesitant to answer that question because it can go one of many ways,” Ghada said.

She further added that reforms have to be implemented and change is needed.

“I don’t know whether structurally things need to change or whether certain reforms need to be implemented. Response needs to be given to the people as to why this happened. Those who are responsible for it should be held accountable and a proper investigation needs to be done. Unless these things happen, I really don’t think it is going to be good, but it’s just a matter of time. If the (political) structure stays the way it is, I don’t really know how much change or accountability will be implemented after that,” Ghada said, as we concluded the interview.

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Reporting amidst fear: Hong Kong’s National Security Law puts press and journalists on the line

Women journalists share apprehensions of reporting under the controversial law with radical changes on display

By Rabia Mushtaq

Photo Credit: Isaac Lawrence - AFP

Hong Kong’s new national security law came into effect on June 30. Roughly one month later, citizens of this Special Administrative Region controlled by The People's Republic of China witnessed unprecedented oppression of the press. Jimmy Lai, a 72-year-old media tycoon, was handcuffed and arrested from his home by Hong Kong police on August 10, for allegedly “colluding with foreign forces”. Headquarters of Apple Daily, a flagship newspaper operating under his media company Next Digital, were raided by 200 officers following the arrest.

Hong Kong police tweeted that seven other people were taken into custody on “suspicion of breaches of the #NationalSecurityLaw”. The tweet further stated that the “offences include collusion with a foreign country/external elements to endanger national security, Article 29 of the #NSL” and that an investigation was underway. Among the seven taken into custody were Lai’s two sons and some top members of Next Digital.

Journalists and advocates of press freedom were left shaken after the major media organization and its owner became a target of the controversial made-in-China law, comprised of 66 articles that criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign or external forces. Anyone found guilty of violating the law could face imprisonment, up to a life-sentence. The People’s Republic of China bypassed the local legislature and breached the principle of non-interference in Hong Kong’s governance.

The law has pushed its press freedom into an existential threat. It clearly shows that Jimmy Lai and Apple Daily were persecuted for their pro-democracy stance and critical take of the government. While China considers their intercession as bringing stability to Hong Kong, critics fear that this is the end of press freedom in the city-state, as the law curtails freedom of speech and protest.

Mary Hui, a Quartz reporter based in Hong Kong, deemed the ongoing situation a “distressing and disturbing time for the press in Hong Kong”.

“While the Hong Kong government continues to repeat its assurances that the city will keep the freedom of the press, what we have seen in the weeks following the national security law's implementation suggests anything but. Notably, Carrie Lam has couched the discussion of media freedoms in quid pro quo terms.  Lam, in a press conference last month, stated that she will uphold press freedoms only if journalists can commit to not violating the national security law. The problem lies therein: the law is written so vaguely that no one, including journalists, has a clear idea of what amounts to an offence,” she said when sharing her views about the current display of media suppression in Hong Kong.

Mary articulated the feelings of shock, outrage, and revulsion within the media after the arrest and raid took place earlier in August.

“The brazen arrest and raid is a direct assault on the press, and shows us what the Hong Kong and Beijing government are willing to do to eliminate voices of opposition,” she said.

The use of vague terminology in the law leaves little room for journalists to feel safe from being targeted. However, will that change anything for those working in the field? One can never predict, but the current situation reflects that radical changes are already underway.

Siaw Hew Wah, a senior editor at a Hong Kong-based magazine, shared that limitations already existed, regardless of what the law entails.

“My duty is to do in-depth feature writings, which are often related to social or political issues, such as social movement, government policies, etc. Before the enactment of the national security law on Hong Kong, I have already been facing quite a lot of limitations, as we call it the ‘hidden red line’,” which means there are some topics we are not suggested to touch on,” she said.

Siaw further explained that the “hidden red line” was mostly related to issues rooted in China — particularly human rights violations.  However, the limitations have now narrowed down the topics that one can or cannot work on.

“I am suggested not to do ‘sensitive topics’ by my company, as all the journalists in Hong Kong are facing danger of going to jail if we have touched the ‘red line’. I inevitably feel threatened. As a journalist my duty is to disclose the truth, provide good values to the readers. I avoid self-censorship but I am scared that I may touch on the ‘hidden red line’,” she said.

A*, an Apple Daily reporter who requested to remain anonymous, echoed Siaw’s sentiments about keeping away from ‘sensitive topics’.

“Since 2019, things have worsened. Not only do we have to worry about our own safety, but also be more cautious about our interviewees' safety. For instance, when interviewing participants of the anti-extradition law movement, I was more worried than the interviewees themselves… and since the national security law has been implemented, the fear is getting much bigger than ever before. I remind myself not to fear because that is how tyranny works, it is hard not to fear at all,” she said.

A* added that when she writes about ‘politically sensitive topics and interviewees’, she avoids using her byline, in fear of negative repercussions on both herself and her family.

Sharing her views on Lai’s arrest and the events that ensued, A* admitted that she was scared for herself and her colleagues working at the publication, all of whom now fear similar persecution. However, she is hopeful to continue working in the face of oppression.

“This incident strengthens my determination to keep going as a reporter in Hong Kong. Fear of being arrested has intensified, but at the same time, we do not want to be defeated when facing such unreasonable tyranny. Only truth can uphold justice. I feel like reporters should bear some kind of social responsibility to uncover injustice and show the truth to the public. I still think there is space and freedom for reporters, though freedom of press has been deteriorating quickly,” she stated.

Shirley Leung, a senior reporter at Apple Daily, shared her nervousness about the law and deemed it “white terror”.

“Since the red line drawn by the national security law is now very blurred, we simply do not know what topics or words would violate this law. Somehow, we might have to self-censor while reporting and writing. This is absolutely white terror. In my opinion, press freedom is diminishing and will soon cease to exist,” she said.

Photo Credit: Kin Cheung - AP

After what happened with Lai and Apple Daily, Shirley added that it has intensified fear within the industry, particularly those working for the publication.

“I myself work in Apple Daily’s General News section and found this incident very impactful. The fear has definitely intensified, and it is only a matter of time before the government tries to stop the publication from running, by using the national security law. As for the media industry, I think everybody is looking at the reaction of Apple Daily and its future development as a benchmark on the red line. I think it is the white terror atmosphere that the government wants to create, and in effect, the media industry would be more ‘obedient’ after the incident.” Shirely opined.

Despite the fear of being misconstrued, Laurel Chor - a Hong Kong-based freelance journalist - shared a slightly different perspective on how the law will impact the way she would work.

“As journalists, we are just doing our job the same way we always have. But for the first time, I do fear what if the government targets me. I’m a freelancer and work for a lot of western media companies. I go on TV and radio, give interviews and now I wonder if they can be misconstrued. It is worrying, but at the same time I don’t think any of us are going to change the way we work,” she shared.

Laurel added that journalists will now have to be more careful about protecting their sources, as well as being aware of legal implications and the legal resources available to them.

“We (journalists) are all more cautious, aware and more practiced about protecting ourselves and our sources. It is certainly harder to talk to people now because you worry about your sources or subjects and don’t want to put them in harm’s way under this new law,” she said.

Laurel concurred the state of press freedom was declining in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory in light of recent events.

“We are still figuring out the implications for press freedom, but so far it seems like journalists are certainly worried about how something they write could potentially be seen as a crime under the law. They are probably more afraid than ever and not just because of what happened on August 10,” she said. These implications include the denial of visas to foreign journalists, as their visas will now be processed under the new national security bureau.

The fear is valid, as foreign journalists in Hong Kong are experiencing delays in visa issuance during a time when relations between U.S. and China are becoming increasingly tense. Even European journalists are facing the consequences of growing oppression in Hong Kong.  Aaron Mc Nicholas, an Irish journalist and incoming editor of the Hong Kong Free Press, was denied a work visa after months of waiting.

Changes in the visa issuance process, the delays and consequent denials are deemed as “a weapon in international disputes” by the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) in Hong Kong. After China suggested imposing countermeasures on U.S. media, this warning comes as no surprise.

“The Foreign Correspondent's Press Club of Hong Kong has written a number of letters to the government in past weeks seeking clarification on how, exactly, the national security law will affect the media. Meanwhile, journalist unions have just filed a joint judicial review challenging a recent warning issued by the government to the public broadcaster RTHK over an episode of its satirical show that allegedly "insulted" the police force,” Mary informed, shedding light on the FCC’s efforts in the past few weeks.

Despite local and international condemnation, Hong Kong’s government passed the law. While independent media and journalists might not practice self-censorship among the mounting pressure, some may have to resort to taking necessary steps to avoid being tried under the draconian charges. In July, Hong Kong police arrested four youths, including three males and one female - all of whom were students aged between 16 to 20, for their social media posts. Booksellers and publishers are also at the risk of running afoul of laws following vague terminology. They felt the law’s chilling effect before it was even implemented.

“Libraries have started taking books off the shelves, state-owned media have started taking down outlets and there are reports of people deleting old articles and social media posts. So, for an average person, there will absolutely be self-censorship,” Laurel said.

She added that Hong Kong’s free press is part of what makes the country special.  Despite the hurdles, Apple Daily live streamed the raid and continued to design the next day’s paper, its front page bearing the photograph of Jimmy Lai with a headline that read ‘We’re going to keep fighting’. Additionally, there are reports of artists sharing dissident art online to resist censorship.

A* reiterated Laurel’s thoughts on self-censorship but also shared that the future is still unpredictable.

“At this point, I do not think things have worsened in Hong Kong. We still have some kind of freedom of speech. But I am not optimistic about the future, so it may come true someday, we just do not know when exactly this will happen,” she said.

Shirley, however, remains cautious, following fears related to the law.

“I created a page on social media last year with my true identity on it, with more than 20,000 followers. I have deactivated it after the new national security law was enacted. One can never tell what would happen under the law because we never know where the red line is,” she said.

Mary said that there is no way of knowing whether interviewing and quoting someone who's been arrested under the national security law, like Jimmy Lai, can be deemed in violation of the legislation.

“I do think it is very much within the realm of possibility that the authorities may try and argue that showing support on social media for someone like Jimmy Lai, and writing news articles that are critical of the arrest and newsroom raid, can amount to aiding and abetting,” she said.

When responding to a question about the future of journalism in Hong Kong, especially for women journalists, Mary mentioned that it has always been a challenging industry to work in, given its relatively low salaries and the city's high costs of living.

"The national security law, needless to say, has made it even more difficult. Hong Kong is one of the most important stories in the world right now, and I hope journalists will be able to continue reporting on it in spite of all the challenges,” she stated.

Siaw shared that despite the obstacles, women journalists are more eager to join the industry, given the increase in the number of journalism graduates.

“In the past, students who graduated from journalism will tend to find other jobs instead of being journalists. In these past two years, more graduates chose to enter the industry to fight for justice, human rights, and freedom in Hong Kong,” Siaw said.

A* does not seem too optimistic about the future. Working as a journalist in Hong Kong, according to her, is hard. The low pay, tough and unsafe working conditions, in addition to the suppression of the press make it difficult to stay in her field. Even so, she does not want to give up, driven by an aim to see democracy and freedom reign to its utmost potential.

Even though A* does not believe in segregating the work of journalists based on their gender, she does feel that the situation could become increasingly difficult for women journalists, given the implementation of the national security law.

“Women journalists may face more sexual harassment and discrimination by police than male journalists, as female activists and demonstrators also face similar issues. They are teased by the police for their physique and appearance,” she said.

After having faced police brutality and harassment – her personal data disclosed on a pro-Beijing website – Shirley’s words resonated despair. She stated that the risks for all journalists would be similar, but the situation would be tougher and harsher for women journalists.

“Young journalists must be very aware of the risks, especially when working in situations such as last year's social movement. I have seen quite a number of occasions of young women journalists being shot with rubber bullets by the police,” said Shirley.

Press and journalists in Hong Kong have been under immense pressure since covering the 2019 protests, triggered by the extradition law  in the country. Not only were journalists injured while reporting on the ground, but several journalists were targeted online for their stories on the matter, which only escalated with time. The national security law has intensified the fear of persecution within the industry, though many still believe that sharing the stories and speaking the truth must not be sacrificed in the face of threats.

Shirley believes that the best way to fight is to continue reporting, regardless of threats, in order to uphold the freedom of the press. She urged that those who believe in press freedom should support it financially by buying newspapers or subscribing online.

“The general sentiment is sad and quite hopeless indeed, but Hong Kong’s people still find their way to show their support for freedom of press,” she said.

Hong Kong’s Basic Law entails freedom of the press, but the country’s poor performance in the past few years reflects a grim picture in press freedom indices. Media in Hong Kong is considered to be independent and vibrant, but in light of  recent events surrounding the national security law, those in the independent media are left worried – the government clearly warning them to abide by the law or be penalized for dissent. Given the murky state of press freedom in the country, which is gradually adapting to China’s suppressive ways, one can only hope to see the press remain vibrant and free.

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Interview

Jendella Benson - Sharing Black Women’s stories at Black Ballad

Jendella Benson is the Head of Editorial at the Black Ballad - a digital media platform and membership community that caters to Black women. The Coalition For Women In Journalism reached out to Jendella to understand Black Ballads role in amplifying voices of Black women in Britain, the role of race in their content and featured stories, the platform’s work following the Black Lives Matter protests this year and issues that Black women face in Britain. Read on.

Let's start with Black Ballad. Tell us all about it.

Black Ballad is a digital media platform and membership community. It started as a free online magazine in 2014, and then relaunched in 2017 with a membership model. All our articles are written by black women and speak to the experience of being a black woman in Britain and beyond. We cover a range of topics from beauty to politics, to popular culture to activism. We also host regular events – recently transitioning to online events due to Covid – and have a Slack community for our premium membership tier.

How does membership access make Black Ballad different?

Membership means that we intimately know our primary audience. We can serve them better, cater specially to their concerns and their interests and we have really fostered a digital community who trust us with their stories and experiences. Also the paywall helps us create a safe space for black women online which is hard to find right now. Studies show that black women are trolled, harassed and targeted online more than others, but as black women ourselves we don't need studies to tell us what we've experienced in some form or another. That safe space has allowed us to tell really nuanced and important stories, and knowing exactly who our core audience is allows us to have conversations that are affirming and even life changing for all of us.

How long have you been working as the head of editorial at Black Ballad? What were the milestones in your personal journey that led you to want to be a part of Black Ballad?

I went full time at Black Ballad in February 2020. Before that I came onboard as commissioning editor in a part time capacity in 2018. Before I ever wrote for Black Ballad I was an avid reader, knowing how important it would be for Black British women. My journey to Black Ballad has been very unique, I'd say. I studied an art degree and journalistically I leant more towards photojournalism and social documentary projects. Then when I had my first son and couldn't do as much freelance photography work, I started writing for my personal blog. From there I got a few columns on different digital platforms over the years, including Media Diversified. Then I started writing for Black Ballad, had the opportunity to write for places like Metro Online and Indy Voices, and then came on board as an editor at Black Ballad. In reality, I've skipped a lot of steps than perhaps people would expect because Tobi and Bola – Black Ballad's co-founders – saw me and believed in me in a way that other publications just didn't.

It’s been six years since Black Ballad was established. How have you observed the platform’s growth towards becoming a crucial voice for Black women in Britain?

People may have been sceptical at the beginning, but as time has gone on we've proven why we are needed. We are having the conversations that are not being had elsewhere, whether it's as light-hearted as the economics that dictate the price of our favourite foods through the impact that the criminal justice system specifically has on our communities. Another example is our editorial around black motherhood in Britain, we're having various different conversations from medical racism and health outcomes through to different ways of looking at family, the way we raise our children and so much more. That has only grown our audience.

There are plenty of stories on the platform that amplify the voices of Black British women. Does Black Ballad also focus on stories of Black women outside Britain?

We are expanding our editorial commissions and starting to look more and more at the African diaspora as a whole. I think recent events have only highlighted how the experiences of black women the world over are interlinked in various ways, whether it be down to the fact that many of us in Britain are second or third generation migrants – so have strong links to "back home" – or due to the way that inequality in the West is replicated in different countries in very similar ways. We've told stories about Black British women's experiences migrating to different countries, but we also are starting to tell stories of black women in other countries and the way that our lives align and differ.

We have noticed that your content is very diverse, as it covers a lot of ground on Black women and their lives. As an editor, how did you make space for content after the Black LIves Matter protests sparked across the world?

I take the lead from the writers who pitch to us, from conversations I'm personally having and from what's going on in the world. We are multidimensional as people, so as much as we can have conversations about Black Lives Matter, activism, racism and injustice, we can simultaneously switch to having conversations around beauty politics, social media trends and family relationships. The content on Black Ballad reflects the conversations that we as black women are having generally, it's just a natural extension of that. I also like to keep a balance as well, mixing heavier articles with lighter content in any given week. We know intimately the toll that racism and injustice takes on our mental state as we've been living with it our whole lives, so while keeping our audience informed and empowered, I also want them to be energised, feel loved and appreciated and inspired in every facet of their lives.

What are the hardships women go through in Britain that are mostly particular to being Black Women?

I think many of the hardships that women experience because of gender – gaslighting, undermining, less pay, being patronised and not listened to – are compounded by the fact that we are black as well. So if we live in a society where whiteness and maleness is at the top of the pyramid, being black and a woman is gonna land you at the bottom. Then combine that with any other things that further marginalise you – whether that's sexuality, disability, or whatever else – and it's really, really hard. We've been having a lot of conversations around the life-threatening inequalities around maternal healthcare in this country, so that immediately springs to mind, but when you look at stats across other areas: when it comes to Covid-19 we are four times more likely to die, when it comes to educational outcomes, as children we enter the educational system on the same, if not in some instances a better, level than all other kids but by the time we come out of it we are more likely to have been excluded or not reach our potential or whatever else. This is what is meant by systematic racism and inequality. We start off just like anyone else but when we encounter the healthcare system or educational system, we somehow end up coming out worse than everyone else. While overt acts of racist aggression are certainly making a comeback (look at the stats), it's these insidious "invisible" acts that are the hardest to fight.

How do you think the Black Women culture can be represented and amplified better in mass media?

I think when it comes to coverage and articles around our culture, black women need to take the lead. Some editors see these really interesting conversations and movements and want to leverage it for their publication but don't trust black women to write about themselves and their lives and ultimately that results in really flat or inauthentic commissions. Decision makers need to allow black women the space and give them the resources to tell their stories in the best way they know how. That's it. It's that simple. But often it seems like people are more concerned with maintaining existing power structures behind the scenes while paying lip service to diversity and inclusion – and that comes across in what's produced or the way stories are told.

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YOGA: DRAW YOUR CIRCLE OF PROTECTION SPACIOUSLY

By Damla Tarhan

Photo credit: Prasanth Inturi

Journalists are often first responders and eyewitnesses to violent news events. Trauma reporting can take its toll, resulting in mental health effects.  Under these conditions, journalists need guidance to overcome the factors that affect their mental health negatively. Following the many issues they face in relation to their gender, women journalists work with added vulnerability, which leaves them more stressed than their male counterparts. Their responsibilities are also rather diverse, as they end up juggling both professional and domestic life.

Yoga is one of the off-ramps to start our journey in such a difficult industry. Before covering people, we have to understand our own feelings and wishes. As journalists, being the voice of others, it is highly important to start our inner trip preemptively. This helps to create a circle of protection around us. Thanks to this journey, we can identify our strengths and weaknesses. At this point, yoga helps to build our own way as strong as possible.

Alongside its myriad physical benefits such as increasing flexibility, improving respiration and energy, as well as maintaining a balanced metabolism, yoga also helps to relax one’s mind, center attention, sharpen concentration, and create self-awareness. These abilities lend assistance to realize that we are a part of the whole universe. 

So what is the advantage of feeling a part of the universe? When you realize that there is flow in the universe, you will find some answers while things are happening around you. Since everything happens because of a specific reason that we don’t know many times, we will be able to know that they affect us in many ways. These effects add many valuable things to ourselves. Even if it is something bad, this will be an experience for us which will prevent us from making mistakes in the future.

When it comes to the intensive life of journalists, yoga also helps to silence our mind during meditation. The core idea of meditation is feeling yourself in space without any anxiety, fear, and thoughts. Basically, you should not think about anything while meditating. However, while some can immerse themself in meditation in a very short time, others can take a while to explore its benefits. It doesn’t matter how long it takes for you to meditate like a yogi. What’s more important is your efforts in trying to silence your mind and experiencing peace. The aim is to try to observe our minds without any idea. Hence we will feel calm and stay at present without any past regrets and concerns about the future. Just live in the present and feel good!

If you come to your house after a tiring day of work, try to sit down, close your eyes and take a breath deeply. Keep inhaling and exhaling deeply and regularly. The key point is not thinking. Try to not think anything. See yourself under your eyes. Look at yourself. Do not judge! See yourself in space and stop the moment. Stay ay the present. This is the first step of starting yoga. Meditation! Then you will realize that your body says that it needs to be active and get stronger with yoga. Listen to yourself! And draw your circle of protection!

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Round up of threats to women journalists in August

In the month of August, CFWIJ documented 81 cases of threats and violence against women journalists. Following are some of the most prominent cases identified.

Belarus: Dozens of women journalists in Belarus attacked, detained and arrested while covering post-election protests

Throughout the month of August, women journalists in Belarus were attacked, detained and arrested while reporting protests, which erupted after Aleksander Lukashenko was declared winner in the presidential elections held on August 10.

During the initial protests in Minsk, where thousands of demonstrators were arrested and beaten on the first day alone, journalists were also not allowed to cover the events. At least 22 women journalists were detained and one was arrested for reporting the situation on the ground. Dozens of websites, including those belonging to independent media such as Nasha Niva and Mediazona among others were blocked.

More journalists faced persecution by authorities in Belarus during the second wave of detentions on August 27. Three journalists, including BBC reporters Tatyana Melnichuk and Tatyana Yanutsevich, along with RFE/RL reporter Aleksandra Dynko - were also stripped of their press accreditation by Belarusian authorities. Yulia Vishnevetskaya of Radio Liberty Russian service was first detained and then expelled.

Lebanon: Women journalists injured, lost homes after catastrophic blasts in Beirut

Beirut was left shaken on August 4, after multiple explosions took place near its port’s 12th zone, where "highly explosive" substances were kept. Following the explosions, the city was declared a 'Disaster area', and a two-week state of emergency was announced, along with a three-day national mourning period.

More than 180 people died, thousands injured and around 300,000 were left homeless as a result of the catastrophe. Many women journalists, including CFWIJ member Hwaida Saad, sustained injuries following the devastating impact of the explosions. Many lost their homes due to the damage that ripped through the city after the blasts.

Read more about the destructive impact of the explosions on women journalists on our dedicated in-focus section here.

Egypt: New charges pressed against detained journalists Solafa Magdy and Esraa Abdel Fattah

Journalists Solafa Magdy and Esraa Abdel-Fattah slapped with new charges while they are still facing prolonged detention in previous cases since 2019. They were now being interrogated pending case no. 855\2020 national security and ordered 15 days in pre-trial detention. Their new jail time will start after the end of their current pre-trial detention pending case no. 488\2019.

Solafa, Esraa and others were listed on this case initiated in 2020. However, they have been detained since October 2019. The two journalists have been detained for almost a year in pre-trial detention pending case no. 488\2020.

According to article 202 of the Egyptian criminal procedures code, pre-trial detention shouldn’t be extended for more than two years. To override this article, the Egyptian prosecution office - upon instructions from the national security - enlists detainees on new cases while they are still imprisoned. 

Lebanon: TV anchor Dima Sadek slapped with a lawsuit by politicians

Nabih Berry, Speaker of the Lebanese parliament and Bassil Jubran, president of the free patriot movement are suing TV anchor Dima Sadek under defamation law for allegedly “spreading false news”.

On August 19, Dima Sadek shared her opinion about Bierut blast on her TV show “ By People’s Name”. Dima like many other Lebanese was furious and wanted the government to present factual evidence about the explosion and to hold officials accountable.

She provided some information circulated on social media accusing Nabih Berry and Jubran Basil of inaction towards the explosives packages. Some of these posts were even claiming that Nabih Berry is the importer of this package. Dima later apologized for presenting these posts that lacked evidence. The apology would normally settle the issue but this didn’t satisfy Lebanese politicians and they decided to sue her instead.

Pakistan: Women journalists’ stand up to harassers, but vicious attacks continue to threaten their safety

In August, Pakistani women journalists initiated a campaign and released a joint petition to combat online violence and hacking attempts against them. The journalists have been encountering vicious social media attacks, doxing, and hacking attempts by accounts affiliated to the ruling party and conservative, right-wing elements in the country. CFWIJ is also a signatory in the petition.

After the petition caught the attention of lawmakers, a group of leading Pakistani women journalists also attended a meeting facilitated by the parliamentary committee on human rights to address vicious online attacks against women journalists on August 18. They shared testimonies of the attacks that they are subjected to within the online sphere. Sharmila Faruqui, Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) also moved a resolution at the Sindh assembly against the issue on August 16. She demanded an inquiry and sought reinstatement of freedom of expression under Article 19 of Pakistan’s constitution.

CFWIJ members Marvi Sirmed and Gharidah Farooqi also received death threats and an intense slew of threats, following their opinions on social media. Despite the recent debate on how digital spaces have become increasingly dangerous for women journalists in Pakistan, they continue to be abused and threatened online more viciously.

Turkey: Journalists detained and impeded while covering protest against the withdrawal of Istanbul Convention

Mezopotamya News Agency reporter Eylem Akdağ, two lawyers and 30 other women were thrown to the ground by tens of women police officers and detained with handcuffs. The police force also impeded the work of Mesopotamia Agency reporter Eylem Akdağ and Evrensel Ekmek ve Gül reporter Burcu Yıldırım.

The detentions took place after members of Ankara Women's Platform gathered together to form a "Life Chain" at the exit of Kolej Metro station to protest the withdrawal of signature from the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence . The women were initially not allowed to gather around the barricaded station. On August 12, Mesopotamia Agency reported that the women reacted against not being allowed to gather and form the chain, threw purple paint at the police who tried to disperse the crowd with violence.

The detained women were interrogated on the grounds of “resistance to the law numbered 2911 and the police”, the women who were later released did not testify at the police, saying that they were subjected to ill-treatment.

Iraq: Nagah Al-Abadi and her crew attacked by security officers while covering protests

Nagah Al-Abadi, correspondent of Al-hurra News and her crew was attacked by security forces while covering protests in Iraq. In a video on Al-hurra News, Nagah said that the police force used ammunition to disperse protesters, who were demanding justice for Activist Tahseen Osama who was assassinated in Al-Basrah on August 14.

Nagah, along with her crew, was covering a protest in Ninawy, Al-Basrah when the police launched a physical attack on them. They also briefly, yet unjustifiably, detained the photographer she was working with.

Nagah attempted to explain that she and her team were unbiased and were taking no sides in their coverage, yet the security officers reacted in an extremely violent way, smashing their equipment, and physically attacking her.

United States: Police target journalists in fear of accountability, photographer Maranie Rae Staab pushed and injured

On August 17, freelance photographer Maranie Rae Staab was targeted in a violent attack. She was filming an officer removing the mask of a protester, while they were gassing the crowd. After he saw Maranie filming, the officer threw her backwards causing her to fall, after whihc she sustained scrapes and bruises.

“I am #Press. I was standing on the sidewalk. I was not interfering. I realize it is “just a scrape“.

I will be fine. But that is not the point. I am but one example of the continued attacks on the press at the #portlandprotests.” wrote Maranie on her twitter post.

India: The Caravan’s staff, including woman journalists, attacked and harassed by violent crowd

On August 11, a violent crowd attacked three reporters working for The Caravan, in upper east Delhi's North Ghonda neighborhood. For around 90 minutes, the three reporters — Shahid Tantray, Prabhjit Singh and a woman journalist, whose name is not disclosed for safety reasons — endured an onslaught of racist, islamophobic and sexist slurs, death threats. The woman journalist was also chased by the crowd and sexually harassed.

The publication’s reporters were investigating a story about islamophobic attacks against a Muslim woman and her 17-year-old daughter, when a group of 100 men and women approached them and asked to see their identity cards. They later resorted to brutal attacks towards them.

Iran: Authorities shut down the Jahan-e-Sanat newspaper

Iranian authorities shut down the Jahane Sanat newspaper, following the publication of remarks by an expert who criticized the handling of coronavirus cases in the country.

A day prior to the arbitrary decision of shutting down the newspaper, Jahane Sanat quoted the well-known epidemiologist Reza Mahboobfar Saying the true number of cases and deaths that the authorities reveal do not reflect the reality and that the number of cases in Iran could be 20 times more than what is reported by the Health Ministry.

Greece: Exiled journalist Berçem Mordeniz mistreated and cuffed by police

Two Kurdish journalists from Turkey, Berçem Mordeniz and Çağdaş Kaplan, were battered and taken into custody while capturing the battery and detention of one person by police in Syntagma Square in Athens.

Despite showing their international press cards, the journalists were detained and taken to the Acropolis Police Station. They were brutally held using plastic cuffs with their arms bent back. The journalists indicated that other citizens who witnessed the violence and protested against it were not able to enter the police station and were refused to testify as witnesses.

Berçem Mordeniz who has asthma was not given her medication and no water was provided to the journalists. Sending a message to Gazete Karınca news website based in Turkey, the journalists indicated that no measures have been taken against the coronavirus outbreak in the police station, they were held in the same detention room with 40 others and were subjected to torture.

Bulgaria: Radio Free Europe’s Polina Paunova and Genka Shikerova attacked during protests

Radio Free Europe’s Polina Paunova and Genka Shikerova faced physical aggression when covering the National Conference of the governing political party GERB in Sofia Tech Park, which was marred by clashes between young men in masks, protesters and journalists.

Polina’s phone, with which she was filming, was taken and thrown away by two attackers. They also tried to snatch her colleague Genka’s phone, after she and Polina made another attempt to film the aggressive men. Genka then called the security for help. The two men were then detained for acts of aggression charged with hooliganism and arrested with a prosecutor's order for 72 hours.

Malaysia: Al Jazeera’s office raided, computers seized and journalists intimidated

Al Jazeera’s office in Malaysia was raided on August 4. Their computers were also seized by the police force and six of their journalists were intimidated. Malaysian authorities resorted to these actions after the airing of a documentary exposing the conditions in which migrant workers live in Kuala Lumpur.

Al Jazeera featured the documentary for the daily show 101 East. The show probed into why Malaysia’s migrant workers are at more risk in the time of Covid-19. Exposing cramped conditions, malnourishment and slave like treatment the show did a great work of journalism championing for human rights of migrant workers.

Morocco: Al-Masaa fires its journalist Hasnaa Zwan 

Morocon newspaper Al-Masaa fired journalist Hasnaa Zwan, after she was appointed as a press syndicate board member. She formed a syndicalist committee in the newspaper to help her colleagues with bargaining rights.

However, she was fired following her appointment to the board of the syndicate. Just a few days after the establishment of the committee, management of Al-Masaa informed her about the employment contract’s termination. The newspaper claimed that firing Hasnaa is among layover decisions that the board undertook to deal with COVID-19 consequences and financial limitations.

Ukraine: Yevhenia Motorevska’s digital rights violated after judge gained access to her phone

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine stated that Pavlo Vovk, the head of the Kyiv District Administrative Court, and his deputy Yevheniy Ablov used personal “acquaintances” to illegally gain access to Yevhenia Motorevska’s personal phone, a journalist who works for Slidstivo.Info. She was investigating allegations of corruption and bribery against Ablov.

The heads of the court became interested in the journalist's contacts after she wrote a piece about Ablov's birthday celebration on April 13, 2019. The party’s bill was paid from the Court budget, according to Yevhenia’s report.

Shortly after the story was published, Ablov asked Vovk whether it was possible to obtain information on when and with whom Yevhenia spoke by phone on April 13. As per Ukrainian laws, issuance of a warrant to gain access to phones is not within the jurisdiction of administrative courts and criminal courts can only issue them in case of an ongoing investigation and concrete suspicion of a crime.

Germany: Dunja Hayali harassed and attacked by anti-mask protesters in Berlin

ZDF correspondent Dunja Hayali was harassed by violent anti-mask protestors in Berlin. She, along with her sound engineer and camera crew, were forced to stop filming. She was trying to speak with demonstrators about their motives and demands. She was also recording the events on her cell phone and live streaming the protests on Instagram.

Over 20,000 demonstrators marched through Berlin on August 1, to protest the restrictions and hygiene regulations introduced by the government following Covid-19. The demonstrators neither adhered to the social distancing rules nor wore masks at the rally, after which police began to dissolve the crowd during early evening. Eighteen police officers were injured when the rally was dissolved.

On the video recorded by Dunja, participants of the rally could be heard chanting slogans against journalists. They also used abusive slurs against her and pushed her too. The video clearly showed how raging protesters came dangerously close to Dunja putting her safety and health at risk.

Cuba: Authorities raid Palenque Vision reporter Yadisley Ramírez’s home and detain her

Yadisley Rodríguez Ramírez, a Palenque Vision reporter, was taken into custody from her house and interrogated for 18 hours. Her computer, mobile phone, and memory cards were also confiscated.

Yadisley said that the raid was conducted after authorities suspected Rolando Rodríguez Lobaina’s visit at Yadisley’s home. Lobiana is Palenque Vision’s director, as well as a political activist and director of the Eastern Democratic Alliance. He is constantly harassed for his work and political activism.

During the interrogation, they pressured Yadisley to speak about her links with Rolando. "They asked me where Rolando was, why he had come to my house and what he had given me… they told me that they were going to jail me and that they were going to take my children and my husband could have his parole revoked," she explained.

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Women Journalists To Follow

Alia Awada

Alia is the managing editor of Sharika Walaken - an online platform by feminist NGO Fe-Male. She has been actively covering various developments taking place in Beirut after the blasts with a feminist lens. Through her work, Alila has been highlighting the issues of women and girls amidst the catastrophe that has turned their lives upside down.

Find her work here. She tweets here.

Layal Bou Moussa

Layal is a reporter and TV host for Al Jadeed TV. Her work involves highlighting the devastation caused by the Beirut blasts and questioning authorities about the incompetencies exposed in the process. Known as the go-to journalist for investigative and informative work, Layal’s insight into Lebanon’s local political dynamics is not to be missed.

She tweets here.

Nada Homsi

Nada is a reporter & producer for National Public Radio (NPR). When the Beirut blasts took place, Nada was home and soon after began reporting the aftermath of the blasts. Her reporting and coverage on the explosions have focused on rescue work, impact o0f the blasts on survivors, and the volunteer work that has been happening across impacted areas in the city, among other stories.

Find her work here. She tweets here.

Ghinwa Obeid

Ghinwa is an independent journalist based in Beirut. She was formerly associated with The Daily Star Lebanon as their online desk editor. On the day of the Beirut blasts, Ghinwa continued to report on the devastating impact of the explosions and kept her followers updated with real time updates.

She tweets here.

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Podcast Picks

Another Round

Buzzfeed’s all-women audio team Pod Squad brings to you Another Round. This award-winning podcast, hosted by Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton, is focused on issues that tackle race, gender, and pop culture. It covers crucial cultural issues and interviews politicians, activists, prominent writers, and leaders raising their voices for social justice.

Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, & Acast.

The Broad Experience

In this award-winning podcast, British-American journalist Ashley Milne-Tyte discusses race, culture, glass ceilings, and women in the workplace. The Broad Experience features influential guests, thoughtful discussions and personal stories of women. This witty yet intelligent podcast is not just for women to take inspiration from, anyone at their workplace can learn a thing or two from the discourse.

Listen on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, & Acast.

The Weekly List

A weekly podcast hosted by former Wall Street executive Amy Siskind examines the "new normal of American politics" under the Trump administration. Through her sharp and critical insights, Amy analyses news in a starkly different way from how it appears to the society and also highlights its damaging effects.

Listen here.

The Eggnana Podcast

Hosted by Amy Chyan - a writer on food, culture and the Asian American experience, The Eggnana Podcast is focused on representation of different communities of color. “Are you a banana, an egg or an "eggnana"?” The Eggnana podcast asks where you belong and invites you to share your stories and build up the community.

Listen on iTunes, Listen Notes and Simple Cast.

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Badass Women Authors

The Death of Vivek Oji

Written by Akwaeke Emezi, this book is propelling and introduces unforgettable characters. The story begins explaining what happens when the titular character dies. It then moves forward and comes back to the past, exploring his life in NIgeria. Different chapters in the novel flip moves within the many characters in Vivek’s life, as well as his own. The author explores a community’s grief of not understanding a person who lives with them. It is a heart wrenching story of loss and transcendence, so much so it will leave the readers emotional.

All the Right Mistakes

This book by Laura Jamison's tells the story of four 40-year-old friends Elizabeth, Sara, Martha, Carmen, and Heather. They are successful in their careers, but end up questioning their life choices and decisions when Heather decides to write a advice book on the mistakes women must avoid making in light of her friends’ personal choices. The book is a witty take on not just the choices we make in life, but also how we deal with them with the many hurdles on the way, during adulthood.

Lobizona

This is a story of identity. Romina Garber writes Lobizona keeping Manuela Azul at its heart. Manuela is an undocumented immigrant whose life turns upside down after her mother is taken in custody by the ICE and her grandmother is attacked. During this devastating turn of events, she is left with just one clue about her past, following which she discovers a world of magic and power - a place that makes her feel that she belongs.

Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda

Penned by Jean Guerrero, a PEN-winning investigative journalist and former foreign correspondent, the book digs deep into Stephen MIller’s rise to power. It sheds light on how far he has come from being recruited to Trump’s campaign to now serving as a senior advisor for policy in his administration. If you want to understand the devastating impact of racism and nationalism in the US, this book is a must-read.

WOMEN IN JOURNALISM MAGAZINE - July Issue

Editor’s Note

Hello readers,

We hope you are all safe and healthy.

The recent explosions in Beirut have left us all in shock. We are saddened by this moment of pain that has deepened after months and years of struggle in that country.

Lebanon is a hub for many foreign correspondents covering the wider region of the Middle East, along with thousands of local journalists, it is also home to many refugees and international journalists. The events that unfolded affected millions of lives, displacing at least 300,000 people, causing massive citywide destruction and human injuries that have flooded the hospitals. Covering this traumatic calamity has been the journalists who bring you the news, amidst own injuries and without roof. 

Many of them include Lebanese women reporters, as well as dozens of foreign correspondents in Beirut. 

On our website you can find their bylines, profiles and follow their work. Our page dedicated to Beirut explosion coverage also includes resources safety guidelines, funds and other materials that focuses on women in the field. Find all our material on #BeirutBlasts here. 

In the midst of all the chaos that the world continues to witness, we haven’t stopped working to bring important stories about women journalists from the world to you, in our latest issue of Women In Journalism Magazine.

July was a tumultuous month for women journalists across the world. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) documented at least 65 different cases of violations against women journalists. 43 of these were direct threat and intimidation, including four deaths. The rest were legal actions, arrests and detentions. Mass resignations at the most read online media called Index in which 70 Hungarian journalists, 20 of them women, walked out to protest political interference in the media and unfair sacking of the outlet’s editor-in-chief Szabolcs Dull. We also observed some cases of state oppression and journalists attacked in the field for their Covid-19 reporting. Read more about the threats in our monthly round up section to learn more.

We remain committed to use our platform to amplify the voices of Black women journalists. In this issue, you can read our interview with multimedia journalists Polly Irungu, who is also the founder of Black Women Photographers (BWP), a community and online database of Black women photographers. Polly tells us what motivated her to start BWP, how it’ll help the women it is committed to serve and how it’ll help diversify the industry. We also feature four Black women journalists whose work you can follow by reading more about them in this issue.

It has been over a year since journalists in Jammu and Kashmir have been living and working under a lockdown. Since the situation continues to remain the same this year too, we decided to explore the state of press freedom in the valley. Our researcher and writer, Rabia Mushtaq, spoke with three women journalists to understand how they navigate reporting under the restrictions imposed on them for the past one year and what it’s like to work in the valley as a woman journalist given its social and political dynamics.

Our research coordinator Zeynep Gürcan wrote an op-ed about the link between journalism and mental health in this issue. She examines whether the profession makes journalists vulnerable to mental illnesses or not using references from Elizabeth Wurtzel’s Prozac Nation.

We all know how Covid-19 has knocked-down economies across the world. Journalism and journalists - especially those working as freelancers, have also been hit hard by the consequences of the global pandemic. CFWIJ reached out to women journalists and asked how the pandemic has had a negative impact on their finances. From its effects on their mental health to a gloomy future ahead, women journalists have shared how they’ve felt Covid-19’s heat on themselves.

This issue also features a report by the Center for Media & Information Literacy (CMIL) on young Sri Lankan women journalists covering Covid-19 using their mobile phones. The report features at least 20 reporters who have been on the frontlines producing stories on coronavirus across Sri Lanka.

In July, we also joined a 60-organization’s coalition to raise our collective voices against the law being weaponized to silence Maria Ressa, a long-time journalist and CEO of Rappler - an online news website based in the Philippines. Do take a look at our dedicated webpage to follow developments on Maria’s case. To support Maria, we urge you to sign the petition here.

You can also go through our other regular sections to find books written by badass Black women authors and podcast recommendations to give you some insight about the Black community in various aspects of life.

We would love to hear back from you with feedback, suggestions or support. Until then, happy reading!

Kiran Nazish, Executive Editor

Rabia Mushtaq, Editor and Writer

Damla Tarhan, Design

Zeynep Gürcan, Contributions

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Polly Irungu – Leading the Black women photographers’ sisterhood

Photo credit: Mickey Stellavato

As momentum around the #BlackLivesMatter protests grew with time, discourse around the need for diversity and inclusion in different industries began. In the midst of this discussion, CFWIJ discovered Black Women Photographers (BWP) by multimedia journalist Polly Irungu. Polly, who works as a digital content editor at The Takeaway — a morning radio news program co-created and co-produced by Public Radio International and WNYC — by day, is the founder of BWP, a community and online database of Black women photographers.

With a four-year-old Polly in tow, her parents migrated from Nairobi in Kenya to Kansas in the United States of America. Polly who grew up with a traditional Kenyan upbringing was in for another change when her family moved to Portland in Oregon after her freshman year of high school. This was where she discovered her love for photography. Following the culture shock of not having many Black folks or people of color around, Polly felt like “a fish out of water” because she found the state to be predominantly white. Polly said that she was “stuck and didn’t know what to do”. But she saw herself getting back on her feet after moving to Eugene the following year, after receiving some much-needed support from her head school councilors.

From thereon, Polly has never looked back. She realized the power of visual storytelling and invested her hard-earned savings to buy a camera. She began shooting and practicing. While doing so, she enrolled to study journalism at the University of Oregon. However, Polly barely came across Black photographers, especially Black women photographers. She was the go-to photographer for the Black Students Association Club, African Students Association Club, and other multicultural organizations in Oregon and Kansas.

But it wasn’t until her undergrad when she attended a conference by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). Here, she found that she wasn’t the only Black photographer or journalist out there, that there were many others who looked like her and were doing what she was interested in — something she hardly came across at her university campus.

This became her motivation to establish BWP. “I shouldn’t have had to travel and attend a conference in a different state to find (people like me), and to feel that I can actually pursue this field,” she said. This drive to amplify the voices of Black women photographers led Polly to launch BWP. Presently, Polly is getting a lot of reception from photo editors and heads of content, who are looking at her website and using it as a resource. She continues to update it with portfolios of brilliant Black women photographers, who now have a platform that features their work without any discrimination whatsoever.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism found this initiative by Polly unique and praiseworthy. We had a chat with her to understand how BWP works to promote diversity, how she plans to sustain it, the inclusion of Black women photographers in the US media industry, and the significance of her platform, especially during a time when discourse about racial identity and discrimination involving the Black community continues around the world. Read on.

Photo credit: Mickey Stellavato

There are many databases and platforms that focus on promoting diversity in the photography industry. What sets Black Women Photographers apart from the rest of the initiatives?

I wouldn’t say I’m setting myself apart necessarily. We all have the same goal. We all want more black people and black women (to be in the industry). I just want to help others that feel like how I felt (in the past). Outside of going to NABJ, I felt stuck and didn’t know where to turn. All these different organizations can help you, but no one is going to do that unless you have a mentor. So anyone who feels like they need support, I hope I’m a resource to them.

We feel like we have this responsibility to (amplify the voices). This should not be on me or any of the other organizations to do this work. But in this predominantly white industry, if we don’t do it, then who will? Who will advocate for us? Who will make sure more black women get hired? So this is my way of trying to do my part.

You’re currently relying on donations to keep the platform up and running. How do you think the platform will help Black women photographers on a long-term basis?

Actually, I received one donation for the administrative cost from Women Photograph. Other than that, I have been using my own money to fund this. That just shows how much I believe in this. The donations and fundraising are specifically for Black women who just need relief because they have been out of work and require support. So that’s where the money is going.

Do you have any plans to sustain the initiative?

I have been reaching out to different brands and organizations for support because my Covid-19 relief fund is small — like a couple of hundred dollars. I want to provide more money into the hands of these Black women who need the support because the playing field isn’t leveled right now, but at least with that, it can help them get a little bit closer. It can help them buy an Adobe subscription or buy a domain name for their website because a lot of them are just using Instagram as their portfolios. We know how vital it is to have an actual portfolio if they want to pitch to editors. With my database, I’m actually trying to track how often these Black women are contacted, do they hear from someone once a month or once a week, and how useful is it. Hopefully, they are only being requested to do paid work and that no one reaches out to them for unpaid work, because that is also a huge problem within our industry.

I also want them to be there for each other and support each other, show that they’re not alone in this; that there are others like them, who are on their side, and are willing to support.

You’ve managed to add a decent number of Black women photographers to the database so far. How did you spread the word?

It really has been Twitter and with that, it has been spreading organically on its own. Twitter is a very powerful platform. For me, it feels more instantaneous. That’s where I’ve been really spreading the work, as I’ve been able to reach out to more people, along with Instagram and Facebook.

How many submissions are you getting per day?

The traffic on the site is overwhelming and incredible. I have at least 120 submissions and have been adding anyone who identifies. There is no ‘cool club only’ barrier because we already have too many of those. I can’t do this to my fellow Black women. Anyone and everyone that identifies is welcome.

How much exposure do Black women photographers really get in terms of getting work and being paid fairly in the photography industry in the US?

You already know that there is a wealth gap not just in the US as a whole, but worldwide. It also reflects in our photo industry. I’m sure I will probably be offered a lesser rate than one of my peers who is not Black. I hope I’m able to provide some kind of transparency. The first step is to get their work seen. Hopefully, this can help close that gap.

You were born in Kenya and belong to an immigrant family in the US. How important is the current debate around the race for you?

Slowly and surely, people have been waking up and realizing why this is important. You can think about race in every aspect and every single thing we do. I feel like these conversations that have been taking on, have been productive and good, but then where do we go from here?

The events we’ve seen unfolding after George Floyd’s murder have yet again sparked a debate on race around the world. Do you see this as a solution-oriented discussion as a representative of the Black community?

I have seen a few, but I guess it also depends on who thinks it is a solution. For instance, now people are talking about defunding the police — some people are for it, some people are not. It is going to be a back and forth (discussion). I understand that but at the same time, I feel where are we going with that if we keep trying to debate? There was also a debate about whether journalists can even say Black lives matter, because people think it is a political statement. But in actuality, it should be a human rights issue since Black lives actually matter.We are still debating things like that, so I don’t know how we can even move forward when we’re not in agreement on something as simple as Black lives matter. With everything that takes time, there is no solution that will work for every state. I really do hope that we see it soon because if not, this is going to keep happening. Since George Floyd, there have already been conversations about other police killings that happened recently, it feels like it is back to back to back.

Tell us about your own experience as a Black woman in the media industry?

I am more fortunate than my peers. I feel like if I am having a hard time when dealing with microaggressions at work or elsewhere, at least I know where and who I can turn to for support. A lot of Black people and women journalists don’t have that. Not everyone has an organization or mentors. I have, overall, had a good support system whether it has been NABJ or family or friends. I have dealt with things as well, but not to the extent of some of my peers. For instance, my newsroom has not stopped me from working or posting about Black lives matter.

How do you think the industry can become more diverse and inclusive, especially in today’s time?

Honestly, it depends on individual people and those in the hiring positions. We already have these organizations, now it just depends if these institutions can use them. For instance, how many people go to NABJ, National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), online news association (ONA) or similar organizations to recruit and support? And when you do recruit, what happens when they get into the newsroom? Will they be supported or will they be forced off a beat because of this moment? It really depends on those people who are in the positions of power and oftentimes, it is not us. I have a great support system. I am in a few different groups for young Black journalists — we’re all here for each other, but whether the industry is here for us, is the question.

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Press freedom in Kashmir — a year later

How women journalists here, navigate reporting a year after the lockdown. 

By Rabia Mushtaq

Photo credıt: Umer Asif

In the past one year, Kashmir has witnessed the most heinous human rights violations and conflict situations. After the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35(A), people living in the valley have lived through strict security blockades and communications blackouts — and continue to live a life that is anything but free.

After the lockdown — to counter protests disapproving the annulment of the two Articles — was imposed, the internet was shut down, mobile services were snapped and travel to and from the valley came to a halt — thanks to the Indian government that left no stone unturned in making the lives of Kashmiris miserable.

The press, too, has been oppressed like never before. To say that it has been choked, is not an understatement. Reporting from the world’s most militarized zone is not an easy feat. Journalists were left paralyzed without any channels of communication to report what was happening in Kashmir. Websites of papers and magazines went offline. Reports only got out through thumb drives taken by passengers flying out of the valley by air. Journalists were not allowed to enter hospitals at certain hours during the day.

Journalists were detained and intimidated by Indian security forces. Advocates of freedom of the press have been vocal about the state of press freedom in Kashmir during the last one year, urging international movers and shakers to pay heed, but to no avail.  Not much has changed since August 2019.

This year in April, photojournalist Masrat Zahra was booked under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for “uploading anti-national posts with criminal intention to induce the youth and promote offence against public tranquility.” In a statement issued by the cyber division of Kashmir’s police department, a Facebook user named Masrat Zahra had “uploaded anti-national posts with criminal intention”. The said information, according to them, was received through “reliable sources” without mentioning the fact that she was, in fact, a photojournalist. A First Information Report (FIR) was also filed against Masrat under Section 505 of the Indian Penal Code. She was charged under a law that gave the government a freehand to “proscribe individuals as terrorists and empowers more officers of the National Investigation Agency to probe cases”. If proven guilty, Masrat stood the risk of being jailed for up to seven years.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) reached out to Masrat at the time to understand why she was being targeted through the draconian laws. Traumatized after being booked arbitrarily, she shared that the Kashmir police asked her to report to the police station immediately.

“I have been working as a professional and have covered everything, even offbeat stories. What has happened (with me) is beyond comprehension and I will go through all the legal formalities to deal with it accordingly,” she said when speaking with CFWIJ in April.

Till date, many women journalists in Kashmir find it challenging to practice journalism amid the constant restrictions on press freedom. It has become increasingly difficult for them report from the valley, following the fear of persecution, particularly through the use of stringent anti-terrorism law.

CFWIJ reached out to women journalists who have been reporting from the valley for the past year. Nawal Ali Watali is an independent photographer, researcher and writer in the Indian administered Kashmir. When asked how she views the state of press freedom in the valley she decided to tell it all.

“There is absolutely no press freedom here. I won’t sugarcoat, I won’t say there is a little cause there is none. And with the new media policy, it has become even clearer. However, this isn’t the first time that an official order has been taken out in Kashmir against press freedom. Press censorship has been happening since the Dogra rule itself,” Nawal said.

“Even if newspapers are publishing, they are doing it under this invisible pressure. Editors are being summoned, officials don’t talk to you easily when you approach them, and then there is the funding problem. One does not want to fall prey to corporate funding and even if one does, the government can easily ban those ads. Big brother can do anything,” she added.

Durdana Bhat, a Kashmiri visual journalist, echoed Nawal’s thoughts.

“The state of press freedom is self-evident, in my opinion. Currently, there are a lot of issues with the regulation of movement of journalists and journalism, as an institution,” Durdana said when asked about her take on press freedom in Kashmir.

The Media Policy 2020, released in June, introduced media regulations imposed by India to “counter false news and incitement in Jammu and Kashmir” will now be used as a ploy to stifle the press. Weaponization of law is being used to silence the voice of journalism by the world’s largest democracy.

Quratulain Rehbar, a journalist based in Srinagar, also shared similar sentiments about the challenges to press in the valley.

“There is no press freedom in Kashmir. If we do a story on human rights violations or conflict in Kashmir, we remain under fear. At this moment, it is tough for us because some journalists have been slapped with UAPA. Therefore, one can imagine how difficult it is for all of us,” Quratulain said when speaking with CFWIJ.

What happened with Masrat, as a woman journalist, became a ruthless example of how low the Indian government can go when suppressing press freedom in Kashmir. While her senior colleagues and members of the Kashmir Press Club stood with Masrat during the difficult times, it was not enough to ease the apprehensions of other women journalists reporting in the valley. The fears became more evident. Resorting to censorship or careful use of language kept journalists aware about what they wrote and said post August 5.

“I'm not practicing self-censorship, in terms of what I write on or report. But yes, I'm very careful with my language and words. Like using the word allegedly when even though we know something is done by the forces but it's not accepted by the state yet. Because I don’t want them to silence me on this, the fight is very very long and we need to tread carefully to keep going on in the fight, Nawal said.

Quratulain stated that the authorities would not care much about journalists earlier, but since August 2019, they know everything about journalists including their workplace.

 “It was fascinating to see journalists in Kashmir doing stories fearlessly. They would go on the ground, to protest sites and talk to people without fearing about their lives. But the situation has drastically changed in a year. Now we have to be very cautious when doing stories and remember that we are being watched,” she said.

The situation worsened for journalists who had to work without a press card and communication facilities. Nawal Watali shared about her experience of what went down when she was reporting on the ground.

“Post Article 370, it was difficult to navigate through armed forces’ check posts without an institutional identity card. And then we could not call our sources or local contacts in various districts in Kashmir,” she said.

Nawal added that she focused on documentary photography and long-term projects before August 5, but she later realized the importance of media‘s role in framing a narrative and countering Indian media’s misreporting.

“I was called a jihadist by an Indian journalist. He was calling me names on Twitter. That's how powerful these people are. They can call you names publically and get away with it. The only thing you can do is counter the state peddled narrative by constantly building an authentic homegrown narrative through reporting and that's what I have been doing now,” Nawal wrote in response to a question by CFWIJ.

Photo by Kashmir Press

Durdana, too, has been working under immense apprehension.

“Post August 5, journalists – in general – have been working with a lot of apprehension when it comes to reportage as well. There is this fear of being incriminated for simple reporting. As for including the women’s angle into the question, now there is clear evidence that the questioning, summoning and arresting doesn’t happen within the boundaries of gender,” she said when asked about the changes in her reporting as a woman journalist since the abrogation of Article 370.

Quratulain also shared about the way her reporting has altered given the increasing conflict and human rights violations in the valley since last year.

“Right now, I’m working as a freelancer. But earlier, I was working as a staffer at the Kashmirwalla magazine. There, I did stories related to women’s issues including health and education, along with those related to conflict. But after August 5, my focus has shifted entirely towards stories related to its aftermath. For instance, how women feel threatened after the Article was gone, minors being illegally detained, and the Public Safety Act (PSA) detentions among many others,” she said when responding to CFWIJ.

Quratulain’s life as a journalist was no different; she experienced drastic changes after the events in Kashmir last year. It was tough for her to report because of the communication blackout.

“I’m from South Kashmir, but I was living in a rented place in Srinagar at the time. It was not easy to live in an atmosphere where there is no internet facility for background research. With the internet, the work can get much easier, but there was none at all, which meant that I had to do extra work. Sometimes, I even had to decide whether I should go with the flow or how to do stories which could possibly create trouble for me,” she said.

It is frustrating for Nawal to file stories to publications and agencies. She informed CFWIJ that 4G is still not working and broadband speed is very slow.

Durdana deems it to be “very Beckettian, almost like ‘Waiting for Godot’.”

Apart from the issues that women journalists have been confronted with since the past one year, they have also had to work with an extra layer of risk associated with their gender. Being a woman journalist in Kashmir meant more risks to their safety, given the local and political dynamics of the valley.

For Quratulain, working as a woman journalist in Kashmir comes with familial, societal and political pressures, considering the valley’s conservative norms. Originally from Pulwama district in South Kashmir, she was working from Srinagar when the abrogation was announced. Quratulain informed us that a day before August 5, she had told her mother not to worry about her safety, if she is unable to communicate due to the blackout.

“I went home after two weeks. My mother literally cried because a lot of our neighbors kept asking her questions about me. They even questioned me about the situation and why I did not come home. This made me really uncomfortable. It was shocking and hurt me a lot,” she said.

Quratulain added that women are often considered vulnerable and weak, while their hard work is neglected.

“Personally, I do not believe in gender when it comes to work. Because we have equal opportunities and it depends on us how we utilize them. But how can I prove to people that I am doing better than the man you praise?”

While Durdana looks at it from a slightly different lens.

“There has been a particular uneasiness concerning the freedom of movement. I think that is the only challenge there is that families are not comfortable with, and the idea of being possibly slapped by legal procedures,” she said.

Nawal opined that as a woman it is more difficult to work in the journalism profession.

“You have to face these ultra-masculine state powers, whose gaze too is exploitative and abusive. And then comes the social dynamics where, although now women in journalism are more or less internalized and normalized, you (still) need to fight the society and family to enter a field like this,” she said.

Nawal added that she had to fight her family when researching in the far-fetched LOC areas and also had to deal with local authorities after she made it there.

“Once there, the authorities — from whom you need to take permission to visit these areas — would look down upon me and shun me away with stupid reasons just because they would not accept that a woman alone can visit these places,” she shared her experience of working as a woman during field work,” she shared in response to CFWIJ’s question about the challenges of working on the ground as a woman.

Kashmir is not an easy space to maneuver for women who are passionate to practice journalism amid the ongoing conflict and human rights violations. Before writing this story, I was struggling to connect with women journalists in the valley. While some were having trouble responding to my queries due to internet issues, others possibly wanted to stay away from being in the spotlight — and rightly so. What has happened in Kashmir since August 2019, is inhumane, to say the least. To know that women journalists continue to tell stories and speak truth to power, even in the world’s most militarized zone, strengthens one’s belief in the way journalism can challenge Orwellian governments amidst the state of repression.

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Chicken or egg dilemma in journalism: Mental health

By Zeynep Gürcan

TW: This is merely an opinion piece, the author is not a mental health professional

Credit: Getty images, copyright: anyaberkut

Are those who choose to become journalists more prone to suffer from mental health illnesses or does the profession itself cause the illnesses? I ponder to myself thinking about all the recent cases of journalist suicides I documented.

Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of groundbreaking confessional Prozac Nation, used to write obsessively without break while she was working at the Rolling Stone during her college days. In her memoir she writes: “Then I need more. I always need more. For all of my life I have needed more.” The sentiment was specifically about her relationship to Ritalin, but it can also be applied to the way she went to fulfill her desire to write. Elizabeth, who passed away this January from cancer, wrote bravely about her struggles with mental health starting in her pre-teen years. 

It is not uncommon to see women who write, whether journalists or authors, encounter hardships with their mental health throughout their career. Which makes one wonder: Is it that the more vulnerable and empathetic choose a career in writing and documenting stories, or is it the stories, that they cover, make them more vulnerable?

Based on research by Psychiatrist Feinstein and his team focusing on PTSD, the first academic article published about mental health and journalists was from 2002. So we might as well say that academia was almost a millenia behind in researching the profession’s mental health effects.

Journalists working on the ground are not the only ones to suffer from trauma, PTSD and other psychological problems; in fact, those working in newsrooms and the sources also experience second hand trauma. Uncomfortably long hours or days or sometimes weeks, constant exposure to disturbing content and the intense competition in the profession - all contribute to the trauma inflicted on one’s mental health.

In a 2016 scientific article published in the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, following were the most common sources of stress:

• Job-role demands: ambiguous expectations or uncertainties about a particular role, or over-burdensome expectations.

• Interpersonal demands: problems among colleagues, competition and ethical issues in reporting.

• Physical demands: the stresses posed by working in a busy newsroom without natural light.

• Working conditions: low pay, long hours and late-night deadlines.

• Task-related stressors: interviewing distraught sources, time pressures, violence and intimidation, and exposure to traumatic events.

The most common effects of the aforementioned sources of stress are burnout, depression, anxiety, PTSD, alcohol and substance use, and job turnover in journalists.

Add on top of it, the stress of being a woman in the industry where one has to routinely wade through unimaginable online abuse and has to work to the break glass ceiling, it is almost impossible to not experience psychological distress.

See, I am no mental health illness expert but from the examples I have seen around myself, I can - with full confidence - say that most of the industry already has what experts call the ‘Florence Nightingale syndrome’, where they find it easier to try to fix the world than try to “fix” themselves, where they latch on to their work with such high expectations that any live-love-laugh-advice such as taking a break and going on a walk or plugging out becomes burdensome for them.

Creator: PeopleImages, Copyright: PeopleImages.com

Glyniss McNicoll in her 2014 article for Elle magazine described this as resenting anything that would keep her from doing her job, whether it was holding a conversation over dinner or actually going home to get some sleep. But, “In hindsight, it should have been clear there was a problem when I began fantasizing about being a garbage truck driver. I would sit at my desk, Gchat windows exploding, no less than 40 tabs open on my screen, my Blackberry within arms reach like a small tethered child or, perhaps more accurately, like a contraband substance, my television set tuned to the morning shows, and gaze out my window overcome by a sharp longing—a deep envy—of men who toss cans of refuse into a rumbling truck before continuing on to parts unknown. Parts free from the Internet.” Glyniss also wrote in her article.

In the capitalistic system we live in, which exalts the overwork culture, journalists rarely ever come out to their employers about the hardships they experience. Heck! They probably don’t even admit it to themselves because it sounds very heroic to be able to say they are immune to this unrecognized pandemic of our century: depression.

When Elizabeth Wurtzel’s memoir was published in 1994, it was almost a canon for all depressed young women, such as what the poetry of Sylvia Plath was in the 1980s and songs of Amy Winehouse came to be in the 2000s. The cruel male dominated industry didn’t hesitate to make fun of and belittle these women’s experiences while crusading for problematic male figures with narcissistic and alcoholic disorders like Charlie Sheen.

Elizabeth wrote in Prozac Nation: “I don’t know if depressives are drawn to places with that certain funereal ambience or if, in all their contagion, they make them that way.” As a firm believer of the art and the sword written word is, I am convinced that the patriarchy is what makes us women depressed and what also pushes us to overwork.

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Making Ends Meet

Women journalists on surviving the financial fallout of Covid-19

By Rabia Mushtaq

Credit: shutterstock, copyright: cottonbro

On January 30, the World Health Organization declared the Covid-19 outbreak as a global pandemic. Weeks later, many countries around the world began adopting measures to contain the novel coronavirus by imposing lockdowns and urging people to work from home to prioritize their health and safety. While many organizations in different industries managed to make the transition, others had a hard time adjusting to this new normal. Journalism was no different. An industry that was already struggling to financially sustain itself globally, had now encountered a pandemic.

Many print, electronic and digital media outlets had their business affected due to Covid-19. Some resorted to pay cuts and furloughs, while others had to layoff or fire their employees. Eventually, the decisions of these media outlets left many journalists and media workers ambiguous about their job security. With less or no other avenues to seek refuge, it gradually became challenging for professionals, especially freelancers, in the global media industry to sustain themselves financially

In April, The Coalition For Women In Journalism spoke to Indian women journalists who shared their fears about the industry’s financial decline following the spread of coronavirus. A Bangalore based journalist Pallabi Munsi stated that an already deteriorating state of the media industry worsened after the pandemic.

“For the past decade, India’s newspaper industry has stood out as a rare beacon of hope for the print media, which has seen sharp declines in readership in the West… Now, the coronavirus is threatening to do what the Great Recession of 2008 couldn’t: deal a crippling blow to the industry,” she said.

Another Indian journalist, who used the pseudonym Bia, was asked to go on leave without pay, along with 44 other employees at her organization.

“I was told three days before I was forced to take leave without pay for an indefinite period. Personally, I found it to be very humiliating and insulting. I was shocked and it took me 48 hours for it to sink in,” she said, while sharing her ordeal with CFWIJ.

Women journalists in Pakistan, too, have suffered in terms of their income. Delayed salaries and layoffs have aggravated the situation for most working in the different media houses after Covid-19 struck. According to the Center for Protection of Afghan Women Journalists (CPAWJ), at least 230 women journalists lost their jobs and suffered a blow to their income following the financial effects of Covid-19.

Women journalists also shared their tales of exploitation by media outlets. In April, ELLE UK called for women documentary photographers/photojournalists to work for them in exchange for a “small fee” and “expenses”. Their request triggered many journalists, particularly freelancers, who started condemning their exploitative call. During a time when having a stable income was a challenge, it was appalling to see publications like ELLE UK to abuse the services of professionals in the industry and also put their safety at risk, while they work on the ground.

Fast forward to July, not much has changed. Women journalists around the world continue to struggle financially and make ends meet, all accredited to Covid-19. Considering how the novel coronavirus has had a negative financial impact on the lives of women journalists across the world, CFWIJ spoke with a few, based in the U.S. and Canada, to understand their financial struggles and how they have been coping with the pressures imposed by Covid-19 on them.

The damage post-coronavirus

Rasha Guerrier, the founder and executive producer of the Jesse Louis Productions, had to file for unemployment after Covid-19 impacted her financially.

“I had to go through a process of deferring a bunch of payments that thankfully gave me a couple of months of relief for payments I just didn't have the money to pay,” she said.

Rasha was in the process of building a video production website for ABC7NY and had to leave. Even though she did create the website, the plan to build an initial team of video correspondents fell through and Rasha began covering independent stories that can now be viewed on her own website, which is separate from the station.

“I now aim for the website to be a portfolio allowing producers to submit their work and also provide location rental spaces for creatives to bring their stories to life,” she said.

Denise Cathey, based in the Rio Grande Valley, covers immigration and life along the U.S.-Mexico border as a full-time photojournalist for a daily. However, even her full-time employment leaves her uncertain about her financial future.

“I had made a plan to start working on putting money into upgrading my equipment, since most of it is five to eight years old and starting to show it. But that had to be shelved entirely because I need to be able to have some kind of emergency fund if the worst does happen. I'm pretty much just crossing my fingers every time I'm pulling out my gear and hoping that nothing goes wrong because at this point I can't afford to fix anything,” she informed CFWIJ.

*A, a Canadian journalist, works as an advertorial features writer for the last 10 months. When taking up the job for a staff position, A* settled $9,000 less than what she had asked for. Even though she has not been laid off due to Covid-19, its financial impact has prevented her from earning a raise. She currently makes only $2,080 as net pay, which she said is not sustainable according to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).

“So having to work and getting as much as everyone else who isn’t working is disheartening. When I asked for a raise (regardless of Covid-19 because I’m way past probation), I was told not yet and maybe in the fall when things go back to normal but who knows if that will happen,” A* told CFWIJ.

She added that her department is just herself and the editor, because another staffer left at the end of 2019. “They were never replaced so my workload increased without a pay,” she said.

Ashley Hayes-Stone is Sacramento based photojournalism student. She is due to start her first semester at the San Francisco State University this fall, but has been freelancing for the past two years. Ashley has her stories published in the Sacramento News and Review - an alternative weekly, which ceased the publication of its print edition in March and laid off freelancers. She was completing her associate degree in journalism and was working as a student worker for the campus newspaper, while her hours at the paper were cut as well, so Ashley had to try to find work elsewhere. To keep herself afloat, Ashley has been writing for different websites and businesses but finds it difficult to keep herself motivated.

“I’ve been living off my savings until I can find some work. I have applied to a few reporter positions in the area but I have not received a response… I battle with depression and anxiety; therefore, I have to fight to get out of bed to find stories, so I can pay my bills and save up to buy school supplies for fall. To be honest, it's highly discouraging to keep going when you keep hitting these walls but it's that or drown,” she responded in an email to CFWIJ.

Another Canada based journalist B* works as a full-time multimedia journalist in Victoria and will be soon exploring her reporting chops at a new workplace in August. For B*, working during a pandemic has not been easy and its financial implications have been evident on the outlet where she works.

“The company I work for ended up moving to a work-share model meaning we were working 20 per cent less, and getting paid 20 per cent less. I am relying on EI to top up some of my missed income. In my case, that means I'm working four days a week instead of five,” she said when responding to our question.

B* also did some freelance work on the side for extra income. She said, “I also did freelance work for the company I work for (for some other publications) but as soon as COVID-19 struck, all freelance work was cancelled, so my extra income was lost. I should also note that just because we're on work-share, doesn't mean layoffs can't still happen.”

Photo credit: Karolina Grabowska

 Controlling the financial damage

In order to control the damage to their finances, these women journalists have had to make a lot of sacrifices and take difficult decisions. Rasha, who was originally living in New York (NYC) with a roommate, had to move back to her home in New Jersey (NJ) and sublease her room to save money.

“Even though my parents had filed for unemployment as well as small business owners in optometry, they had enough saved to hold our family through. However, due to COVID, the person who was subletting my room moved back to Cali, so I was on the hunt to find someone else to take over paying the rent for my room in NYC while being home in NJ. Finally, I was able to find someone to take over,” she informed CFWIJ.

Denise, too, immediately turned towards controlling the damage post-Covid and opted to save as much as she could to help herself in the future with an emergency fund, if and when needed.

“I was lucky enough to get a stimulus check, so I put that in and thankfully have only had to use a small amount. I immediately cut back on all spending that wasn't absolutely essential. So basically, (I just spend on) food, gas, rent, and bills. I also chose not to renew the lease on my apartment and moved to a cheaper place, while it was a lot of money to spend upfront I'm hoping if things get tighter it'll be easier to manage,” she said.

A* began to UberEats on evenings and weekends to cover her expenses and build an emergency fund.

“Since I’m working from home, I’m not using my car so I figured I can make extra income off my vehicle. My strategies are to spend more than I make by cutting non-essentials and budgeting for groceries,” she wrote to us.

Ashley shared that she was living off of the meager income money received while working at the school, but filed for unemployment and is waiting to receive her checks.

“Until then I’ve been living off my savings which are slowly depleting every month. I spent all that time saving and it's just gone within a few months. To be honest, I really didn't have much of a strategy. I just try to pay my bills and drive into my savings to cover me. I was worried about money on top of finishing my last semester at my community college,” she informed us.

B* is content with the fact that her students loan payments have been put on hold until September — the reason she has managed some savings. But she also decided to take up some much-needed lifestyle changes.

“I stopped getting takeout, made coffee at home and relied on the EI top up to cover some of my lost income. I had to stop seeing my therapist for a bit so I could save money and put subscriptions to the gym, news outlets, etc. on hold,” said B*.

While the present is more about surviving, the future also remains uncertain for most women journalists.

Rasha is currently unemployed but is pulling through with the help of employment checks. She also runs two additional small businesses — one in the e-commerce industry and another in location rentals. She is also in the process of getting certified as a licensed financial analyst, after which she will work as an independent contractor. All of these streams of income are still not enough for Rasha to sustain her financial needs because they are gradually building.

“However, moving back home to NJ and thankfully filing for unemployment allow me to use this time to invest, save, build, and strategize effectively for what’s to come.

Denise has managed to sustain through her full-time photojournalism job and some freelance work on the side. “At the moment, it is enough to pay all my bills and save a bit,” she said.

A* said that the gig economy is helping, while B* is getting by.

“I live in Victoria, British Columbia. Here, the rent is astronomical, as are other costs like gas, groceries and insurance. I'm living paycheck to paycheck, and have had to apply for repayment assistance for my student loans as well. I'm ashamed to say it, but I've taken some loans from my parents at times too,” B* stated.

She has continued her work as a multimedia journalist, while Ashley looks out for stories, pitches them to local publications and does freelance work.

“It doesn't pay much but I'm willing to do it. I want to be a photojournalist, but I have been writing more to make more money instead. Even though it's not editorial, I have been thinking about offering to do portrait sessions and weddings to make some extra cash,” Ashley said, and added that it is enough for now, but she hopes to get her unemployment checks soon.

“I just appreciate the fact I get financial aid which pays for my tuition because if I didn't have that I wouldn't be able to go to school,” she wrote when responding to CFWIJ.

Keeping up with mental health amidst the uncertainty

The past few months have been challenging for one’s mental health and women journalists have not been able to escape the psychological pressures after Covid-19 took over the world. Fears of one’s safety and health continue to haunt, but the fear of financial uncertainty has taken a rather heavy toll.

“Not getting an income hit and triggered my anxiety a lot, especially with my handling expenses, bills, loan payments, etc. On top of COVID happening during the death of George Floyd, Breoanna Taylor, and many other young black people due to police brutality amid the #BLM Movement, as a black woman, all of these emotions and feelings felt heavy, Rasha said. She added that prayer and the support of loved ones pushed her through and reminded her that she was not alone.

Denise, too, said that she experiences an endless feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop and no idea when or if it has already happened.

“You go from being able to plan for things, to just having no real ability to know what you are going to be doing two weeks or two months from now. The anxiety is just insane, there's just no real point of stability so you can pull yourself out of it,” Denise said, while sharing her apprehensions with CFWIJ.

A* has been stressed about her finances, but particularly about the social pressure of having achieved everything during her mid-20s.

“I thought I was on my way to building my finances and career, but I feel like that’s been put to a halt.  I feel like I’m in limbo and worry if I’ll lose my main source of income and a job that’s helping me gain experience,” she shared her concerns.

Ashley battles with anxiety and depression. Seeing the amount in her bank account decrease and not hearing back from potential employers has left her depressed.

“I have a hard time motivating myself and feel guilty for not photographing more or writing more,” she said.

B*, on the other hand, constantly worries about being laid off.

“We were already working with reduced staff and reduced hours but the pressure to put out the same amount of content and keep our readership was higher than ever. I was worried that if I didn't work at 120 per cent, I'd lose my job and income,” she said.

B* added that if her job is lost, she would potentially have to move back to Ontario to live with her parents.

“I can't afford to live in B.C. without income and because I've been paycheque to paycheque, I have no savings. I was in tears almost every night worried about if I'd make it through… I watched businesses close, watched my friends get laid off and was so stressed that I was having night terrors. The worst part is there's nothing to be done about it,” she said and added that the uncertainty increased her anxiety.

An uncertain future looms over

Covid-19 has forced everyone to live in the new normal by adapting to lifestyle changes and surviving despite the challenges. People around the world are still struggling to live this different life. In the midst of lockdowns and changes in work life, industries have suffered financially, but individuals have borne the brunt exponentially.

“I already knew that I was going to be struggling, whatever happens, I'm going to keep doing this (photojournalism) as long as I can get the work. I might have to switch to full freelance in the future and maybe get a stable part-time job outside journalism. But I love what I do too much to fully pull away at this point. It's too much a part of me to not fight for it in any way that I can, for as long as I can,” Denise said about her future, given the long-term effects Covid-19.

A* said that she feels safe from getting laid off because her department has just two people, including her.

“I think my future at my job can be long lasting, as long as I can make a reasonable salary and time can only tell with that. My future career wise is open but I’ve learned to never settle for less than you are worth. Once I live under what I make (which doesn’t always happen in a month), I think I will be okay financially,” she said.

A* added that her company isn’t helping younger generations because it’s not profitable enough. She said that when compared to an old colleague with eight years of experience, she would have been laid off because she has only spent a year at the job.

“My company isn’t doing much to make sure we’re okay financially, there is talk of making us go part-time but that hasn’t happened yet. I think young people, especially of color, need to be uplifted in media jobs and in staff positions, I think editors who are coming up to retirement need to pave the way and uplift us, give us a chance to have the same financial opportunities they had,” B* said when asked by CFWIJ about what her company was doing to ensure financial security of its employees.

B* said that she is employed for at least another year and has planned personal budget cuts to save, in case her contract is not renewed next year.

“I've already started thinking about other avenues I can take like going back to school or switching to communications. I love journalism with a passion but it's breaking my heart seeing it fall apart like this. I also realize that my loved ones are struggling financially too, and if I ever want to be in a place to care for them or help them, I have to make more money. I don't think that will be possible as the economic fallout from the pandemic may last years,” she said with not much hope about the future.

Ashley is hopeful. She wants to find stories and pitch to as many publications as possible. But she signed off on this note:

“Journalism is an industry that's not made for the weak and I'm learning that very quickly.”

*Some names in the story have been changed to protect the sources’ identities

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Reporting COVID-19: Young Sri Lankan Women Journalists are in Action 

The Center for Media & Information Literacy (CMIL) has released a report focused on the Covid-19 coverage by young women journalists in Sri Lanka. This report highlights the work of 20 women journalists who have produced at least 50 stories using their mobile phones Media Corps Watch produced by CMIL.

Sumithy Thangarasa

COVID-19 affected the livelihood of thousands of people in Sri Lanka, as elsewhere in the world, regardless of their social status and ethnic and religious differences. 

Until the country is being slowly re-opened, several mainstream media and hundreds of webcasting sites were regularly reporting on how people are dealing with COVID-19. 

However, It was extremely rare to note that a large number of young women mobile journalists are involving in reporting the pandemic situation from various parts of Sri Lanka.  

At least 20 young women mobile journalists actively involved in reporting the impact of COVID 19 in rural communities, including women in Sri Lanka. They produced at least 50 mobile journalism (MoJo) stories to the news magazine program -Media Corps Watch produced by the Centre for Media and Information Literacy (CMIL) and Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum (SDJF). 

SDJF and CMIL produced 50 Media Corps Watch  - news magazine programs From April 25, highlighting how people are dealing with COVID-19 and countering disinformation and providing authentic information required for the rural communities to stay safe during the period. 

Young women mobile journalists who had already been trained by SDJF, under its Media Corps fellowship program, courageously produced series of stories, live updates, expert interviews amidst the threat to their own lives, health hazards, and practical challenges. 

Young women followed regular security and safety guidance from SDJF, WHO, and government taking extra care about themselves, maintaining the social distance, establishing communication with the state and non-state stakeholders, and continuing their reporting. 

Most of their stories were on the impact of the lock-down and curfew situation on rural and marginalized communities. Some female journalists produced stories about the affected populations, some interviewed responsible government officers, some produced photographs, some provided live coverage, and some helped to produce more authentic and verified information through Media Corps Watch. 

Nirasha, a young journalist, produced a series of stories about migrant workers from rural areas who were trapped in Colombo construction sites without being able to access to food and medicine. One of her story on construction workers who were unable to get back to their home districts, and trapped at their worksites, in Colombo by the curfew, attracted close to 200,000 views, nearly 5,000 shares, and close to 500 comments on social media.

Further, her compelling stories not only paved the path for donors to help these trapped laborers but also enabled the news magazine, reporters, to send the message to the relevant government authorities to take action on behalf of all the people and laborers who were trapped in Colombo. Young Nirasha contacted the government about it. Eventually, the government worked out a strategy to evacuate those who were trapped. 

"At the beginning, even the police were not optimistic to respond to a female journalist walking down the street for reporting. But observing the young ones n the spot giving due consideration to health precautions that were approved by WHO, they gave their full corporation to continue reporting” said Nirasha. 

Nirasha Piyawadani is interviewing people who trapped in Colombo.

Ahalya David, another young journalist produced a series of stories and live situation analyses from the Eastern part of Sri Lanka. Her stories focused mostly on the effect of COVID-19 situation around women.  One of her stories about women who use oysters shells to make the powder attracted 19,000viewers. Another story on a farmer who is the only person who grows Beetroot in the Batticaloa district attracted 11k viewers. Ahalya produced a number of stories about some individuals who are involved in home gardening for their livelihood. A story on a farmer who cultivated vegetables and cherries on the rooftop reached around 37 online audiences.

"COVID-19 is an extremely unusual and challenging situation for us. Even under normal situations, we are not allowed to travel a long distance, be amongst the people, involve in reporting. However, I happened to make a strong decision to report for the MediaCorps Watch program constantly” said Ahalya. 

Sumithy Thangarasa, one of the very few journalists working from Jaffna highlighted in her stories on how families are struggling to access basic livelihoods and satiation in Jaffna during the curfew. In addition, the news about a Swiss Father of Philadelphia Church in Jaffnawas viewed by a large amount of audience. Taking a step above covering this story, she submitted an official report of the incident to the Director-General of Jaffna General Hospital.

Sharing her experience, she mentioned that "Even I was in a dubious situation about my safety to find stories amid an epidemic that has threatened the entire world. I confronted these challenges over a passion for reporting. There are very few women journalists in Jaffna. And it was a valuable experience for me to be apart of the female journalists to contribute to this kind of reporting without fear.”

It’s apparent that not many women journalists in Sri Lanka are involved in multimedia journalism. However, the Media Corps Fellowship program has provided necessary knowledge, skills and courage for a large number of young women to produce multi-media stories using smartphones. The mobile application such as “Kinemaster" had given abundant opportunities to effectively films, edit and disseminate their stories. 

Kalawarshini Kanagaratnamis a journalist living in the congested city of Maradana, a suburb of Colombo. With the mainstream media continually focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on big businesses at the national level, Kalavarshini's creative mind ran into a unique group of people who were isolated in the general eye. She covered a remarkable story of a 'Small group of community in a slum area who are engaging in the traditional way of washing clothes'.This story highlighted the fears and the concerns of underprivileged communities who have no income or government support and yet do not get the attention of mainstream media. Several other stories produced by young women journalists focused on the impact of COVID -19 on local industries. 

Prabhasha Chithrangani, who lives in Monaragala, is a student of the Department of Journalism at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Prabhasha entered professional journalism through Media Corps Watch program.

“I was overwhelmed by the responses which I received from reporting on the visually impaired cricket team in Sri Lanka” - said Prabhasha. The story reached 26 viewers and highlighted the difficulties faced by the visually challenged cricketers in continuing the sports due to the present situation” she said explaining her experience in involving COVID-9 reporting. 

ManushiJayasena is a multimedia journalist living in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Her reporting specializes in hidden villages in Matara District. She was able to report the impact of COVID-19 on the people of such remote villages from time to time. Out of this reporting, she has captured two stories; one is about brick makers and the other one about the farmers who were fighting against the odds to supply their corps to the nations food supply chain. 

Parineetha Puneetharasa is a multimedia journalist who lives in Batticaloa and studies at the University of Jaffna. Praneetha indicated her experience in reporting COVID-19. "Everyone in my village was in a state of a shock of Covid-19. At that time, it was impossible to even think of going out to find stories in the village. Though my family was against, one time I went out to capture images and to find stories of the impact of COVID-19 in our rural village as a passionate MediaCorp fellow. Taking every step forward, I put all the challenges behind and went out, which gave me opportunities to explore my village in-depth to find stories.”

Praneetha reported about a group of fishermen, including women who had come to Batticaloa for off-season fishing and couldn’t return to their hometown. They got trapped in 'Kirankulam' due to the curfew and managed to put up a temporary shelter on the beach to survive. This story reached around 19K viewers on Media Corps Watch Facebook page. 

A story about how COVID-19 has affected the livelihood of women involved in traditional sewing from Eraur highlighted difficulties in continuing their job. A young mobile journalist KundaviSivapalan produced this story for Media Corps Watch program. Similarly, a young Journalist Kalavarshini highlighted the difficulties faced by an elderly family that is involved in maintaining a small laundry shop. The story highlighted how the family lost its customer base and therefore, the regular income. SilmiyaYousuf, in her story, highlighted how Coconut is being sold at a different price in different regions. 

Conclusion 

As per the initial assessment conducted by the SDJF and CMIL, it was observed that the MediaCorps Watch program, supported by IREX and funded by USAID reached more than 1.5 Million online audiences in Sri Lanka providing a significant opportunity for the young women mobile-journalists in Sri Lanka to prove their capability to address the issues faced by them and as well as their communities. The News Magazine program thus confirmed that when opportunities are provided, women journalists can use mobile journalism to voice the voiceless. 

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Women Journalists To Follow

Khristina Williams

New York based broadcast journalist Khristina is the founder of Girls Talk Sports TV. She created the platform in JUly 2018, after she found it challenging to break into sports broadcasting in mega media outlets as a Black woman. As a former student-athlete, Khristina established a digital sport media platform that caters to women’s representation in the sports industry and produces relevant content. We’re cheering for her, you should too. Find more about her work here. She tweets here.

Ayshah Tull

Ayshah is a British journalist working for Channel 4 News. Her reporting is focused on a variety of beats, however, her recent coverage of Covid-19 and race in the UK are worth a mention. Her coverage of the Grenfell Tower Fire from the beginning focused on victims' stories of hope. She has also worked on the coverage of gun laws and shootings in the US among other important stories during her time at BBC in the past. She was a presenter at the channel’s dedicated children show Newsround. We’ve been following Ayshah’s journalism and cannot just keep all her talent to ourselves. You can follow her work here. She tweets here.

Sylvia Jarrus

Based in Michigan, Sylvia is a freelance photojournalist who loves to tell stories. Her passion for storytelling is evident in her work, which we recently came across following the Black Lives Matter protests in Detroit. Sylvia’s photojournalism reflects the lives of people whose stories need to be told. The raw emotions and expressions can be observed in the work Sylvia has done so far. Her photographs can also be found in this NYT piece from June 24. Sylvia’s work can be found here. She tweets here.

Yagazie Emezi

Yagazie is a Nigeria based freelance photojournalist. Her work is largely focused on human rights and women’s issues such as education, sexuality, and health. Yagazie’s work can be found in several international publications including the NYT, Vogue, and Al Jazeera among others. In 2018, she received Getty Images’ inaugural Creative Bursary Award and was also a participant of New York Portfolio Review in 2018. Yagazie is a National Geographic Explorer Grantee and became the first black African woman to have photographed for the National Geographic Magazine. Need we say more? Follow her work here. She tweets here.

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Round up of Threats Women Journalists Faced

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Badass Women Authors

Written by some of the most badass women authors across the world, we recommend you add these books to your “to-read list” this month.

The Bluest Eye

This is Toni Morrison’s first novel that revolves around the life of a young black girl Pecola Breedlove. Her desire for blue eyes and blonde hair stops her from seeing her own beauty. She is mocked by children for her curly hair, dark skin, and brown eyes that set her apart from the usual white people around her. Focused on the obsession with beauty and conformity, this book will pull your heartstrings.

The Hate U Give

This book by Angie Thomas is a powerful and heartbreaking story focused on the black community’s experience in America, narrated by a 16-year-old. The author combines the conventional critical race theory with contemporary political reference to highlight the ongoing climate around and what it would take to reconstruct. Given the current debate on race, discrimination and violence in the US, this book will help you udnerstand the situation more efficiently.

I'm Still Here

This is an essay collection that taps on faith, race, and white supremacy. Austin Channing Brown engages with prejudice and in America and analyses the impact of racism on one’s self-worth. It is a testimony of Black womanhood, resistance and activism packed with burning truth. It is a story of resilience. Brown comes across as a writer who wishes to see a world where Blackness is celebrated and whiteness is fearlessly named.

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name

Written by Geraldine Audre Lorde, Zani is a biomythography that narrates her coming of age. The book shows how she became the Black lesbian, feminist, mother and the poet that she is today. It tells her story with conviction and immense insight. Through Zani, Lorde recounts her earliest memories and the power of her words will leave you gripped enough to consider writing your own memoir and tracing your own life. Read it now, if you haven’t already.

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Podcast Picks

If you haven’t yet been on a podcast binging spree, we’re here to recommend some of the best in business to help you keep updated all times. This month we focus on podcasts that highlight the Black community around the world. Listen up!

The Nod

“The Nod tells the stories of Black life that don't get told anywhere else… It is an artfully idiosyncratic exploration of the kaleidoscopic spectrum of experiences that make up black life in America”.

If this isn’t enough to convince you and listen to their podcast, then we’re not sure what else will. From purple drinks’ in Black culture to the current protests across the US, they discuss everything and anything to do with the Black community. Listen here.

Ask A Black Woman

“You betta be ready for a real answer!”

Everything you’ve ever wanted to ask a Black woman will be answered on this show. Tune in to Ask A Black Woman and hear Shanara respond to questions ranging from race to love and much more. This solo show claims to “take you on a ride” using spoken word and reenactments. Listen here.

Happy Black Woman

“If you’re ready to turn your expertise into a 6-figure online business, then you are definitely in the right place.”

For all the ambitious Black women out there, this is the podcast you’ve been looking for. Rosetta Thurman, the host of this podcast, empowers women by taking them on a personal development journey using interviews with successful Black women living happy, independent lives. Listen here.

Balanced Black Girl

“The Balanced Black Girl Podcast provides a dose of real-life wellness for women of color.”

Lestraundra Alfred, the host of the podcast, and her guests will keep you engaged in candid discussions about health, happiness and life. The podcast wants its listeners (read: women of color) to reconsider self-care and wellness, so that they seem real and accessible for them. Listen here.

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WOMEN IN JOURNALISM MAGAZINE - May/June Issue

Editor’s Note

Hello readers,

Hope you are getting some air this summer?

We are back with a joint issue for May and June, both months have been extremely busy with overlapping issues we have been following, covering and being actively involved in. As you things around us all have changed, we know you have been going through some sort of transition too; and given the amount of information flow around Covid-19 and the ongoing #BLM protests we know you have been dealing with, we decided to give our magazine a break.

In this issue of our Monthly, we focus on women journalists on the frontlines of the #BLM protests sparked in the United States and spilled over around the world. Our day to day work also revolves around safety of women journalists working on the ground, and that being an essential reality for women journalists on the ground, we have snippets for you. 

We will continue to publish more on the issue of the ongoing movement of #BLM. In this particular issue we wanted to specially feature and emphasize on Black women journalists. 

Somewhere along the way while we were following protests in the US as part of our support work for women journalists on the ground (find our page focused on US Protests here), we decided to launch a map that could show women reporters covering the issue. We shared this map with our network of editors and newsrooms. This map has been extremely useful for some newsrooms to work and assign more work to female freelancers. Feel free to go to our map here, find a woman journalist reporting from a location you're interested in and share their work.

While working on this we also realised that Black women were a) fewer in proportion and yet b) more often targeted in the field. 
We hence created a Black Women Journalist List covering race and BLM in America; this list is easily distributable in newsrooms and we would urge you to follow these by-lines.

Feel free to view this gorgeous list here. Feel free to get in touch with a suggestion or offer of support. Learn more about how women journalists are targeted while covering BLM, here. 

Our woman on the cover this month is Melissa Hellmann, an award-winning Seattle Times reporter, covering the #BLM protests in South King County, Seattle. Melissa talks to CFWIJ about reporting the demonstrations and the changes she sees in Seattle's local dynamics post-demonstrations as well as what it is like to work as a journalist of color in the US.

Zeynep Gürcan, our colleague in Turkey, wrote an opinion piece in honor of pride month. She shed light on how individuals from the LGBTI+ community need to be treated as more than just interview subjects and the need to have more LGBTI+ reporters.

Zeynep also interviewed Phillip Meylan from The Factual, who talks about how his team fact-checked women journalists and what credibility looked like for female by-lines on the beat. We found this work quite insightful. 

Our researcher and write Rabia Mushtaq did a special report on Maria Ressa and the state of press freedom in the Philippines. An issue we are aggressively following and campaigning for. Our dedicated page on Maria Ressa's case can be found here. We also joined a 60 organization coalition called #HoldTheLine to campaign against the censorship under President Dutarte's regime. You can support Maria and press freedom by signing this petition.

In the rest of the magazine we maintain some of the regular sections: In our 'Women Journalists To Follow' section we feature four Black journalists. CFWIJ has also picked some podcasts by journalists of color which focus on racial justice, policing in the US, movements by the black community and much more to help you understand the current issues better from the very essential Black perspective. 

Do write to us with feedback, love and support. 

Kiran Nazish, Executive Editor
Rabia Mushtaq, Editor and Writer
Damla Tarhan, Design 
Zeynep Gurcan, Contributions
With special thanks to Sulome Anderson

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Melissa Hellmann - On covering the #BLM protests, pursuing transparency and working as a journalist of color in the US

Photo Credit: Erika Schultz

Melissa Hellmann is an award-winning journalist with 10 years of experience reporting across the world. Her work has appeared in several publications including the YES! Magazine, The Associated Press, and TIME among others.

Melissa is currently working as the Seattle Times’ South King County reporter with beats ranging from politics, law, health, education, and social issues. Following the recent turn of events in the history of racial justice in the US, Melissa has been covering the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, which took place after the brutal murder of a 46-year-old black man - George Floyd - by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

She began her reporting as the protestors took to the streets in South Seattle to fight for racial justice. While covering these protests on the ground her stories put forth the myriad aspects of this monumental event in the history of the black community. From stories highlighting the Junteenth events in the city to the plight of families who have lost their loved ones to police brutalities, Melissa has been taking note of everything under the sun in South Seattle.

Melissa also serves as the president of the Seattle Association of Black Journalists president and has taken up the whims to revolutionize the contributions of black journalists in the city.

CFWIJ spoke with Melissa to learn about her experience of covering the #BLM protests as a journalist of color and how she views the transformational dynamics of the events unfolding post-demonstrations. We also talked about the challenges she has faced in the journalism industry as a journalist of colour and the changes she wishes to see in the industry that actualize the ideas of diversity, inclusion and acceptance of all races within the profession. Read on.

Note: Our conversation with Melissa took place on June 22, 2020. Some of the events she discusses here may not be current at the time of this interview’s publication.

Photo credit: Erika Schultz

Q: What is the current state of the #BLM protests in Seattle?

The situation at CHOP (the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest) rapidly evolved during its several-week tenure. When the police abandoned the East Precinct, it grew into a space with community gardens, memorials for people killed by the police, teach-ins, a co-op with free food, and an encampment for houseless people. I live in walking distance to the area and regularly reported there; I mostly observed a peaceful protest during the day. Demonstrators often questioned the next steps in the movement and some criticized the space as a distraction from the fight for Black liberation. The police had shared unfounded rumors that the protesters were extorting businesses, which was later debunked. But there was some animosity among businesses about the protesters’ presence. In late June, businesses and residents filed a lawsuit against the city for abandoning CHOP and leaving the area unchecked by law enforcement. Following the lawsuit and a spate of gun violence in the area, the city dismantled CHOP last week. Collectives were born out of the occupied protest, and demonstrations have continued despite its absence.

Q: What are the local dynamics like in terms of the protests, following the closure of businesses (in solidarity with the protestors)?

In CHOP, there are still some buildings that are closed. Honestly, a lot of buildings have been closed for the past few months because of Covid-19. I don't know necessarily if these buildings have been closed because of the protests. There are some shops around CHOP that are still open, so I don't know if anything closed down because of the demonstrations, in particular.

Q: How would you describe the participation of the white community in protest taking place in Seattle?

Seattle is mostly a white city. It is almost 60 percent white I believe. A lot of the black community that was in the central district - the historically black area, have moved South because of the gentrification, so there's not a large black population in Seattle.

Most of the protests are led by people of color but many of the participants are white. They are mostly younger white people, so it's hard to say that white people as a monolith have had a certain opinion on this. I see a lot of young people who are galvanized by this and who believe that black lives matter and have been out there protesting. I have also been getting emails from older white readers who are very upset. They write that people of different colors have always lived together in harmony and this has not been an issue until now. So there are some people who are blind to their own biases and racism that has continued to persist over hundreds of years.

A few days ago, just a couple of people initiated what they called the Capitol Hill Blackout, so that was just one day where a section of the park, where Capitol Hill occupied protests took place, was just dedicated to black healing. They had an ancestor healing ceremony and a grieving event. It was just a really peaceful place where about 50 black people gathered. A lot of people were really upset about it and they said it was segregation. Meanwhile, it has been occupied by mostly white protestors for the past few weeks and I had not seen the same amount of vitriol that I heard that day.

Q: Is there an aspect of the protests that interested you in particular as a journalist reporting on the ground for Seattle Times? And why?

This was an all-team effort. I just started a new beat covering Seattle and South King County, and this is an area where there are a lot of people of color, as well as the immigrant communities. Also, it has not received much media coverage over the years, so I felt it was an important coverage area. But basically as soon as I started this, Covid-19 was underway and then the protests started, so I have mostly been covering the protests the past couple of weeks.

It was something that I felt moved to do because it is literally right outside my window. During the initial days, I wasn't covering it and saw thousands of people walk by outside. But just being at the epicenter for all these demonstrations, I felt like I was missing out by not contributing and not documenting history because it's my job. So I asked to become more involved in the past couple of weeks.

It has also been very empowering to watch it, especially as a mixed-race black person - I'm half black and half white. It was important for me to be able to engage in this, otherwise, it would just have been very depressing to watch it from the sidelines.

Q: As a journalist of color, what was it like for you to report on the brutalities against the black community and the protests that followed? What is challenging for you to stay neutral when covering the protests?

I take issue with the term neutrality and objectivity in journalism because it is a very coded term and is usually directed at people who belong to marginalized communities. The most important to me is transparency and accountability in reporting - that's something that I always pursue. It is something that I pursue when I'm talking with activists. I don't just take their word for it and (reach out to) at least a couple of other voices that can back it up. The same goes for the police as well - I don't just take their word for it.

That is where some reporters have gotten themselves in trouble in the past where they've just had maybe taken the police's word without realizing that they have their own vested interests in this as well. 

Sometimes they don't tell the truth, so it is important to me that I fact check everyone whom I speak with. I'd say that I brought my own lens into it which enriched the stories that I have worked on. As far as neutrality is concerned, I'd say that I did my job by being transparent and accountable.

Q: Have you been to the autonomous zone? What is that like? And b) Given the history of Tulsa and Rosewood I am sure it brought back memories for many. Do you think things would have been different back then if there was an active media presence?

Yes, I live just a few blocks away from the Capitol Hill Occupied Protests, so I have covered it. I don’t know if there was a lot of media presence at Rosewood but there definitely was in Tulsa.

Actually, one of the inciting incidents for the massacre in Tulsa was a newspaper article that basically was a call to action for white residents to seek justice for what they believed was an attack on a white woman. But throughout history, especially during that time, journalism has been used to bolster white supremist agenda, so I don't have faith that the media would have done it diligently; that it would have done it justice and prevented those attacks or others after it from happening.

Now that technology is more pervasive and people have greater access to information, it has helped with our awareness. But still, there were so many reporters out there in Ferguson and there were still so many other shootings of black men after that, so it did not necessarily prevent it. It raised awareness and made more people angry.

But part of what has caused this civil unrest right now is partial because of Covid-19. A lot of people were feeling disheartened by the government in general and felt disenfranchised because of the systems that are in place. Also, having a lack of connection for so many months made people really want to seek that and to be part of something that was larger than themselves.

Seeing those seven minutes and 45 seconds of George Floyd being killed by the cop, who had his knee pressed on his neck, really galvanized people into taking action.

I do, obviously, see journalism having a purpose and moving these movements forward, but it has also contributed to biases. I hope that marginalized communities will be better represented in the newsroom and also in our coverage so that we are able to inform people in a way that pursues racial justice more.

Q: We have seen in our work with women journalists, particularly those of color, that they tend to face immense discrimination within newsrooms and in the field when doing their job. Have you experienced anything similar? How would you describe your own experience, given your work as a journalist for various news outlets, throughout your career?

Yes, it definitely has happened - with my sources and in newsrooms. It often is not very overt; it often happens on my microaggressions with a lot of coded terms. I have been told throughout my career that I don't have enough experience for a position, although I have a master’s degree from UC Berkeley in journalism and also have 10 years of journalism experience around the world. I have been told that as recently as a couple of years ago and this is something that I’m continuously told.

People believe that I am younger than I actually am or that I'm an intern. This was something I was asked when working for the AP in Kansas. I was working at the State House as a reporter at the Capitol Hill and when I would walk into senate rooms or go to hearings, politicians would sometimes ask me if I was an intern - they didn't believe that I was a reporter.

Something that I’ve also come up against was with sources, where they've been very disrespectful. I talked with someone a couple of years ago and as soon as I started asking my question, he immediately started cutting me off and told me to shut up for about a minute. When I called him out, he was very offended and later tried to get me fired from that job. He kept pestering my boss saying that I was a terrible reporter. Luckily, my boss stood up for me.

Things like that have happened before. I've had sources trying to hit on me and not taking me seriously. I've also had people try to pay less than the median wage for a newsroom. It is also something I've had to talk to the union representatives about before and try to figure out how much the rest of the newsroom is making, to ensure that I was making the same amount.

Q: You’ve been serving as the president of the Seattle Association of Black Journalists as well. How does the association support journalists, especially women journalists, within the community?

I have just been the president for about a year now. We actually restarted the chapter after it was dormant for two years, so we have had to start from the scratch as an organization. It has been slightly challenging but I have great board members - about 20 people - who come regularly, so there is obviously a lot of interest in this. Right now, we have been focusing on trying to restructure the chapter. We are going to work on our strategic statement that is going to guide us in how to create some new board roles and we've been involved in different communities by being affiliated with other organizations such as the Asian American Journalist Association. We put on a couple of events with them right before quarantine in early March.

The association also held a speed mentoring event where we had about 20 established journalists and 20 students, who were mentored for about six minutes each. We've also had happy hours for journalists of colour and had a holiday party back in early January where we had about 100 people. We sold tickets and donated most of that money to the Globalist, a local publication that hires journalists of color. It was struggling financially at the time, so it was important for us to ensure that they continued to have jobs, get paid and that their voice remained a part of the community.

Right now we're trying to focus on our own chapter and bolstering it, getting up our general funds, so that we can hold professional development opportunities for our members and do conferences. We have a lot of plans that we hope to accomplish in the future - holding more mentoring events, having opportunities for members to learn how to negotiate, how to become managers, and how to advocate for themselves in the newsrooms.

We’re pretty well represented within women and men in the chapter. We don't have anything specific that has been catered towards women. However, this is something I'm going to think about in the future to support women journalists or the LGBTQ+ community better.

Q: As a journalist of color what sort of changes would you like to see in the industry?

I would like to see more journalists of colour in the newsrooms. I would like newsrooms to take diversity and inclusion seriously. There has been this call to diversify newsrooms, but oftentimes it is not something that the newsrooms truly believe and what they are actively pursuing.

When they do hire journalists of color, they are often tokenized and are asked to just cover news based on whatever community they belong to. I would like newsrooms and media, in general, to not think of people of colour as a monolith. They should think of us as individuals. Each of us comes with our own lens and own background that only enriches stories, it doesn't take away from it or spin a certain agenda.

I would also like journalists of colour to get paid as much as our white counterparts and to not have to fight for it. I want that to just be something on the table as soon as we start negotiating.

I would also like newsrooms to take a chance on young journalists of colour, even if they don't have as much experience as they maybe would want for a position. Oftentimes, it's because of institutionalised racism that they haven't had the same opportunities as their white counterparts, so it is important for newsrooms to take that into consideration when they're hiring.

I would also like us to go out into marginalized communities more to gain their trust. I would like all journalists, not just those of color, to feel the need to represent the communities of colour, because a negative portrayal of black people - especially in the media - has contributed to this narrative of black people that has led to their killings. It is very important for us to think very carefully about how to cover race in America.

Q: What role do you think media giants can play in making this possible?

I think that they could come out with a strategic statement that prioritizes diversity and inclusion. They could also hire some consultants to help them with this, because oftentimes, journalists of color have the unpaid job of being diversity and inclusion experts. It is unfair because it takes away from our reporting. We should be paid for any advice that we give them. They can actively pursue that.

Media organizations can expand their coverage by creating new beats or roles that focus on race and marginalized communities, which really prioritise it and do not think of it as some niche beat. It needs to be front-centered and indifferent reporting - arts and culture, sports, crime coverage. There needs to be more inclusivity, because not highlighting race in these stories takes away the nuance of people's stories.

Large newsrooms can also prioritize having BIPOCS and other members of marginalized communities in leadership positions so they have a role in hiring, coverage, and the direction of the organization. It’s important that the makeup of newsrooms reflects our increasingly diverse nation.

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Is the press really free in the US?

How the ongoing civil unrest has finally exposed America's free press facade

By Rabia Mushtaq and Zeynep Gurcan

"I can't breathe." George Flyod - a black citizen of Minneapolis, Minnesota - uttered these three words moments before he was murdered by a white cop, who knelt on his neck in a bid to arrest him for allegedly using a counterfeit bill on May 25. It has been more than a month since Floyd's murder, but his words continue pierce through our hearts till date. Whenever and wherever one would witness injustice and oppression, Floyd's words would reverberate.

What happened after the brutal killing of a black man at the hands of a white cop has unfolded one of the most monumental events in black history. Black people across the US, as well as advocates of human rights and racial justice stepped out to condemn the atrocious structure of policing across the country that discriminates against citizens on the basis of the race.

During times when the world is up against a pandemic, all eyes were now also set on the events that continued to unfold in the US. It was the dedicated reporting of journalists on the ground that made it possible for people around the world to witness the widespread protests and unrest . However, the price paid by these reporters on the ground is something we often overlook as readers and as an audience.

As police across the US lined up against the protestors, journalists continued to do their jobs despite the risks of facing assaults and arrests in the process. Around 80% of reporters and photojournalists covering the protests on the ground have faced violence and intimidation at the hands of the law enforcement, raising questions about the state of press freedom in the US. Between May 26 and June 3, the US Press Freedom Tracker received more than 279 claims of assaults against press personnel on the ground.

Women journalists, too, made up a large part of the ratio and have borne the brunt of being caught in the middle of the disruption. The Coalition For Women In Journalism documented at least 28 cases, where women journalists were subjected to violence while covering these protests on the ground.

On May 29, Linda Tirado - a freelance journalist based in Minneapolis - was hit with foam bullets, while she moved in front of the protestors to photograph the police. Linda was left blinded in one eye with blood dripping all over her face. Despite yelling "I'm press" repeatedly, Linda's press credentials were ignored by the police. She later filed a suit against the state and city authorities.

Cerise Castle, a radio reporter for KCRW, was shot with rubber bullets by the LAPD. She was reporting while protestors gathered at Beverly and Fairfax in Los Angeles. Cerise also shared that she held a press badge above her head to identify herself as a journalist, but to no avail.

Photojournalist Beth Nakamura was also physically assaulted by police, as she was photographing the demonstrations in Portland, Oregon.

Five Thirty Eight's senior science reporter Maggie Koerth had a weapon pointed at her by the police in Minneapolis. Maggie was accompanied with another journalist when she was intimidated, and despite yelling "Press, press - we are press" continuously, the two had to hold their badges up and put their hands up in the air.

She shared her ordeal in a tweet that read:

"We just had MPD with support from outside sheriffs point weapons at us while we screamed that we were press. “Shut up!” one yelled back. We are safe."

These are few of the many occasions during the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests where women journalists were threatened with violence and assaulted while doing their jobs. The demonstrations exposed the so-called idea of press freedom that the US otherwise claims to value. This has also had an impact on the mental health of several women journalists who continue to feel vulnerable to the risks in the field.

On June 2, Canadian journalist Anna Slatz of Rebel News was arrested while covering the unrest in New York. She was physically assaulted by an officer of the NYPD and was detained for two days for "disorderly conduct".

When talking about the impact of the episode on her mental health, Anna said, "It made me very anxious... I had a very physical reaction to the sight of the NYPD. That carried over into the next night."

Anna said that she hit the streets for reporting the day after being released and it did not stop her from continuing to work.

"They wanted to scare me out of reporting and being on the street, when I had every right to do both. I felt that if I stayed away, I was letting them win... The best coping mechanism is listening to yourself. It is staying true to what you believe and doing what you think is right in all cases," she said when responding to CFWIJ.

On the other hand, Donna Bryson - a housing and hunger reporter at Denverite - was not quite sure if she could feel the impact at the moment, as the general emotions around the protests are currently running high. She told CFWIJ that it could take years before it becomes more clear, as her mental health currently does not feel affected.

Given the lack of safety, security, and reporting an event as significant as the #BLM protests, the Atlanta based freelance photojournalist Lynsey Weatherspoon spoke about her mental health and the way she has managed to keep herself grounded.

"The challenge of covering protests is the adrenaline and then the crash, and you have to recognize it when both hit. My dreams have been much more vivid than normal, and cause slight anxiety,” she said.

Lynsey also added that during her off days, she decompresses with meditation and takes care of her plants, along with listening to music.

“I'm recognizing that I will need to speak with my therapists soon, but my coping process has been healthy for me this far, she said.

Documentary filmmaker and photographer Brooke Herbert shared her concerns about the safety of journalists while covering the ongoing demonstrations.

"Journalists have been targeted during this movement and while I don't want to take the focus away from what the movement is about, it is also important to note the many ways journalists and photographers are being mistreated, targeted, and prevented from doing their work safely,” she said.

Brooke also spoke about the emotional turmoil of seeing so many people in pain.

“But it's also been a beautiful movement, with so many people joining together to fight injustice," she told CFWIJ.

If journalists - particularly women journalists - working on the frontlines continue to be subjected to violence for their reporting, it would not take long for them to rally for freedom of the press. It is pertinent that a country that prides itself in upholding human rights, must do more to ensure the safety and security of those who are only trying to inform the public as part of their job.

The fact that the US Constitution protects freedom of the press in the First Amendment, these attacks and arrests of journalists working on the ground - despite the risks to their safety and health, given the situation of Covid-19 in the country - makes for an apt example of what hypocrisy looks like.

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Find more on our dedicated US Protests page.

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Maria Ressa's conviction and the state of press freedom in the Philippines

By Rabia Mushtaq

On June 15, the Philippines witnessed an arbitrary attack on press freedom. Maria Ressa, the CEO of Rappler - an online news website, was convicted for cyber libel along with Reynaldo Santos, a former writer-researcher at Rappler. The two were released on bail pending appeal, but stand the risk of facing six to seven years in prison.

On June 29, their lawyers submitted a  132-page motion to appeal Maria and Reynaldo's conviction before a court in Manila, urging the decision's reconsideration by Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa. As stated in the motion, Judge Montesa committed at least 13 errors in her verdict.

"We have to acknowledge the real uses of criminal libel if we are to be consistent to protect speech made to make public officers and government accountable. Criminal libel has an in terrorem effect that is inconsistent with the contemporary protection of the primordial and necessary right of expression enshrined in our Constitution," the motion read.

As journalists and advocates of press freedom closely monitor the case, it is pertinent to understand why the Philippines - a country known for its vibrant democracy in the Southeast Asian region - is going through a press freedom turmoil under President Rodrigo Duterte's administration. What happened with Maria and Rappler began with a a typo - a fixed one, that is.

When speaking with CFWIJ about the current state of journalism in the Philippines, Lian Buan, a Rappler employee shared that the Philippines' government is now mimicking the restrictive ways of other authoritative countries in the region.

"The Philippines is supposed to have one of the more vibrant democracies within Southeast Asian or the Asian region at large. It feels like now we are trying to follow the footsteps of the more restrictive governments," she said.

Lian shared examples of Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand, as all of the countries have been under immense criticism for their laws suppressing freedom of the press in the region. She added how the Philippines is now on its way to implement an anti-terror law, which will worsen freedom of speech and expression in the country.

What stops the government to charge and convict Maria and Reynoldo is that the anti-terror law has not yet been implemented.

The Philippines' government stretched the prescription period of libel from one to 12 years. For instance, if someone publishes a post or content online within the last 12 years, they are at a risk of being sued for.

Kath Cortez, a Filipino freelance journalist covering politics and governance, spoke with CFWIJ shedding light on how the possibility of the Anti-Terrorism Law makes it impossible for journalists to practice their profession without the fear of being ostracized.

"As a journalist who covers politics and governance as well as war and conflict, I must say that this administration abhors criticism and dissent of its own people. The current administration recently proposed the Anti-Terrorism Law as an effort to suppress the growing sentiment of the public due to poor government service, widespread killings under the umbrella of government’s War on Drugs including the propagation of false news and information," she said

Kath added that the law "practically cancels all the protection of rights of Filipinos including journalists guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. These will eventually kill the freedom of the press, the freedom of expression; consider journalist as a terrorist and our critical reportage as an act of terrorism."

The case against Maria and Reynoldo is also rooted in a 2012 investigative article - focused on justice Renato Corona's use of a vehicle registered under the name of businessman Wilfredo Ken, who is known for alleged connection to illegal activities - produced by the online news website on May 29, 2012.\

Even though the article was published two years before the country's cyber libel law came into effect, Rappler was taken to the court for the correction they made to the story, after Keng filed a cyber libel complaint in October 2017.

Keng claimed that "the article was published by Rappler without observing the ethical standards of journalism. It contained malicious imputations of crimes, with bad intentions, purposely to malign, dishonor and discredit my character and good reputation."

In February 2018, Maria and Reynaldo filed counter-affidavits to the complaint, which argued that "no cyber libel took place as the investigative report was published four months before the enactment of RA 10175. No criminal law is retroactive." They further argued that "online libel “is not a “new crime” and is the same as the old crime of libel in the 1930 Revised Penal Code (RPC). Article 90 of the RPC extinguishes criminal liability within one year."

Through the case, Rappler continued to be dragged in the mud using the law as a weapon. In February 2019, Maria was arrested on grounds of cyber libel and spent the night in the National Bureau of Investigation's (NBI) custody and posted bail before a court in Manila the next day.

Apart from being the head of Rappler, Maria is known for her courageous journalism and speaking truth to power. President Duterte and his supporters have always been very vocal about their dislike towards Maria, accusing her of disseminating fake news via Rappler.

As if this was not enough for an accusation, Duterte also claimed that the website was funded and owned by an entity in the United States - deeming it to be fulfilling agendas of the west in the Philippines. Rappler was, therefore, also investigated by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in August 2017, which led to the cancellation of its registration by January 2018.

However, the website fought back and appealed against the baseless allegations. It continues to operate following an under-appeal status of the decision till date. the website continued to use their platform to inform the public and committed to holding the powerful to account. They wrote, “We will hold the line.”

Advocates of press freedom around the world condemned the victimization that Maria and Rappler were being subjected to. However, Duterte's administration was adamant to suppress the website's critical reporting on the government, as Maria was, yet again, detained on arrival at Manila's international airport in March 2019. She was granted bail after paying P90,000.

When responding to the press after being rearrested in 2019, Maria said, "Obviously this is yet another abuse of my rights. I am being treated like a criminal when my only crime is to be an independent journalist."

The long trail of events challenged Maria and her news organization, but she continued to fight back. Maria won a separate libel case filed by John Castriciones, the Agrarian Reform Secretary, after his complaint was dismissed for lack of probable cause by the Quezon City prosecutor.

Sharing her views in the aftermath of Maria's conviction and the deteriorating state of press freedom in the Philippines, Marguerite Alcazaren de Leon - the opinion editor at Rappler, said that it is going to be a very steep uphill battle for everyone – Rappler, the Philippines, and basically any nation whose press freedom is under threat.

"Rappler, in particular, is facing the kind of government that will do everything it takes to subdue its critics, and it's really just a matter of just doing our jobs regardless of the threats and intimidation thrown our way. Granted, that's easier said than done, but this has always been a matter of will anyway," she said and added that it is even more distressing given that the country is in the middle of a pandemic.

The weaponization of law has instilled a sense of fear and has placed immense risk on journalists who are merely doing their jobs.

"There's a term experts and academics use: lawfare = law as warfare. The government's brazen legal acrobatics will make your head spin. Trumped-up charges, ridiculous loopholes, etc. They're making a mockery of our legal system and our Constitution, and that's very frightening," said Marguerite.

While Lian said that the threat (to freedom of speech) is veiled. "It is not an open threat and it is not a policy that is outrightly violating our freedom of speech guaranteed under the constitution.”

She added that the weaponization of law is very dangerous, as it does not directly impact those within the masses.

"It is very easy to weaponise the law because it is so foreign that even the more educated ones have a hard time understanding it. It is such an exclusive and elite discussion, which is only understood by a small group of people," she said and added that maybe that is the challenge journalists and civic leaders face - making the law understandable to people and explaining its repercussions following its weaponization.

Kath also expressed her concerns about Maria and Reynoldo's conviction following the usage of law to attack the press.

"I see the case of Maria and Reynoldo as a manifestation of how the people in position and the government, per se use its power to weaponize the law to, of course, stifle criticism and dissent. This reality does not spare journalists with critical reportage to become subject or target of intimidation to silence the media community and soon the entire citizenry once they decide to call out government abuse," she said.

Kath further added that the emphasis of this is the continuing "Culture of Impunity" in the Philippines from the effort to shut down a big network to never-ending threats and harassments of journalists even if in the middle of this Pandemic.

Rappler was not the only media outlet to have come under Duterte's ire. The country's biggest media network, ABS-CBN was also shut down for their critical reporting against the government.

According to Marguerite, the shutdown of ABS-CBN has "deprived many Filipinos living in remote areas of the crucial information they need at this time. It really goes to show that an attack on press freedom is an attack on all citizens too."

Looking at the broader Asian region, the state of press freedom is much worse than what it is like in the Philippines. Most countries across the region do not provide a viable climate for press freedom without being subjected to scrutiny.

Following her years of experience and expertise on freedom of speech and expression, CFWIJ reached out to Kirsten Han - a Singapore-based journalist and activist - to understand the struggles of journalists across Southeast Asia.

"Journalists in Southeast Asia often have to struggle against oppression and censorship on many levels, from self-censorship due to entrenched climates of fear, to pressure from co-opted editors, employers, or publishers, to direct repercussions or intimidation," she said.

While Marguerite deemed culture to be the reason why the Asian region lags behind in terms of press freedom.

"Many of us are raised to keep our more critical opinions to ourselves, to keep the status quo instead of shaking things up. That helps give way to the kind of government that can do things with impunity, including silencing the press whenever it displeases them," she said.

Marguerite added that the region has a history of strongman leadership. Apart from Duterte, Indonesia is governed by Suharto, and Malaysia by Mahathir Mohammad. While two Reuters journalists were jailed in Myanmar because of the military regime.

Kirsten shared her views on Maria's conviction, stating that she was not surprised but was immensely disappointed when she found out about the decision.

"I think the erosion of press freedom in the Philippines is really troubling, and unfortunately when the situation deteriorates in one country, it can embolden governments and/or powerful people in other places to also chip away at press freedom in their own contexts," she said.

Kirsten also added that not only in the Philippines, but journalists everywhere have to start worrying about cyber harassment and trolling, which not only wastes time and resources, but can also take a toll on their mental health and emotional well-being.

She said, "From observation, I've found this to only be even more intense when the journalist in question is a woman. It just adds yet another layer of trouble and worry on top of a job that can already be very stressful."

Given the repressive ways of the Duterte administration and the overall state of press freedom across the Asian region, journalists remain vulnerable to being victimized for their work. In such a situation, those aspiring to pursue journalism may end up questioning the profession. However, both Marguerite and Lian at Rappler believe that the fight to #HoldTheLine is not one to be lost.

"I believe international support is key. It's not only locals who should hold our government accountable, but the global community as well, because what happens in one country can certainly set a precedent for other countries. It's important that Rappler keeps doing its job in the face of everything that's been happening, but we also need the global community to recognize what we've been up against and help us shine the light on the injustices in our country," said Marguerite.

While Lian placed her hope in the younger generation of journalists, whom she stated will also stand up against the oppressors of press freedom, just like their seniors did in the past.

"Filipinos again have the chance of showing the world that if our freedom is threatened, we will fight back; we will push back. Maria's crisis presents us with an opportunity (to do so). We, especially the younger ones, are very hopeful that we can probably do it again with the help of the internet, which is now more powerful and we have a chance to use that to our advantage," she said.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism also supports and upholds the values Maria and Rappler have instilled within the sphere of journalism. Speaking truth to power and standing up against oppressors of press freedom should not apply to the Philippines only.

We believe that the press must not be restricted using the chains of law and strongly condemn the weaponization of legal tactics to threaten the many Maria and Reynoldo around the world. We, too, #HoldTheLine in solidarity.

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Round up of Threats Women Journalists Faced

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Black Women Journalists You Should Follow

We have prepared a shortlist of black women journalists to follow while many of them following the #BLM protests in the United States. Here you can find four badass women journalists to follow their work.

Jenna Wortham

Knows it all

Jenna is an award-winning journalist and staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. She also co-hosts the podcast Still Processing covering culture left, right and centre. Jenna is also the co-editor of an upcoming visual anthology Black Futures. She is what one can refer to as a true representative of a no-nonsense journalist of colour.

Follow her work here.

She tweets here.

Brooklyn White

Pop culture queen

Brooklyn is a writer and editor with her works published in several publications such as InStyle, PAPER Magazine, Vibe Magazine, Cassius Life, HelloGiggles, Bitch Media and Teen Vogue to name a few. Currently, she serves as the senior editor for ESSENCE's new platform, Girls United. Her recent piece titled Why Saying ‘Protect Black Women’ Is Not Enough sheds light on the oppression of black women - not just by the white people but also men within the black community. This and more of such insightful pieces by Brooklyn will leave you impressed with her intellect.

She tweets here.

Find more of her work here.

Morgan Jerkins

Writing her heart out

Morgan is not just the senior editor at ZORA - a Medium publication for women of color, she also teaches as visiting assistant professor at the Columbia University’s School of the Arts. As a representative of the black community, Morgan produces written works.

Her essay collection which focuses on black women and feminism in the US garnered immense appreciation. Her second book Wandering in Strange Lands: A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims Her Roots, will be launched in August this year.

Find her work here.

She tweets here.

Anna Lysa-Gayle

Versatility at best

Anna is a three-time Emmy award-winning journalist associated with the ABC7 News. Her nuanced insight on stories and nack for sharing quality content through her show makes her stand out in the industry. Having covered hundreds of stories for different beats, Anna is known to hold her own. She also hosts a monthly podcast Fufu and Jerk that highlights the achievements of the black community.

Follow her work here.

She tweets here.

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Interview: Phillip Meylan from The Factual talks about COVID-19 reporting credibility and The Factual

We talked to Phillip Meylan, political analyst for The Factual on their recent article regarding Covid-19 reporters and credibility which turned out an amazing result where women reporters were found to be more credible.
The Factual, is a tech startup focused on credible news curation and celebration. They recently published an article featuring the brilliant work of women journalists. After analyzing 40,000 COVID-19 articles, they found that one trend was abundantly clear: women are the most credible voices on the virus, and in newsrooms in general! 

Read their article here: https://blog.thefactual.com/women-journalists-credible-covid-19

Meanwhile let’s tune in to Phillip Meylan, MSc in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and a soccer fan.

 Q: Can you tell us how The Factual came about and describe the work that you do? It seems to be a combination of journalism and fact-checking. 

The Factual is the idea of its co-founders, Ajoy and Arjun, both newslovers who wanted to help people get less-biased, reliable news. And essentially the product is an algorithm that ranks the credibility of news articles based on (1) the author’s publication history, (2) the publishing site’s publication history, (3) the number and quality of sources and quotes cited within an article, and (4) the neutrality of the writing tone. 

These 4 elements lead to the credibility score out of 100 points, which is our confidence level that something is credible, with 75% or higher being highly likely to be credible.

The Factual uses this to produce a daily newsletter on key topics; specific articles are selected for the newsletter by human editors, but they use these scores to inform decisions. 

My work came about with trying to use the data they collect on news articles to tell stories about the world of journalism as well as specific issues. So, we originally started by writing about the candidates for the 2020 primaries, but that quickly morphed into a bunch of different directions, biggest of which was Covid-19 and then the George Floyd Protests. 

Q: What methods of research do you follow in The Factual team? Can you tell us a bit on the technicalities?

The credibility score is a proxy for how likely something is to be credible. Whether or not you believe it’s a perfect measure of an article's credibility, it’s still telling us: author expertise, publishing site record, quality of sources/number of links, and how neutral the writing tone is or not.

For this investigation I looked specifically at journalists who published at least 5 articles over the 135 day period — people who publish regularly and who have a sample size that’s big enough that 1 score doesn’t take them to the top — hopefully regular journalists.

Then I had to track down whether they identify as a man or a woman, which was admittedly a difficult task because not everyone indicates online. 

This isn’t something we track automatically because it’s irrelevant to the score.

Q: We closely looked at your team and appreciate the intersectionality in your team both in terms of gender, race and background. We would love to learn more about how it affects the work that you do?

It’s definitely a boon in the work we do to have a range of viewpoints, especially as we try our best to stay as neutral as possible and present viewpoints from all sides. Just the same as its important to have journalists represent the people in terms of race, gender, and other characteristics in order to get reporting that reflects society, it’s important to us as a company to have diversity influencing our work. If we selected stories to disseminate in the Factual’s newsletter and our team was not diverse, we would almost certainly be missing key elements of stories or focusing on topics that don’t fully reflect everyone’s reality.

Working with a range of people and content has exposed me a bit more to the viewpoints that are out there and given me an appreciation for how different viewpoints can be reconciled or how we can focus on having the essential discussions to get to a better place of understanding.

The organizational diversity has also helped me write about these topics from a place of improved understanding and awareness. When I started this particular piece on women journalists, I had inadvertently switched between the terms “women” and “female” and “male” and “men,” without really giving it much thought. But then Kathryn Kelly, our head of social media, pointed the issue out and I did some reading and realized that I was so focused on presenting women in journalism in the right light that I missed this very essential part of the language I was using. 

It just goes to show how being well intentioned isn’t enough. We need to work together with others at every stage to make sure our work reflects the reality for everyone, is cognizant of as many of the issues at play as possible, and that our actions are informed to the best possible extent.

Q: Of course one of the things that caught our attention was your report on Covid-19 byline; that assesses credibility and value of male and female by lines. What triggered that work? 

We have done a number of pieces of work where we needed to select the top 10 articles on a topic, and women kept showing up as the majority in these “random” selections. By the third or fourth time this happened, we decided it was worth looking at. That’s when I reached out to Lucina Di Meco because we had just seen the big report she had basically single-handedly published on women politicians and the media. She opened the door a little for me to issues that I was aware of but maybe didn’t really know well. She helped us see how all of our data fit so well into a broader narrative of issues in journalism. 

Q: What were your key findings about the data that you collected? Any surprises? B) and what was the most predictable outcome in your experience?

The key finding has to be that 19 of the top 25 journalists were women. That was a big margin, even if it’s an arbitrary cut off point. And when we looked at the top 100, we saw 58 women on the list. Putting both of those into perspective of the breakdown of the total sample’s gender breakdown then just made the finding that much stronger. (In the sample, women represented 45% of journalists and just ~40% of articles)

In my mind I was anticipating women journalists to do better than men, and I was surprised that the numbers in the top 25 and top 100 were so strong. I think the boring statistical side of my brain would have predicted the number to more closely follow the gender breakdown of the sample. That’s seems to be more the case when we’ve looked at sample of articles for all topics, not just Covid-19, but we still see a slight edge for women and I’d like to do another study where I look at all articles for a few months and really see if there’s a significant sustained difference there.

Q: Why do you think women were more credible reporters than men? What do you think, this tells us about journalism in the larger scope?

This is a really tough question and this is where I don’t have a great answer for you. There’s so many reasons why we might have seen this result. 

If you just look at our metrics, it could be related to a few factors, and likely is a result of more than one thing. Women could be more likely to write on the same topic for longer, therefore having higher author expertise scores (a reflection of lesser lateral/vertical movement)? Could it be that women are more likely to use more sources (a vestige of a society where people are more likely to doubt what women say)? Or possibly women are less likely to offer strong opinions because they are more likely to face online harassment and abuse? 

In the larger scope, it tells me we need to do more research on the subject. I’d like to perhaps analyze journalism by looking at other specific topics. For example, what proportion of journalists writing about foreign policy are women? How credible is their reporting and what does that tell us about the news we are reading about foreign policy issues? 

Q: How does this work affect your vision for future projects? And your own work with The Factual? 

It definitely means that this is a space to watch. At some point I’d like to take a deeper dive on the articles covering male and female candidates in the beginning of the primary cycle and the months before to see if there are significant differences in the way men and women covered the men and women running for office. We saw a little bit of this when looking at the quantity of coverage relative to polling positions, with Warren and Klobuchar getting much less coverage than was proportional to their polling position, and Bloomberg and Buttigieg receiving much more coverage (too an honestly ridiculous degree). So, there’s lots we could investigate in the future that pertains to gender.

I also think it will help us think about these issues more often and more intelligently when going about our work for The Factual in general. We see how important it is to include everyone’s voices, so if we saw that our algorithm was not performing well in that sense, say by almost always citing articles by men, we would have to look very critically at why. 

To the degree that our human editors influence what goes in our newsletter, I think it reinforces dimensions of journalism we need to be in tune with. Are we being conscientious about who is authoring articles and whether selections reflect not just diverse political bias but also diversity in other ways? Are we making sure that we aren’t just offering articles from white men? If we are covering a more international topic, are we including voices from foreign and domestic media? And in everything we do, are we making sure women are heard? Are we thinking about which newsrooms are doing the right thing when it comes to upward mobility for all authors? If we have a choice between two outlets with near identical stories, are we choosing the one that has better hiring practices and is more representative of society?

I don’t think our finding is anywhere near the point where it would suggest a need to shift our reading patterns. It’s not like we are saying opt for the articles authored by women all the time or disparaging male authors at all. I think it's more helpful as a critical spot to watch, an issue to monitor and be mindful of, and something to investigate further.

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From 1869 to 2020: Time for a new era in LGBTI+ reporting and journalism

By Zeynep Gürcan

“I can’t believe I am still protesting this”, I look at this viral protest sign translated into Turkish carried at the last Pride march in Ankara -held “illegally”- and think of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, wondering if he would bitterly chuckle at the sign like I do.

Ulrichs, who is seen today as a pioneer of the modern gay rights movement was the first openly gay journalist when he published the first-ever LGBTI-related periodical in 1870. On 29 August 1867 Ulrichs became the first homosexual to speak out publicly in defence of homosexuality when he pleaded at the Congress of German Jurists in Munich for a resolution urging the repeal of anti-homosexual laws. He was shouted down. Two years later, in 1869, the Austrian writer Karl-Maria Kertbeny coined the word "homosexual", and from the 1870s the subject of sexual orientation (as we would now say) began to be widely discussed.

However it wasn’t until 1981 when Randy Shilts was hired as a national correspondent by the San Francisco Chronicle, American mainstream press had its "first openly gay reporter with a gay 'beat'”.

1990s was an era of “tolerance” towards LGBTI+ representation in media, from the foundation of The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association to famous TV personalities like Ellen Degeneres coming out on her show.

Since then, significant progress can be noted in the West regarding media coverage of LGBTI+ persons and issues. With the younger generation of journalists having particularly become more attuned to pushing for better coverage of LGBTI rights, the majority of mainstream media have moved towards covering LGBTI+ people and issues through the prism of a human rights-based approach. 

However it is important to note that oftentimes LGBTI+ reporting is still being done through a heteronormative lens. A common and widespread phenomenon of discriminatory behaviour targeting the LGBTI+ community is the media (re)production of negative stereotypes and perceptions about LGBTI+ people and the misrepresentation of their behaviour and life. 

LGBTI+ representation on media still takes a “comical” approach when it comes to the community, with only feminine gays covering only fashion and celebrity pages, or with “hairy lesbian” jokes on TV.

First page of the Uranus magazine where Ulrichs goes by the pseudonym Prometheus. Prometheus is known in Greek mythology for defying the gods by stealing fire and giving it to humanity.

Such portrayals are primarily heteronormative representations of the way LGBTI+ individuals behave, reaffirming negative stereotypes and influencing the individual’s perception of and expectations from the LGBTI+ community.

Still in my home, Turkey, much like many countries in the region LGBTI+ journalists today are either forced to stay closeted or pushed to the margins of the industry. Layoffs in a turbulent industry like online media are all too common. But when some of the most talented LGBT journalists are laid off, the effects are particularly palpable. Important stories go uncovered—or get covered from the wrong angles.

Even in digital and alternative media which follows rights based journalism we keep seeing examples of male dominant language which often takes the official patriarchal ideology as reference in reporting. 

Discriminatory discourse against LGBTI + individuals starts from the street and becomes established through social media platforms and media. Using incorrect language such as the wrong pronouns when writing about transgender people, for example, prompts audiences to adopt the same practices.

This is why establishing LGBTI+ media platforms and publishing statements of LGBTI+ is not enough but the mainstream media should move on to the new era of LGBTI+ reporting and prioritize employing more LGBTI+ journalists that can change the rhetoric. 

Since I started this opinion piece with a viral quote, I would like to end it with another viral quote. As a “B” individual in the LGBTI+ spectrum community, “I have a dream” where every media outlet has a solid policy on reporting LGBTI+ news, where instead of addressing the LGBTI+ issue as a private issue, sexual orientation and gender identity, we can exist in all areas of life. Where we are not newspieces during Pride month or when our rights are infringed but we are more visible as journalists, lawyers, engineers, factory workers, parents, experts to be interviewed. With the awareness that everything about the human story can be newsworthy, I dream that someday LGBTI+ individuals are given the floor in all pages of a newspaper, from the sports page to the politics. And this can be achieved through more LGBTI+ representation in newsrooms.

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Badass Women Authors

We have prepared a shortlist of badass women authors and their books which you can add to your “to-read list” of this month. Here you can find four badass women journalists to follow their work.

Grand Union: Stories

As a black and female writer, Zadie Smith has always been very vocal about her racial identity. Like her other works, Grand Union also touches upon gender, race, class and power among other commentaries. She presents a rich and diverse collection of stories that touch upon several genres and views. The book revolves around stories of identity and rebirth, time and place, and much more. We totally recommend you read this work by Zadie to better understand how social injustice affects the lives of those experiencing it.

Homegoing

This multi-award-winning piece of work by Yaa Gyasi has been deemed as one of the best books of 2016. Dated back to 18th century Ghana, the story revolves around the lives of two half sisters, who are born into different villages, unaware of one another's existence. The tale follows their parallel paths and descendants across eight generations. Yaa's remarkable work shed light on the subject of slavery and captivity of the black poeple through generations.

Red at the Bone

Written by Jacqueline Woodson, this 200-page story encompasses themes of racial prejudice, class, sexual desire and orientation, mother-daughter relationships, ambition, education, identity,  parenthood and loss. The story focuses on an unexpected teenage pregnancy that brings two very different families together, pushing the limits of social classes. The Guardian writes that Woodson "captures how important status is for African Americans determined to pull themselves up from poverty and racial oppression."

Ordinary Light

After authoring three acclaimed books of poetry, Tracy K. Smith, a Pulitzer Prize–winning poet, weaves her extraordinary craft in Ordinary Light. She writes a powerful memoir exploring her adulthood and what home means to her - all while interweaving race, faith, and the relationship between a mother and a daughter in the background. This is the story of a young artist on a quest to understand belief, history, loss and find the meaning of being black in the US.

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PODCAST PICKS

If you haven’t yet been on a podcast binging spree, we’re here to recommend some of the best in business to help you keep updated all times. This month we focus on podcasts that highlight the black community around the world with an emphasis on racial justice, Black Lives Matter, gender in racism, and much more. Listen up!

Code Switch

This NPR podcast, hosted by different journalists of color, deals with discourse on race and identity. Given the events unfolding in the aftermath of George Flyod’s murder, the podcast dedicated it’s airtime discussing “A Decade of Watching Black People Die” in a recent episode. Listen here.

Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay

Both Van and Rachel discuss black culture, politics and sports in this podcast by The Ringer. The two talk about the importance of the Black Lives Matter protests in their second full episode of Higher Learning. If you’re looking to understand #BLM better, then this is your one-stop solution. Subscribe here and here.

Slay In Your Lane: The Podcast

After being praised for their book Slay In Your Lane, the multi-award-winning author duo - Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené - bring you this same-titled podcast looking at news and pop culture from the lens of a black British woman. The podcast explores themes from education to career and relationship to dating. Their recent episode on #BLM is a must-listen. Find all the episodes here.

About Race

Reni Eddo-Lodge - the author of a best-selling book Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race - talks to people at the heart of the anti-racist activism community in this podcast dedicated to race. From recent history to the current political climate, Reni addresses issues that the black community confronts even in this day and age. You can listen to the podcast here.

Intersectionality Matters

Kimberle Crenshaw - an American lawyer, civil rights advocate, philosopher, and scholar who specializes in race and intersectionality - introduces us with this extraordinary podcast that feature interviews with innovative individuals and explores the various topics from an intersectional lens. Listen to all the episodes here.

America Interrupted

This PBS NewsHour podcast explores current issues in the US. From coronavirus to the ongoing debate on police power, this podcast features it all. The latest episode of America Interrupted, hosted by Aman Nawaz, will focus on why police unions are powerful, given the recent uproar to reform the system. Follow all their episodes here.

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CFWIJ IN THE PRESS

The Morning Star gives a coverage to CFWIJ and Kiran Nazish. It was mentioned that CFWIJ follows the protests in the United States closely with great concern.

Our founder Kiran Nazish also stated that we condemn the “brutal attacks” by police that media workers have been facing while covering the protests.

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April Issue

WOMEN IN JOURNALISM MAGAZINE

April 2020 Issue

Editor’s Note

Hello readers,

Hope you all have been staying safe and healthy.

Most of us have been living under lockdowns and restrictions on movement, and finding ways to keep ourselves motivated during these challenging times. But we're all trying our best to not lose hope.

This month we're back with our latest issue of Women In Journalism magazine, where we feature an interview with New York-based journalist Yelena Dzhanova who is covering the coronavirus outbreak for CNBC. We also highlight the work we've been doing ever since Covid-19 intensified. The round-up section from April showcases 34 cases of threats to women journalists.

CFWIJ has been busy keeping track of what our colleagues have been doing around the world. From live Instagram sessions with women journalists to documenting their experiences on our dedicated Covid-19 webpage, we have been monitoring the impact women journalists have been making while reporting on the ground.

Happy reading.

Stay safe.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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Interview - Yelena Dzhanova

Yelena Dzhanova is a journalist based in New York. She works as a news associate covering breaking news and breaking news at CNBC. CFWIJ spoke with Yelena to understand how she has been covering the Covid-19 as a journalist in the US, the impact of stories she has come across while doing so, her observation about the changes in the country’s political dynamics amid the pandemic and Trump administration’s reluctance to sharing information as part of the response to the coronavirus, as well as his regular tiffs with women journalists. Scroll through to read her interview.

CFWIJ: Around 160k confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in New York with over 12,000 deaths. While the US, on the whole, has reported at least confirmed 972,900 cases and 55,118 deaths. New York, where you reside  has been hit hard as well. You’re reporting from the city. What have you witnessed in your reportage?

Yelena: CNBC, as a whole, began focusing on the coronavirus sometime in early January. This was the time when people were focusing on China, Italy and France and the effects that coronavirus had on them, but not so much on the United States. In New York, particularly, it’s hitting people in a lot of different ways. There are people who have a chance to stay at home, but there are also people who don’t have the chance to stay at home. They are still forced to take the subway, public transportation and head to these locations where the coronavirus is spreadable — it’s kind of dangerous for them.

There are a lot of people I know who work in hospitals, there are people who are fearful and don’t want coronavirus to hit their families, older relatives, parents, younger children and younger siblings. It’s tough to witness all of that. When you’re a reporter you hear all these kinds of stories from people that you talk to who are sources or people who you’re trying to get permission from and people who paint a picture of what’s going on around the world and it’s just heartbreaking to hear that a lot of times.

How has Covid-19 affected your life and work and how have you been dealing with it so far?

Most of CNBC is able to work from home. But it’s really tough to work from home. Even though I say it’s luxurious, it’s weird, because I have to rewire my focus more often these days. Instead of being in an office setting that encourages productivity, I’m in my living room. When I wake up, I see my cat staring at me and waiting for me to play with him or I see dirty plates on the table that I haven’t cleared yet. It’s a distracting environment for me personally.

On a more professional note, it’s really hard to hear all these stories from individuals who have been deeply affected by the coronavirus or scared that they’re going to be. Part of being a journalist is facing the truth and not shying away from it and sometimes the truth can be brutal. I was on the phone with a source a week or so ago, and he told me how he lost his wife in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, which caused him to spiral into a state of depression and substance abuse. Now he’s homeless and worried about the coronavirus because he’s living in a shelter in close quarters with so many other people.

It’s unbelievably hard to hear things like this and you deal with it as best as you can. The most striking thing is that normally home for me, as a journalist, is a place where I can let go and unwind, focus on other parts of my life. But because I’m working from home — and I’m sure a lot of journalists feel that as well — the line between work and home has blurred.

You’ve been covering politics and breaking news. What methods are you employing to keep a check on the developments around Covid-19?

That has been a challenge for every reporter right now. It is tough to keep up with the developments around Covid-19, mainly because the death numbers and the number of confirmed cases globally and nationally rise every single day. Secondly, it is because the response from the White House and from other administrative officials tends to fluctuate often.

Sometime in mid-January or so Trump said that the virus was under control and a few weeks later individual states began taking it more seriously and people were told to stay home in many states. When you think about it, the President has a lot of information that is not readily available, and according to several accounts, has been warned of the affects and the potential threats of the coronavirus. Then in March, Trump again tried to reassure the numbers of the GOP and Republican donors that he had the outbreak in control. But just a couple of days later, he declared a state of emergency and completely reversed his original standpoint of having everything in control. There are a lot of conflicting messages coming from the White House that you have to keep track of and take into account as you report on developments.

“The Trump administration has been really adamant about giving information off the record, even if it’s a simple thing like directing you to another agency. ”

I am lucky because the CNBC team is on the front and keeping track of these developments. Every single reporter in the world is basically on the coronavirus beat right now. CNBC has been at the front of it. We sensed that we were doing a very big deal relatively early on from January when the coronavirus was still a major concern abroad and we tackled it though. Luckily, it’s been good.

Do journalists feel less informed and impeded in terms of the information White House has been keeping from them?

I have heard that being a journalist is tough at any point in history because it’s a difficult career to have. You’re under pressure, responding to these political figures and getting false information, and you have to sift through that. But it is especially tough right now in the Trump administration where you have this deeply polarizing figure at the head of the country, the leader of the United States, which is arguably the most important seat in the entire world. He is sometimes issuing orders of violence against you and directing his supporters to conduct those orders and it’s really scary.

It is a really weird time for journalists in America. Press freedom is given as guarantee and nobody can take that from you but then there is the Trump administration, in particular, doing some backward stuff that doesn’t coincide with the amendment. It doesn’t really make sense. They are trying to stifle the press, find different alternate ways to limit the powers of the press and limit the knowledge of the press.

The Trump administration has been really adamant about giving information off the record, even if it’s a simple thing like directing you to another agency. You don’t really know what to do with that information, you can write that ‘the White House has declined to comment’ in your article, which is kind of flimsy because they did not necessarily decline to comment but they declined to comment on the record. It is a little weird — press freedom is being twisted in a way that it hasn’t been twisted before.

What is your take on the ongoing layoffs, pay cuts and furloughs in the US media and journalism industry?

It’s terrible. Layoffs, pay cuts, furloughs at any time in the industry suck. They are really tough to deal with, especially the strain on local journalism, which is generally already suffering. It was suffering even before the outbreak. I don’t think people really understand how important journalism is. Maybe it is for a lot of reasons. Maybe it is partially because of the rhetoric coming of white house against journalists and the press; maybe because journalism is not usually taught in schools in the United States; maybe people are not interested in news or they are not following the news — whatever reason is.

I don’t think people understand the role that journalism plays. Journalism is supposed to lay bare what is out there and shines a spotlight on injustices, good deeds, struggles it contributes to and often begins movements. A lot of times, local journalism is where it all starts. I don’t think the public is receiving any favors when journalists are laid off, especially in massive waves like this. Going forward, it only puts a further strain on journalism and limits our resources and capabilities. It puts the US into this black hole in a way, which is not entirely a huge one, but it is the beginning of one where certain bits of information are missing and there are not going to be present or put out there because you have fewer journalists on line.

Several journalists - both, freelancers and full-time employees at media outlets - have suffered from the financial consequences of Covid-19. How has been for you and your colleagues at CNBC?

We’ve been seeing high traffic across all that goes on our websites at least. I haven’t heard of any consideration about layoffs or pay cuts. I haven’t heard anything related to the coronavirus accept that a few top leaders have announced that they’ll be donating part of their salary for funding research. Generally, we’ve been doing well, seeing high numbers and high traffic. I don’t think that is the story for a lot of other organizations, but at CNBC this is the case.

What new safety precautions have you observed that journalists have been taking? Are there any limitations in their ability to report safely?

There was this amazing photo circulating online where several reporters, surrounding Senator Mitch McConnell, were wearing masks, but McConnell was not. The reporters were standing six or seven feet apart from him. This was quite the sight because when reporters are on the Hill, they are bunched together, trying to get a word and hear what the official is saying to another reporter. But in this case, everyone was spread out, they were considerably fewer reporters, the seats were emptier and there was a lot of empty space. It was a sight to behold.

Journalists have started listening to CDC precautions, they’re wearing masks, some of them are wearing gloves, they are standing at a distance from one another, local reporters on TV are standing at a distance from their sources, and they are using extended mics to reach out to the source at a distance.

Local reporters have the brunt of limitations imposed on them because they are the ones who are on the ground or more hands on with the stories. A lot of local news reporters in New York, in particular, have had to forgo in-person visits to places that they’re covering, and people that they’re meeting up with. They have had to find other ways to do their jobs. But they are taking precautions, as advised, because it is a scary time. They don’t want to contract and spread the disease. They are trying their best to do their job as well as they can.

Following your reporting on politics in the US, particularly amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, what does the future of American politics look like to you, as a journalist?

In terms of institutional politics, a lot of change is going to arise. The thing about pandemics is that they showcase where you’re the weakest. In this case, the US was not prepared to deal with one. A lot of ideas that were deemed radical like Bernie Sander’s proposal for ‘Medicare for All’, Andrew Yang’s proposal for a universal basic income, are now suddenly being floated as real possibilities. Major heavy weights like Nancy Pelosi - Speaker of the United States House of Representatives - are considering these ideas because of the coronavirus. The coronavirus, like any catastrophic event, is going to change many things about the way our country runs.

Trump has been rather problematic following his take on Covid-19, especially in his interactions with journalists. The press briefings have mostly been about him saying things he shouldn’t be saying. How do you look at all of it as someone who’s been reporting every single day?

None of this is new and the coronavirus did not really spark any new traits out of Trump, it just exacerbated them. Trump has been president for his fourth year running now; he’s campaigning for his reelection. It is not like this is new to us. The coronavirus was not the first time that Trump downplayed a reporter’s ability or tried to turn the words of a reporter against her; and yes, it’s usually women reporters on the receiving end of Trump’s obnoxious behavior. Sometimes his press briefings, in particular, he turns them into a campaign style venue where he is able to promote himself and boost his own ego and morale, as opposed to provide an update on the US response to coronavirus, which is what the press briefings are for. But the way he also does that is by picking on women journalists, in particular.

There have been times when he has also picked on male journalists, but by just looking at what has been circulating on social media for example, it seems that he is predominantly picking on women journalists. There are many great journalists who remain standing, even as Trump raided them. If I were at these press briefings, I would feel pretty intimidated because the leader of the US is openly against you, and sometimes calls for violence against you.

People are watching these televised briefings. They are some of the most trafficked briefings in CNBC history at least; although I’m not sure about other sites. CNBC has been receiving huge ratings and hits from streaming these briefings in particular. Imagine how many people are watching these briefings and the president is calling on you as a woman reporter and telling people that your reporting is fake news and what you are saying does not ever match what the president is saying – it’s all just very intimidating. 

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Covid-19 and CFWIJ’s efforts for women journalists

It was during mid-March when Covid-19 intensified across the world. Even though it had already gripped several countries with its terror, who knew that the novel coronavirus - a deadly virus that originated from Wuhan, China - would become the news of the year soon into 2020. In many countries, Covid-19 was still a not-so-relevant story up until the end of February, but in the past three months or so, it is the only news that has kept the world on its toes.

Media outlets and journalists have been bombarded with information related to the virus. Since the count of confirmed patients and fatalities continues to rise every single day.

China, Italy, and Iran became one of the most hard-hit countries in the world, followed by the United States of America, United Kingdom, Spain and France among others. Amidst all the madness surrounding Covid-19, The Coalition For Women In Journalism began to document the coverage of the virus done by women journalists across the world. We developed a Covid-19 resources webpage that specifically catered to both women journalists and newsrooms. Our aim was to provide guidelines, tips by front line journalists, safety and reporting advice from other sources, find funding resources for women journalists to counter financial constraints, and most importantly, to highlight the work our colleagues have been doing round the clock.

We connected with women journalists who were documenting the coronavirus outbreak in various countries. Despite the risks, many of the journalists we communicated with have been reporting from the ground, while others have been endlessly updating and reporting stories from their homes. To be able to put themselves on the front line, as well as stay alert and ready to report under absolute lockdowns shows the dedication of our colleagues who work globally.

For some the experience of covering the pandemic has been painful, but for others it has been a hit and miss. Some are suffering from its financial consequences, while others are struggling to manage the ‘work from home’ conundrum.

Many of them shared how they have been coping with the mental and physical effects the pandemic has had on them. Despite the challenges and limitations, we’re witnessing the role women journalists are playing during these challenging times.

In order for their work as essential personnel to be followed and acknowledged by all and sundry, CFWIJ created a map to mark where all the women journalists are reporting from. The map not only provides an insight into their work but also gives potential editors and newsrooms the opportunity to connect with them.

We scoured the internet to help our fellow women journalists find useful resources and employ necessary safety and reporting guidelines while they work both on and off the field. From a map to track locations hit hard by the virus to taking precautions in case one experiences Covid-19 symptoms - the resources are there shared to keep our colleague updated.

The press freedom tab highlights the many cases of harassment, intimidation, arrests and detentions that our colleagues have been through while reporting the coronavirus in different places around the world. We developed this section with an aim to condemn and raise our voice against the violations and threats women journalists are subjected for their work.

We appreciate how women journalists are putting their best foot forward and working hard day and night to keep us informed. We will continue to acknowledge their efforts and support them with the best of our abilities.

Doing that is not easy but it truly is a wholesome job for an organization like The Coalition For Women In Journalism. Join us in our mission to make the world a better place for women journalists. We need your support to keep us going in these universally challenging times.

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Round up of Threats Women Journalists Faced

CFWIJ documented 28 cases of threats against women journalists in April. Following are some of the most prominent ones.

Kashmiri photojournalist booked under draconian law

Photojournalist Masrat Zahra, working out of Jammu and Kashmir, was charged for “anti-national activities” because of her posts on social media. The charge was made under India’s Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and is a clear attempt to censor the journalists.

The cyber division of Kashmir’s police department stated that they received information from “reliable sources” claiming that a Facebook user named Masrat Zahra has uploaded “anti-national posts with criminal intention”. The police did not mention that the said Facebook user is a photojournalist.

The posts, according to the police, could have led towards “provoking the public to disturb law and order”. A first information report was also filed against Masrat under Section 505 of the Indian Penal Code.

Financial crunch looms over Indian women journalists amid Covid-19

Following the consequences of Covid-19 on the media industry, several publications in India have taken to pay cuts and furloughs due to budgetary restrictions. Business Standard, India Ahead News and Indian Express have informed their employees of salary cuts. While Quint has forced its employees into accepting leave without pay, as well as pay cuts. Publications have also forced employees to resign. At least 15 journalists working for the News Nation’s English digital team have been laid off. Publications such as Outlook and Forbes India have halted their printing operations, while a local, regional publication like Hamara Mahanagar has closed its doors entirely.

Chechen head threatens Russian journalist Elena Milashina for reporting on Covid-19

The head of Chechen government Ramzan Kadyrov has yet again threatened Russian journalist Elena Milashina - this time for her Covid-19 coverage. He resorted to verbally attacking Elena during a live broadcast on Instagram on April 13. Kadyrov accused her for “provocative” reporting on the state of the coronavirus outbreak in Chechnya.

Elena works for Novaya Gazeta and wrote the article titled ‘Death from a coronavirus is a lesser evil’. The publication's article highlighted the strict anti-coronavirus measures taken by Chechen government to control Covid-19.

Mexican journalist shot dead after threats to her life

Mexican journalist Maria Elena Ferral Hernández was shot dead in broad daylight. She was attacked by two men on a motorbike in the municipality of Papantla in the state of Veracruz, after she left a notary’s appointment. Her murderers remain at large.

Maria worked as a reporter for the Veracruz newspaper El Diario de Xalapa. She was known for her investigations on crime, corruption and the police, and was also the founder of news website Quinto Poder de Veracruz focusing on sensitive issues.

Maria wrote a column for La Polaca Totonaca titled ‘The Power Struggle’, which shed light on the murders of four politicians who wanted to occupy the municipal presidency of Gutiérrez Zamora. She was killed on March 12, just 18 days after writing the article. However, it is yet to ascertain whether her murder was a result of her column.

Ukrainian journalists attacked and impeded during on-the-ground coverage of Covid-19

Journalists in Ukraine have been facing immense violence and persecution for their coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak. The deteriorating state of press freedom in the country has become a matter of concern for journalists and media outlets working in Ukraine.

On April 2, ZIK TV reporter Alla Zhiznevska and her crew were attacked by citizens - opposing restrictions placed due to coronavirus in Kiev. The journalist and her crew were attacked for their reporting on Covid-19 lockdown. 

On April 2, Dina Zelenskaya - an Espresso TV reporter - was attacked by a man, along with her crew. The journalist and her crew were reporting on compliance of the lockdown, or its lack, by restaurants in Kiev.

Algerian authorities suppresses press freedom during coronavirus

On April 2, journalist Meriem Chorfi was arrested and placed under judicial control, along with two male journalists, by Alegrian authorities for their reporting on Covid-19. All the journalists will be prosecuted on charges of “attack on national unity " and "dissemination of publications which may harm the national interest" on the basis of article 79 of the Penal Code.

Meriem and her colleagues have been dragged to the court for not obeying to the government and for their truthful journalism. Accusations of reporting errors and faulty results of Covid-19 testing by the state-controlled Pasteur Institute of Algiers have slapped on the three journalists.

Even though the article 50 of Algeria’s constitution protects journalists from government’s abuse, attacks against press freedom have intensified following the anti-regime Hirak movement.

Warrants issued against photojournalist Julia Rendleman for coronavirus work

The Liberty University Police Department has issued arrest warrants against freelance photographer Julia Rendleman and ProPublica reporter Alec MacGillis for reporting a critical story about the university's handling of the pandemic.

Julia, who regularly photographs for the New York Times, reported the story with Alec. The story stated that Liberty University had twelve students with coronavirus symptoms on campus. A statement was published on the school’s website that announced that no coronavirus cases have been confirmed on the campus.

Serbian journalist briefly detained for reporting lapses amid Covid-19

On April 2, Ana Lalić - a reporter for Nova.rs - was arrested for reporting on Covid-19. Accusations of “causing public unrest and damaging a hospital’s reputation” were slapped on her after she reported on the lack of medical supplies and equipment for its staff.

Ana was interrogated at a local police station in Vojvodina, but was released the next morning. She was arrested after the hospital informed the prosecution and filed a police complaint against her. Even though the charges against her have been dropped, Serbia has a long way to go with regards to press freedom, particularly during the coronavirus outbreak.

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CFWIJ IN THE PRESS

CFWIJ’s dedicated Covid-19 resources webpage for journalists and newsrooms was featured in the The News International and The Express Tribune.

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WOMEN JOURNALISTS TO FOLLOW

Connie Wang

Connie is a senior features writer at Refinery29. We’re in awe of her poignant writings during these challenging coronavirus times. In this personal essay Connie shares about visiting her family in China over holidays, only to be left worried about them amidst the global pandemic. Her moving account of spending time with her loved ones, coming back to LA and receiving heartbreaking news is a must-read. Follow more of her work here. Connie tweets here.

Brooke Baldwin

Brooke is a CNN anchor and Peabody Award finalist. As part of CNN’s series of personal essays by its global staff, Brooke wrote about the significance of connection, as she contracted the virus days after interviewing former Vice President Joe Biden and people whose stories she shared on her show. Brooke’s story of resilience as she fought the illness herself reflects in her writing. She is a must follow and we totally recommend you do too. Follow Brooke’s work here. She tweets here.

Zuha Siddiqui

Zuha is a Karachi-based freelance journalist who reports on human rights, social movements and migration. She recently wrote about the plight of doctors in the metropolitan’s healthcare workers amid Covid-19 and focuses on how they have been working without any protective gear in sight. Zuha’s story about the challenges that doctors and paramedical staff faces in Karachi’s hospitals, puts her sharp insight on display. She is a journalist we totally endorse. Find more of Zuha’s work here. She tweets here.

Amelia Nierenberg

Amelia writes about food for the New York Times. While her regular writings for the paper are always a treat to read, but her stories on Covid-19, especially this one about tips on stocking up the medicine cabinet during the pandemic is a timely read. Detailed and meticulous, Amelia has us follow her work and understand the ongoing challenges with clarity. Find more of her work here. She tweets here.

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BADASS WOMEN AUTHORS

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

This self-help book by success coach Jen Sincero comes across as a "how to" guide on the ways to own one’s life and being the best. Jen shares witty stories, brilliant advice, and helpful exercises to help you create a life that you actually love. The book reminds you to love yourself and is a light read for those of you in search of your own awesomeness.

Gross Anatomy: Dispatches from the Front (and Back)

In this funny book packed with personal essays, journalist Mara Altman discovers the reason behind society’s expectations of the female body. From the obsession with women’s body hair to them smelling sweet all the time, Mara tries to dig answers to questions about her own body by speaking with wellness experts, scientists, and doctors. The book is not just an insight into how Mara’s writing is humorously exceptional, but it leaves one feeling liberated once you read about not conforming to the society’s expectations.

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference

In the past few decades, many women have inspired young girls to be courageous and defiant in the face of challenges, but Greta Thunberg – a young climate activist – has transformed the way one looks at the contribution of teenagers in today’s time. This book is an amalgamation of Greta’s groundbreaking speeches, after she stepped on her journey to call out world leaders and inspire many like herself to become the torchbearers of fighting climate change.

Things I’ve Been Silent About

Written by Azar Nafisi, this personal story of being born and bred in Iran sheds light on the life of the author. She shares memories of living with a disappointed and frustrated mother that too amid the country’s political revolution, reveals everything about her challenging, formative years. Azar’s personal reflection about finding inspiration even in the midst of troubles will hook you as a reader.

money and defeat.

March Issue

WOMEN IN JOURNALISM MAGAZINE

March 2020 Issue

Editor’s Note

Dear readers,

We hope you all are keeping safe and healthy. These uncertain times, no matter how tough, will  pass. While we wait for this pandemic to die down, let us focus on how women journalists are bringing you the stories at this very incredible time. 

In this issue we are focused on Covid-19. From the frontline we highlight the incredible work women journalists have been doing from difficult corners of the world to bring you human stories and news updates on the pandemic. We interviewed Bangladeshi photojournalist Fabeha Monir to understand how she is covering the pandemic from Dhaka. We also spoke with French photojournalist Chloe Sharrock, who shared with us how she has been coping with the pandemic in her home town, where she usually spends her downtime. Our Turkey coordinator Damla Tarhan takes a look at the state of women journalists locked inside Turkish prisons. Our global coordinator Luavut Zahid writes about how women journalists in Pakistan are grappling with the changing news cycle. 

While you're here, also take a look at Covid-19 resources page on our website, with helpful content for journalists and newsrooms across the world. It features our map that tracks over 150 women journalists who are covering the global pandemic from different countries around the world. We encourage newsrooms and readers to share this map and find women reporters to hire and follow the coverage. We are speaking to journalists everyday to understand their experience covering Covid19 related stories and how they are keeping safe while at it. 

Women journalists can find a list of funding and grant options to get through this time. 

Thank you,

Kiran Nazish and Rabia Mushtaq. 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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Interview - Fabeha Monir

Fabeha Monir works as a visual journalist and is based in Bangladesh’s capital city Dhaka. Her body of work is largely focused on stories exploring the refugee crisis, gender violence, migration, social development and issues of marginalized communities. Fabeha’s storytelling has a human aspect to it. The way she intimately conveys the stories of people and communities through visuals is a testament of her diverse portfolio. She has covered various emergencies in the past, which include reporting the floods, cyclones, earthquakes and fire tragedies. Fabeha is now keeping a close watch on the coronavirus outbreak in Bangladesh. The Coalition For Women In Journalism got in touch with Fabeha to ask about her experience of covering COVID-19. Scroll down to read more.

CFWIJ: Tell us about your experience of covering COVID-19 in Bangladesh so far?

Fabeha: This is everyone’s fight now. The fear and grief that people are holding is contagious too. I have covered all major disasters that hit us in the past, but nothing like this before. When we covered cyclones, floods, fire tragedies, earthquakes, violent protests, I knew that I might lose my life in any of those events. None of that bothered me much because there was no chance of others suffering because of me. Seeing people suffer, face isolation and fight a deadly virus is unimaginable.

As a female journalist, I have immense access to the lives of women in our part of the world. Violence against women has increased, homeless women and children are in greater danger, transgenders, sex workers, and the refugee community are suffering from this crisis. I am not on the ground to just report on the deadly deaths and diseases. We need to continue our reportage highlighting the fight of the vulnerable who have no access to isolation or safety. In any system of oppression, the most vulnerable will always suffer the most and be heard the least. This is why we have to continue our job on the ground.

What is the situation of coronavirus cases in Bangladesh?

It takes a long time for us to understand that we are all in this fight, together. In a city of 20 million inhabitants in Dhaka, isolation is an impossible word. However, a good sign is that the streets are now silent and empty. With a nationwide shutdown of the transport system after announcement of general holidays as part of desperate efforts to control coronavirus, Bangladesh has apparently locked down its 160 million people. Unfortunately, it has taken the government far too long to act seriously, closing down flights, schools, businesses and public gatherings. Bangladesh has 39 known cases with four confirmed deaths so far.

With the number of Covid-19 patients rising in Bangladesh, healthcare professionals fear they are compromising their health in absence of proper and enough PPE compared to the developed nations. In reality, hospitals in Bangladesh have only 1,169 ICU beds in total against a population of 160 million. We are worried for the vulnerable group of our society who have no access to clean water, food, shelter. The part of the public that is at greater risk, and for those who might be affected by wealthy people hoarding supplies that the underprivileged folks might not be able to access as the lockdown continues to worsen.

Photo by Fabeha Monir

Are journalists facing restrictions by the government in terms of coverage?

So far, our government is very open regarding the coverage. I have received cooperation from all sources in particular. Everyone is fearful in the given circumstances. Our security forces are ensuring cooperation and a very limited number of female journalists or photographers are out on the ground. I feel that is also another reason why I am being appreciated and receiving support. It’s different now because when we cover protests or other events, law enforcement agencies have a rather hostile relationship with the media; but now, we are all united and performing our duty, knowing every well that any of us can face the worst at any given time, we are on the front line of danger collectively.

What kind of on-the-ground challenges are you facing?

I have to practice and remind myself all the time to maintain physical distance while working on-the-ground. As a journalist or photographer, I tend to work very closely with people. Now I have to do more phone interviews, take photographs from a distance. Also, stay calm and focus on what's important to cover without rushing onto everywhere. Wearing the protective gear on duty and breathing in it is hard, while going through the process of disinfecting myself every other minute is also scary.

Photo by Fabeha Monir

What is the situation like for you as a journalist in terms of logistics, particularly with respect to the lockdown imposed in Bangladesh?

Many of my freelance journalists and photographer friends are out of work now. This time is tough because storytellers from the global south are always struggling financially. Many of my works and assignments have been canceled and I might be without income for the foreseeable future, the financial stress for me and many of my colleagues worldwide is real.

“Many of my freelance journalists and photographer friends are out of work now. This time is tough because storytellers from the global south are always struggling financially. ”

What steps are you taking to keep yourself safe and healthy while reporting on the ground. Do you have safety gear for that?

Without safety gear, I cannot imagine taking one step outside to report. After returning from work, the process of disinfecting demands a lot of time and stress but the fight is not to save myself alone. It is to ensure the safety of people around me and everyone that I encounter on a daily basis. One of the doctors told me that now we have to save ourselves for the sake of saving others, for the sake of saving our loved ones, this is what we have to remind ourselves every time we work on the ground.

Coronavirus coverage has taken a toll on several journalists across the world. What are you doing to focus on your mental health in the midst of reporting?

The most difficult part is waking up everyday with a fear of separation and loss. Time pauses for us but we are restlessly fighting without knowing what will happen next. It’s frantic that we cannot make any plans anymore, we do not have any control over our lives. Without any warning, our lives have now shifted from order to chaos. But the astonishing part of covering this historic time is the act of solidarity, we are more united mentally and spiritually than we have ever been before, though we are bound to put ourselves far apart from each other physically. But that is where our uniqueness lays.

We haven’t given up hope. While closely working with health professionals and security personnel, I have learned something extraordinary that we have to continue our duty with hope, sanity, and aspiration. If we let it ruin our hope, there will be no way we can come alive out of it.

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How female journalists are tackling the fallout from Covid-19

By Luavut Zahid

This article was originally published in DAWN newspaper.

Photo credıt: Mohammad Rakibul Hassan

Female journalists are now confronted with a whole new set of problems in addition to the issues they have always faced.

Journalists are dealing with an unprecedented level of difficulties since the Covid-19 outbreak. The spread of this pandemic has had a deep impact on everyone in the field — whether they are covering it or not. After talking to a few female journalists, it was clear that they definitely have it worse.

While developing Covid-19 resources for The Coalition For Women In Journalism, I spoke to several female journalists in Pakistan about how they are covering the pandemic and found that they are now confronted with a whole new set of problems in addition to the issues they have always faced.

Fly to work?

Mobility has always been a limiting factor when it comes to how far female journalists can go in the industry. Karachi-based Ambreen* says she has faced transport issues, even before the Covid-19 threat.

"My organisation doesn’t provide transport to everyone. I don’t own a car so I’ve been dependent on Uber and Careem or Airlift — all of which have suspended operations because of the pandemic. How am I supposed to keep going to work?” she asks.

With the pandemic wreaking havoc, both the Sindh and Punjab governments have imposed restrictions on public and private transport — so even if one were to have a car, it may not be of much use to many.

"We have no press cards, so how are we to go around during a lockdown?" asks Aliya* a journalist based in Lahore, noting that even the most basic of resources are not made available by newsrooms in general.

Competition for Covid-19

Several Pakistani newsrooms are notorious for being — without sugar-coating it — filthy. Some I’ve personally worked in are breeding grounds for many ailments, with the current coronavirus a new entrant into an old cesspool.

And while some newsrooms are doing a better job of giving their workers protective gear and ensuring physical safety, there are others that fall short by mountains. "On a good day, there are rats running around in my office. What possible sanitisation can they ensure when they have never been able to get rid of rats? I’ve had a UTI thrice working here," says Urooj*, a Lahore-based journalist said.

There is also a lack of balance in terms of facilities available to female staffers. What seem like simple, small things are making a huge difference in current times. For instance, Ambreen's workplace has only one toilet for 10 or more women. "To be honest, our office is generally disgustingly unclean — this is not just a pandemic issue," she says.

Pandemic? What pandemic?

For some female journalists simply getting permission to work from home has been an uphill struggle. Editors and managers aren’t ready to take the disease seriously. Aliya says her editor has refused to take the pandemic seriously and keeps asking the staff to "wait till things get worse".

"Our entire team had to aggressively push for the work from home option before we were told we could do it. Even then, we had to be at work during production days. Then the Punjab government announced the lockdown and some of us insisted that coming to work at all would endanger our families. Even in such times, unless you push and push and agitate there is no initiative on part of the management to take concerns, especially health-related ones, seriously," she says.

Where editors and superiors are empathetic, the organisation’s human resource department may not feel the same way. "In my case, even though my boss was understanding about my need to work from home, the organisation was not," Ambreen says, noting that even though some have been allowed to work remotely, there are staffers who are still required to go into work.

"I wasn’t allowed to work from home until I developed symptoms. It wasn't Covid-19 but it did the job. There were no precautions in place for safety even until that point," Ambreen says, adding that it took a false alarm to jolt her newsroom into some action.

The apathy being shown by those running the newsrooms is going to end up contributing to the spread of this disease. "My husband is a page marker in another organisation — even though I am at home, he's still out there for work. How do I stay safe?" Ambreen asks.

There is also the looming fear of what happens when the lockdown ends and everyone returns to work. "Are these spaces now cleaner than they were before? Is the virus still there? I have a lot of anxiety about it all," says Urooj.

"We’ve been given no gear for the virus. None at all. And there has been no training on how to stay safe. Whatever we’re doing is our own effort," she adds.

Even offering a plan that would have helped maintain efficiency while working from home was ignored in some cases. Solutions and technical options were ignored, and female journalists were made to feel as though they wanted to "slack off".

"We as a team are experimenting and helping one another figure things out. The management, I understand, has never faced such a situation, but a sufficient enough time has now passed for them to formulate proper strategies," says Aliya.

Managing stress

Urooj said she’s finding it hard to deal with the stress of the situation. "I am putting on a brave face but I haven’t slept properly since the first case was diagnosed in Lahore. Even though we’re journalists, social media is taking a toll on us.

"I’m one the verge of resigning. If they can’t give us any safety then I just don’t want to work," she says.

"We were already operating with limited resources and with the surge in cases it’s made getting stories even more difficult precisely because it could potentially put the reporter at risk. It is emotionally taking an altogether different toll on us. After we concluded a special report recently, I couldn’t sleep for two days because I was anxious about my reporters. I don’t know what they must have gone through — and this is while struggling to get our own newsroom to take the issue seriously," says Aliya.

Even journalists whose organisations have been helpful and supportive have not been able to escape the stress and anxiety caused by Covid-19. Ramsha, a Karachi-based journalist, says working from home had made some things easier. However, despite its benefits, it can be taxing.

"There are definitely more distractions at home. It’s hard to disconnect from one’s surroundings and family — and hard to disconnect from news when I’m not working — it’s overwhelming. It’s all new right now. I’m exploring and learning."

To manage stress, she’s started doing yoga at home. "But I haven’t been regular because of fatigue. I feel overworked even if I am putting in less hours," she adds.

Another issue is that for many female journalists, working from home means working on more than their jobs. They have to multitask between duties at home and their jobs.

Urooj says being at home has meant added pressure to be ever-present for housework while having to tackle with office work. "And we don’t really have a culture of working from home, so people find it hard to communicate when they’re occupied," she adds.

Reporting woes

While some newsrooms are lagging behind, others are evolving with the pandemic to ensure that their people remain safe. Ramsha says Covid-19 has changed things in many ways. "I work for a newspaper and things have gone remote now all thanks to technology. People in the industry are not tech savvy so this has made them come out of their comfort zone and explore digital," she explains.

However, even if you have a supportive organisation, there are several other issues that the Covid-19 has thrown at journalists. She says that for anyone reporting, the biggest challenge is misinformation. "The current situation is a test even for fact checkers. There is a lot of false information out there and too many updates — it’s hard to keep up," she adds.

And journalists who are working for organisations that have already been beaten down have it much harder. "We have our backs against the walls in terms of resources. Fact-checking and communicating everything has been harder," she says.

Despite the many, many problems that they face in the industry, most women journalists do not want to quit.

"At least they are paying us… even if it’s with a two-month delay," Ambreen says and laughs. And unfortunately, that is the clincher, the industry's standards have fallen so low that journalists are now prepared to tackle a global pandemic on a personal level so long as they're paid.

**Names have been changed to protect identities of the persons.*

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Imprisoned women journalists at risk amid COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey

By Damla Tarhan

With over 27,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Turkey and more than 500 deaths recorded so far, fears for the safety of imprisoned journalists have increased in the past few weeks. Authorities in Turkey have long been notorious for their treatment of women journalists inside jails and as of now, four women journalists - Ayşenur Parıldak, Hanım Büşra Erdal, Hatice Duman, Hülya Kılınç - have been arbitrarily held for their journalism inside the country’s prisons.

These journalists are not only vulnerable to the authorities’ unjustified demeanor, but remain at a larger risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, given the not-so-satisfactory health facilities inside its prisons.

Instead of ensuring the safety and hygiene of its prisoners, Turkish authorities have instituted a clampdown on news regarding Covid-19. Many journalists, including women, have borne the brunt of being persecuted for their coronavirus coverage. 

On March 16, Ebru Küçükaydın - a general publication coordinator of news website Haberimizvar.net - was taken into custody from her home in Antalya for publishing a story about the coronavirus. Even though she was released after her statement was recorded at a local police station, the news was subsequently taken down from the website. Read our statement here.

On March 31, an investigation was filed against writer and columnist Nurcan Baysal for "threatening to incite the public to enmity and hatred" because of her social media posts and two articles published on Ahval - a Turkish news website. While her post criticized the government’s action during Covid-19, the articles shed light on the lack of seriousness around the life-threatening pandemic that brought the world to a halt. Nurcan was finally released by the court after she testified in her defense.

Sadiye Eser, a Mezopotamya Agency reporter, was arrested for “being a member of a terrorist organization in December 2019, just like the four currently held journalists. She was released by a court in Istanbul on March 26, albeit with conditions of judicial control and adjourned the hearing of her case until October 15.

On March 17, the Turkish government postponed ongoing trials until April 30 because of the outbreak. These trials are expected to be further delayed if the situation around the pandemic worsens. Meanwhile, only prisoners’ trials can be held at the courthouses.

Even though many women journalists in Turkey have been released this year, four are still languishing inside jails in the midst of inadequate conditions. Several remain at a risk of being taken into custody for covering the coronavirus outbreak.

Not long ago, we released a statement condemning the inhumane conditions inflicted on the Mezopotamya Agency reporter Ruken Demir. She apparently wrote a letter to her brother wherein she mentioned being fed unhealthy and unhygienic food in the prison. Ruken was also not allowed to read books or newspapers, and was later banned from writing letters as well. After spending 115 days in the prison on charges for “carrying out activities on behalf of a terrorist organization”, she was finally released on March 6.

Following Ruken’s horrific account of treatment in Turkey’s jails, the thought of imprisoned women journalists being safe and healthy is simply wishful thinking. All the women journalists held inside Turkey’s jails are at a higher risk of contracting Covid-19. Most of these journalists are over 30 years of age and fall in the high-risk category. The prisons’ state of hygiene, heating system, conditions of the dining hall, and the infirmary equipment are just a few things that need to be inspected in order to ensure the safety and health of the prisoners.

Turkish journalist Sadık Topaloğlu, who was recently released, also spoke about the state of journalists locked behind bars. He said how the conditions inside jails leave them vulnerable to health risks. Sadık shared his views in this video deeming the existing precautions inadequate  to continue the fight against coronavirus. 

CFWIJ got in touch with lawyer Ülkü Şahin who usually deals with cases involving journalists. When discussing the state of prisons during the ongoing pandemic, she pointed out that it is not fair to keep journalists behind bars.

“Journalists being imprisoned on charges of “membership of a terrorist organization” and “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation”, because of their articles, news stories, social media posts, speeches, and photographs, is simply unjustified - none of them are violent actions. However, the Turkish government equates these with many violent crimes such as crimes against sexual immunity and drugs in the enforcement package in the parliament. As such, it was once again confirmed that the government saw journalists who hold a pen more dangerous than criminals who hold a gun,” Ülkü said.

She added that in a possible legal arrangement, the criterion of violence should be considered and the government should secure justice.

“Following the current conditions of our prisons and the rapidly increasing potential of coronavirus, we should not only rally towards their freedom of thought, and right to freedom and security, but also their right to life. According to the regulations by the UN and the Council of Europe - of which Turkey is a member - the state has an obligation to provide security of individuals whose freedom is taken away. We urgently demand that all the journalists are released. Necessary measures for hygiene should be ensured. Journalists who are behind bars should also be allowed to stay at their homes too,” Ülkü shared when talking to CFWIJ.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands with all our fellow women journalists who have been jailed for their work as journalists in Turkey. During this global pandemic that has paralyzed the entire world, it is pertinent for Turkish authorities to release all the journalists and allow them to stay at their homes, to ensure their health and safety. The government must take necessary precautions to prevent the spread of this outbreak, especially inside jails and allow the press to cover the pandemic in a fair and transparent manner.

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CFWIJ launches Covid-19 resources

The coronavirus has infected more than 1.5 million people and caused almost 90,000 deaths. The global scale of this pandemic has forced countries around the world to take serious measures, including closing borders and imposing quarantines. This has increased multidimensional challenges to the journalists who are reporting on this story, from all across the world. Whether they report in quarantine, from behind a desk or from the street covering life at large, the risk of safety for these reporters demands a vigorously thoughtful approach. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity and support with all journalists covering this massive story today. As a support organization for women, we have developed resources and tool kits that any journalist can consult. You can find more here.

COVID-19 PRESS FREEDOM WATCH

Several countries are instituting a clampdown on news relating to Covid-19. We are keeping an eye on the situation and documenting any threats that women journalists may be facing because of their coronavirus-related reportage. You can find our statements here.

PRO TIPS FROM WOMEN JOURNALISTS ON THE FRONTLINE

Every day our team is speaking to women journalists covering COVID19 from the frontlines or from their make-shift home offices. Improvising and innovating new ways to tackle the story. Meet these women journalists here. 

WE WANT YOU TO TAKE CARE

We have spoken to industry experts, women journalists and medical professionals to develop simple easy to follow guidelines for journalists covering the pandemic. You can print these as flash cards and keep in your reporting kit as a reminders. Find a complete stack of guidelines and self care tips here. 

WE ARE THINKING OF…

We are very sad that #journalist #MarieMercader succumbed after contracting #Covid19. Our condolences go to her family, peers and friends. Our heart goes out to all #women journalists covering this story around the world. Read our full statement on our website, here.

Would you like to share this map with your network?

In these difficult times some of the most urgent & detailed information is brought to you by women journalists. Since early March, the Coalition For Women In Journalism has been mapping locations around the world where women journos are reporting on #Covid19. Find our map and more here http://womeninjournalism.org/covid19

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Covering the pandemic in the city of love - Chloe Sharrock shares her experience unveiling Covid-19 in her photo-reportage

Chloe Sharrock is a documentary photographer based in Paris, France. She is also the founder of an association Alhawiat - dedicated to share stories of women in the conflict-ridden countries of the Middle East.

Her work, published in several international publications, is largely focused on women’s rights but has also explored religion. While Chloe usually works in the Middle East. She is currently confined in Paris following the coronavirus outbreak. She is also part of a project with other photographers that highlights life in the midst of Covid-19.

Chloe shares how she is looking at Covid-19 as a journalist and her experience of covering the pandemic on the ground in Paris.

“The first week was kind of a blur, not really knowing what could be done to continue working while respecting all the safety measures, without endangering anyone, myself included,” she said talking about working as a photojournalist in her otherwise “work-free zone”.

“But step by step, new narratives emerged. I've developed more conceptual projects indoors, I've joined a collaborative project with other photojournalists of my neighborhood... I guess it's all about finding new ways to inform, knowing that it will constantly evolve along the way,” she added.

About the state of coronavirus cases in France, Chloe informed us how the situation is deteriorating extremely fast as France is entering its peak stage of the pandemic with several deaths in a short period of time.

“At the moment, social networks and media are completely drowned in an absolute logorrhea of information, and untangling fake news from reliable facts can be quite a challenge. I've selected a few trustworthy sources that I consult on a daily basis, an hour every day,” she said when asked about keeping up with the unimaginable flow of information.

Chloe has managed to ensure her safety when she is out photographing her subjects in the midst of the outbreak. However, she said it is almost impossible to find protective gear in France.

“Luckily, I had a few masks left from a previous project about health in India, but it's becoming almost impossible to get a hold of such gear in France at the moment. All the usual safety measures are however easy to adopt - social distancing, of course, but also plastic gloves, disinfectant wipes for my camera, etc,” she said.

“It's also all about keeping others safe, and not just ourselves. We have some kind of "privilege", being able to continue working and moving freely, but it's our responsibility to do so without putting anyone else in danger, and without countering the effect of the confinement. It's also about finding new ways to testify of what is happening, new storytelling techniques and forms of narrative to avoid ending up in unsafe situations. By the end of the confinement, I think we'll see how much technology can become a tool for journalism,” she added when responding to CFWIJ.

She informed us that despite having all the necessary documents on them, some journalists have been fined or prevented from working. She said the testimonies keep emerging. However, she said one cannot say if the restrictive actions are coming from the patrols or from orders above with some kind of restrictive policy aimed specifically towards journalists.

In terms of facing on-the-ground challenges, Chloe stated that since people are in a state of fear following the outbreak, it is difficult to approach them and gain their trust.

“People are scared, and it can be felt in human interactions. We actually discussed it with other photojournalists, and there seems to be a surge of aggressiveness coming from people on the streets. The whole country is bathed in some kind of paranoiac mindset,” she said.

“Another challenge, as a photographer, is to have your work standing out from the rest. We are hundreds of photojournalists stuck in a city under lockdown, being creative and original, finding new ways to photograph and to inform, is definitely the biggest challenge,” she further added.

Chloe lives by herself in Paris, and to make sure the outbreak does not affect her mental health she tries to stay in touch with her family and friends, among other strategies to help cope with the current situation that almost everyone has been facing at the moment.

“I'm spending most of my evenings chatting on Skype or Zoom with friends or colleagues. I also try to limit myself to only one or two hours/max of news per day, to avoid being caught up in some kind of spirale of worrying information. I also focus on projects that aren't related to the current situation, to allow myself time during which my brain is focused on something more positive, something that allows me to stay optimistic,” Chloe said.

As for tips for journalists who are reporting the outbreak, Chloe advises them to not push themself. “It's fine if you don't get the most exclusive pictures, as long as you keep yourself and others safe. Think outside the box, and allow yourself time to sit back and take a break.”*

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Round up of Threats Women Journalists Faced

We recorded 37 cases of threats against women journalists in the month of March. The following are some of the most prominent one. Scroll through to read more.

Egypt forced Guardian journalist to leave country for her coronavirus reporting

Authorities in Egypt have forced Guardian’s Cairo correspondent Ruth Michaelson to leave the country after she reported about the Covid-19 health crisis in Egypt. Her press accreditation was already revoked and prevented her from working in the country. Ruth was subsequently told to leave Egypt following the arbitrary move by the government.

Her report, based on a scientific study by infectious disease specialists from the University of Toronto, stated that Egypt potentially has a larger number of coronavirus cases as opposed to those being quoted by the government. The report aggravated Egypt’s authorities that resorted to expel Ruth and she left the country as a result.

Pakistani women journalists faced online harassment due to Aurat March

In the week leading up to the Aurat March in Pakistan, women journalists were subjected to a smear online campaign. Online attacks against the journalists intensified after the march took place on March 8.

Online abuse of our member and journalist Marvi Sirmed also escalated after the Aurat March - an event she had been rooting for as a feminist. Television anchor Gharida Farooqui was also trolled for showing support to her colleagues and women at the march. Journalists including Reem Khurshid, Ailia Zehra and Annam Lodhi all shared their concerns following the concerning remarks against women journalists within digital spaces amid Aurat March discussions.

Kibriye Evren in Turkey still faces travel ban

Even though judicial control measures on Jinnews reporter Kibriye Evren were lifted on March 10, the travel ban on her still remains imposed. The decision was taken during the ninth hearing of her case wherein she has been accused of “being a member of the organization" and "making propaganda for an organization".

The next hearing of her case will take place on July 14, following possible surgeries for her underlying health conditions.

CFWIJ member Marvi Sirmed verbally abused on live television

Pakistani journalist and CFWIJ member Marvi Sirmed was verbally attacked and abused by a playwright during a live talk show. She was targeted for her feminist views and for supporting the Aurat March that has been taking place in the country for the last three years.

While the discussion was focused on the march, which was to take place at the occasion of International Working Women’s Day, the playwright turned it into an abusive, regressive and patriarchal show of power, to appease the ultra-religious and conservative circles in the country.

Even though the situation at hand was not dealt with in the most appropriate manner, Marvi received immense support from her colleagues in the field.

Women journalists in Turkey detained for reporting attacks

Around 15 to 20 unidentified people and the Sputnik Turkish Service attacked homes of three reporters in Turkey - two of whom were women. The attacks took place at the same time, after which the reporters attempted to lodge a complaint against the attackers. Instead of going after their perpetrators, the Turkish authorities took the journalists into custody.

After being officially detained by the Ankara Provincial Police Department, the reporters had their homes searched and their electronic equipment seized. The three journalists were later released after an interrogation.

Peruvian journalist Daysi Huamán still missing

Daysi Lizeth Mina Huamán has been missing for over two months now after she was last seen on January 26. She has not been heard or seen ever since she left from the Santa Rosa district and was bound for Ayna district’s Carmen Pampa population centre. Her ID was found on the highway in the La Mar district after a complaint against her disappearance was registered by her family.

Daysi, a 21-year-old reporter for Cable VRAEM in Ayacucho, covered news about the development of the Congress of the Republic’s electoral process in the complementary elections in district Santa Rosa. it was reported that she was supposed to meet her partner Noé Daniel Laura Taipe, after she left Santa Rosa.

Publication coordinator detained for coronavirus news

Ebru Küçükaydın, a turkish publication coordinator of a news website Haberimizvar.net was detained from her home in Antalya. She was taken into custody for a news story related to coronavirus published on the website.

Ebru was released after recording a statement at a local police station and the website subsequently deleted the news as well. Even though Ebru shared that the purpose of the news was to keep the public, Turkish authorities were adamant to suppress press freedom.

Hülya Kılınç arrested and deemed “anti-state” by Turkish government

Hülya Kılınç was arrested in duty by the Criminal Court of Peace in Turkey. She was accused of being “anti-state” due to an article she had written for Odatv on March 3. In her article, Hülya mentioned the name of a deceased intelligence officer of MIT (Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization), who was killed in Libya.

She was taken into custody in Manisa and was later shifted to Istanbul for testifying before the prosecutor. After she gave her statement, the court ordered her arrest for revealing the identity, information and documents related to MIT’s members, activities, and duties. Hülya is now locked inside the Bakırköy Women’s Prison.

Mexican journalist Lucy Sosa faces discrimination by Governor of Chihuahua

Journalist Lucy del Carmen Sosa had her queries disregarded by Javier Corral Jurado, the Governor of Chihuahua, during a press conference. She asked the governor questions about the murderer of journalist Miroslava Breach and the security situation in Chihuahua, to which he responded with a mere ‘whatever’ and moved on to another journalist's question.

To condemn the governor’s behaviour and discrimination that she was subjected to, Lucy filed a complaint against the denial of her right to information. The governor is said to have issues with the paper Lucy works for and is notorious for taking a negative stance against its employees. After Lucy filed the complaint, a rather concerning event took place in her office, where two military vehicles entered the premises of El Dario without search warrant. However, they were not allowed to enter the paper’s building.

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CFWIJ IN THE PRESS

Our dedicated website tab of Covid-19 resources for journalists and newsrooms was featured in The News International and The Nation.

The devoted resources page has been developed keeping in mind the need for journalists to find relevant information and resources about Covid-19 on their fingertips.

Our special feature is the map where women journalists and their work about the global pandemic have been featured, also giving editors an opportunity to connect with them for updates and stories.

Profiles of several journalists covering coronavirus have also been added to the page where they talk about their experience of reporting on a sudden health crisis that has paralyzed almost the world.

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Global Coordinator Luavut Zahid wrote about the plight of Pakistani women journalists whose lives have been affected following the coronavirus outbreak. In the article, female journalists share how they are facing a bulk of issues along with the ones they have been already facing in the industry. From conveyance woes to lack of hygiene, the journalists have all shared their fears as the Covid-19 numbers continue to add up in hospitals across the country.

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Our safety app for women journalists - JSafe - has been featured by Poynter in this article focused on the protection of journalists against online harassment.

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WOMEN JOURNALISTS TO FOLLOW

Angela Giuffrida

Angela is a Rome correspondent for The Guardian and The Observer. From covering the impact of coronavirus on farmers to reporting the lockdown in Italy, Angela has been following the world’s most crucial story in one of the most hard-hit countries globally. Follow her work to get an insight into Italy’s Covid-19 fight.

She tweets here.

Casey Hall

Casey is Business of Fashion’s Asia correspondent based in Shanghai, China. Her reportage, which is otherwise focused on everything fashion, lifestyle and pop culture, is now shedding light on the consequences of coronavirus on China’s fashion industry. Follow her work here.

She tweets here.

Ellen Byron

As a staff writer at the Wall Street Journal, Ellen Byron has been following the Covid-19 story using an intimate lens. She focuses on the human conditions of Americans dealing with the global pandemic. A father battling with the virus to a small town baker hustling to continue her business, these tales of individuals amid coronavirus are moving to say the least. Follow Ellen’s work here. 

She tweets here.

Kelly Kasulis

Kelly is a freelance journalist covering the Koreas for various outlets. She has been keeping a close watch at the ever-developing Covid-19 stories from Seoul, where she is currently based. Kelly not only explores South Korea’s techniques of controlling the coronavirus but also takes a look at North Korea’s notorious denial regarding the global pandemic. Find her work here.

She tweets here.

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BADASS WOMEN AUTHORS

Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump's America Book

Nasty Women by Samhita Mukhopadhyay and Kate Harding is a collection of essays by a group of diverse women writers, who explore several themes including the support of Trump and HIllary Clinton to reproductive rights and racism in America. Its stance on feminism and the transgender community to resistance and social movement, the book touches upon several subjects and turns it into one masterpiece.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Written by Ottessa Moshfegh, My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a compelling piece of modern fiction. It is based on a young woman who chooses to hibernate and dodge the world’s ills. The protagonist has a perfect life, apparently; but her heart is dark and empty. What could possibly go wrong for her to cut herself away from the world for a year? Read her story to find out more.

Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life

Organization genius Marie Kondo and Rice University business professor Scott Sonenshein teach you how to declutter your desk and get rid of the mess in your professional life. From endless emails to unnecessary papers, these modern-day, anxiety-inducing hazards of work life suck away all your energy. Both Marie and Scott share stories and approaches to make space for only what’s important in your work life.

Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change

This book by Stacey Abrams takes a look at how women, people of colour, millenials and the marginalised communities have faced obstructions yet they continue towards transformation. The author writes for outsiders by using her insights to analyse leadership functions with ambition, fear, money and defeat.

February Issue

WOMEN IN JOURNALISM MAGAZINE

February 2020 Issue

Editor’s Note

Hello all,
 
We are all facing an unprecedented situation. The world has somewhat come to a standstill, and we hope to see things getting better again.
 
We have been closely watching developments around COVID-19 and will be soon launching a resources page on our website for both journalists and newsrooms. This will include a map of the world which will help you track down locations where women journalists are reporting on the story.
 
This particular magazine that you are viewing was created before the novel coronavirus took over our lives. For the last week and a half, we have been mostly spending our time building useful resources and helping journalists work in such a difficult time. You will be able to access all of this shortly. In the meantime, we decided to launch this issue as it was left.  
 
We are excited to feature the Paris based CEO and founder of Foto Femme United April Wiser; profile of Turkish journalist Durket Süren whom we nominated for an international award, and highlights from a long chat with Chinese-Canadian journalist Crystal Tai.
 
Our recommendations for journalists to follow and top four fiction and non-fiction picks by badass women authors is a special treat.
 
Hope these bites are enjoyable.
 
We will be in touch with more soon
 
Stay well.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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Interview - April Wiser

April Wiser is the CEO and founder of Foto Femme United (FFU) — an international women’s photography collective and community based in Paris, France. She is a publisher and an exhibited photographer herself who has explored themes around fine arts, women, fashion and much more through her extraordinary work. Using their innovative and feministic platform, April and her team highlight the work of women, non-binary and transgender photographers and writers. We recently interviewed April about her journey, and inspiration that led her to establish FFU, the future of women in the photo industry. Read ahead.

CFWIJ: Photography is a powerful tool. How far have we come with representation of women photographers and photojournalists across the world? Do you think it is being used to its potential?

April: No. This is something I am really trying to express. It (photography) is the one language that transcends all of the others. We can’t really say that about any other verbal language where we can just look at something and collectively everyone has some sort of understanding. With the power there is also a lot of responsibility. In my opinion, the photo industry is not serving the public well because it is really male-dominated. It is only one perspective of a story.

When I was a student, we would often do these exercises where we would all go to the same event and look at the variety of different things people shoot, the way they shoot, the perspective, the intimacy and the expression that you can get from people. It is really male-dominated and we don’t have the whole side of the story. A lot more needs to be done to bring women and their work in the spotlight, and give us an equal chance to tell a story.

Foto Femme United is a very powerful platform for women in the photo industry. What led you to take that first step and establish a community that tries to intertwine feminism and representation of women using photography?

It was from my own personal experiences while dealing with sexism in the photo industry. I am a photographer and have been to school with a lot of women as well, so after having discussions with them and realizing that all of them have at least one similar story. It was not just an isolated incident and not just something in my head. We then started a collective towards the end of 2017 and it evolved over the years. It was really small with me and two other women at the time, and we decided to feature photographers.

In terms of social media, there was difficulty in doing that because of the shadowbanning and the removal of photography because there is nudity. Even if you follow and respect their community guidelines, they will still shadowban you and remove your photographs. It started getting really suffocating, so we had some discussions about it and realized that we could just build our own website. I started doing a lot of research as well to see how the situation was; and it was much worse. So we started developing different content and finding contributors. It was really important for us to have all kinds of perspectives; and today, there are 23 of us now.

How do you and your team brainstorm ideas?

Sometimes we look at different themes. They usually pitch their ideas to me and I am more like a timekeeper. I make sure that nobody is stepping on each other’s toes and writing about the same thing. I usually leave it pretty open and give them some direction. Sometimes, we have different photographers submitting press releases for their exhibitions or different people approaching us to be featured or written about, so we incorporate those kinds of things as well. Most of the topics just happen to be around women. It is not advised but it is just their choice most of the time. It is important that they are featuring photography by women, non-binary people or transgender photographers.

Foto Femme work is based around women. How do you make sure there is diversity of background, more inclusion of women of colour?

Most of the projects we feature are from Latin America right now. Sometimes we have French photographers but we do have some different photographers from Europe. This is something I have been discussing with my team. A lot of times we work on the different submissions we receive. But I have been speaking to my team to go out and dig in to find some photographers in different areas that we haven’t covered very much.

What is Foto Femme United’s process to discover photographers for the exhibition?

The recent exhibition was an open call for women. This was our first one, so it was not too bad. We received 139 submissions, so that is over 400 photographs. It was really diverse and submissions came from all over the world, which was really an honor.

For a lot of different competitions, you have to pay, so all the printing, and send submissions over. Sometimes, it is across the world, which can be very expensive. We understand that a lot of women working in this sector are not really being paid as much as men. So we wanted to make this really accessible to anyone, which is why there was no submission fee. We are actually covering the cost of printing and framing as well.

What efforts do you have to consider to sustain Foto Femme United?

We have a lot of different content that we are showing right now. The idea is to find other ways offline as well. We do a lot of things online but we are now starting pop up exhibitions. I started in Paris because it is practical for me. Since it was our first time, it was a test to see how it goes. Then we just have to look at how it went and see where things need to be modified. But the idea is to have these exhibitions worldwide in order to give more opportunity to women, so they can exhibit their work. I do have some other things which are in progress right now, but since we have not finished, we are not going to make any announcements about it just yet.

The ongoing exhibition by FFU is focused on censorship. Please tell us more about that.

I wanted it to be something really confrontational because people are scared around the topic and they think it is really annoying. But it is much deeper than that. So I really wanted to show people that it is more than annoying and the effects that it can have on people in general. It is a photography exhibition but it is also showing the kind of things that they are blocking on Instagram and other social media.

It is a moment to educate people and make them aware about how social media censors people. They pass content by companies or accounts, which are clearly about money or influence because these accounts are allowed to post something that does not even respect their own guidelines. We or other feminist accounts are unable to post content because it is maybe not an idealized version of a body or it is not a young person. I really find that dangerous and it is perpetuating this old thinking.

I wanted to choose something that I find really relevant and something that people can think of in a deeper way.

What kind of feedback has the exhibition received so far?

At the moment, we have not really received any backlash. I thought there would be a lot more because I was trying to compare the different comments that people may have. From time to time, we have received comments from different men and there is still a lack of understanding about why these different groups exist. A young man recently if they were any men working on the project, I had to explain to him that our approach is to push women, non-binary and transgender photographers and writers in order to achieve equality. There is still some work to be done so that everybody understands what that means.

With several collectives and communities like Foto Femme United, and others such as We Women and Women Photograph to name a few. How do you see the future of women in photography/photojournalism evolving?

It is definitely a good start. Women Photograph’s platform is becoming quite huge. They are doing so many different things both online and offline like workshops. The more we go forward, there will be even more similar groups and collectives. The best way to at least start is to take matters into your own hands. We should not wait around for things to work out on their own and use social media to express what we are thinking about the situation.

Do you think there is a shift in the narrative about women and non-binary individuals claiming their space in the global photography industry?

I have been really trying to find some numbers about it and the fact that I’m having a difficult time proves that there is still a lot of work to be done. I’m glad that at least it is being addressed. We have started seeing those words more often but quite honestly more work needs to be done.

How much has social media helped in creating wider possibilities for a greater number of women in photojournalism?

There are so many people who use Instagram. Personally, I use it more than Facebook. In terms of image and video, it is the platform to use. Despite their efforts to shadowban and remove people, it is still moving forward and photographers are being discovered that way. We have also discovered really amazing photographers that have submitted their work to us. It is really touching to be able to show their work in print magazines as well and help them move forward in their careers.

What advice do you have for women who want to pursue photography but are often, to this day, let down because of the space dominated by men?

I would say you need to be daring. You really can’t be somebody who waits around for things to come to you. You have to go and demand it yourself. You really need to be a self-starter, find your voice, find what it is that you really want to do and don’t be afraid to take risks.

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“The existence of women frightens the system” — Durket Süren

By Damla Tarhan

Journalists have to pay a hefty price to do their job in Turkey. The country has had a history of persecuting journalists and suppressing freedom of the press. Since the beginning of 2020, we have been monitoring lawsuits against women journalists. Most of them are subjected to legal harassment and are facing terrorism charges.

Durket Süren is among the many women journalists who have been legally intimidated by Turkish authorities for their journalism. She has been accused of “willingly helping a terrorist organization" and "creating propaganda for a terrorist organization”. So far, three hearings of her trial have been held in Diyarbakır. Most recent hearing of her case took place on February 5, and the trial has been adjourned until May 18. Read our statement.

CFWIJ spoke with Durket to understand what it is like to work as a woman journalist in Turkey, how threatened and vulnerable she feels considering the state of press freedom in the country, and the persecution she has been subjected to in relation to her journalism.

Durket talked about the time after Özgür Gün TV was shut down. Even though it was a financially difficult time for her, she continued to pursue journalism.

“I left after the media outlets were closed by executive decree during emergency in August 2016. After a while, I winded up the newspaper distribution company, earlier established by me, due to financial difficulties. Following the declaration of the state of emergency, I continued working as a journalist, to see the truth, to announce and to convey it to the public, although the pressure on journalists increased even more,” she said,

In 2017, Durket began working as a reporter with Jin News Agency - an agency run by women focusing on Kurdish and women’s issues. Durket recalled the time when Turkish authorities began to intimidate her in March 2018.

“During the identification control in the field where I went to report, I was kept waiting for hours and was subsequently blocked,” she said.

Durket was detained while reporting in Diyabakir’s Lice district on the basis of search warrants against her from March 1 to 5, 2018. During detention, the authorities investigated Durket for her social media posts. She was released after being held for four days, but a travel ban was imposed on her. After the establishment of Jin News Agency in 2012, those associated with this news gathering organization have been facing persecution at the hands of Turkish government.

“I was taken into custody for my journalism. I was threatened and subjected to violence during, before and after my detention. My activities as a journalist were judged, which is why I became the police’s target. I spoke with the press at the Diyarbakır Human Rights Association on May 8, 2018, and filed a criminal complaint at the prosecutor's office, where I emphasized that journalism was not a crime,” Durket shared when speaking with CFWIJ.

Currently, Durket’s work is focused on women and their struggles. However, it is not easy for her to get stories published without interrogation.

“I remain under pressure by questions such as who I work with, where my shots will be published, and the reason for the topics I have chosen,” she said and further added that it is hard to work in the field as a woman journalist.

“In the male-dominated system, the most difficult thing to do is to work in the field as a female journalist, because men monopolise every field. The existence of women frightens the system. We are exposed to violence while following the news, pursuing the truth and trying to convey the real agenda to the society. We are exposed to professional bullying by male colleagues in the field caused by mental problems,” Durket lamented about the state of affairs for women journalists in Turkey when speaking with the CFWIJ.

Durket believes in resilience, even in the face of adversity. Despite threats and fears, she wants to continue pursuing journalism as a profession and challenge the status quo.

“I will continue to stand against censorship, oppression, as well as the sexist attitude of the government. I will continue to pursue facts and struggle to be able to publish them,” she said and added, “Unfortunately, Turkey has become a very dangerous country for journalism. We are exposed to detentions, arrests and threats; therefore, we are forced to remain silent. Journalists can be arrested for their social media posts. This needs to end and an environment should be created for journalists to write freely.”

Towards the end of our chat, Durket shared with us how she wants to fight against the oppression of press freedom in Turkey.

“To protect journalism from the oppressive system, as well as curb pressure and violence, I want to develop independent journalism. I would want to raise awareness against systemic and social pressures, as well as manipulation of journalism,” she shared with The CFWIJ. She also emphasized on changing the masculine language within the media.

Durket also spoke about her wish to create safe spaces for women journalists in Turkey. “I want to create areas and ensure an environment where more women journalists can work. Considering the responsibility and awareness surrounding journalism, collaborate with journalists, regardless of the opinion and identity against censorship, self-censorship, intimidation,” she said, as we wrapped up our conversation.

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A Chat With Crystal Tai

Crystal Tai is a Chinese-Canadian journalist based in Hong Kong. She covers cultural criticism. Our Founding Director Kiran Nazish had a chat with Crystal, when the two met in Vancouver. Kiran asked Crystal about her work in Hong Kong and South Korea, covering the Hong Kong protests, how they unfolded and evolved. In the conversation about Crystal’s work in Korea’s misogyny problem and #MeToo movement, the two stumbled upon Korea’s K-pop and K-beauty industries, as well as facing discrimnation as an ethnic Chinese in the country and a lot more. Scroll through some of the highlights of Kiran's chat with Crystal. Read the longer version here.

Kiran: You were in Hong Kong when the protests took place. How long were you able to cover the protests?

Crystal: I joined the South China Morning Post (SCMP) as a reporter on the Asia desk near the end of 2018. I’ve been in Hong Kong the entire time since the protests began last year.

K: There were other protests earlier, a couple of years ago. Were the recent protests linked to those in 2014? Or were the recent ones different altogether?

C: Those were the umbrella protests. Those protestors were also asking for democracy, universal suffrage, and recognition of human rights in Hong Kong. But the current protests were propelled by an extradition bill that the Hong Kong government had proposed.Carrie Lam - the chief executive of Hong Kong - was in contact with the family of a woman murdered by her boyfriend - a Hong Konger - in Taiwan. She wanted to find a way to send the murderer back to Taiwan. Considering that Hong Kong and Taiwan have no extradition law between them, they were not able to send the man back to try him for the murder and this is how the bill came about.

K: Considering China’s long history with Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as the concerns of the country not being pro-democracy. Was the cancellation of the extradition bill a big change? Was it a relief or a discount?

C: There was a sense of widespread relief when it was cancelled. But the problem is that the protests over the extradition bill snowballed into a larger movement and other demands rose up. As social unrest continued and police violence against protesters increased, the cancellation of the bill was not enough. People had been scarred by other events within this prolonged period and public dissatisfaction was at an all-time high.

K: So everyone wanted to join the protests for their own agenda, based on their own narratives?

C: Everyone wanted their own piece of pie, walking around with donation boxes around their neck. That was when it started fragmenting a bit and then the police violence escalated with (the use of) rubber bullets, tear gas and physical assault. The protesters divided into a few groups. There were the more hard core and radicals, as they were called. Then there were other groups that came every now and then during larger marches because maybe they felt safer with their families.

K: At what point did the protests in Hong Kong turn from being non-violent to violent? And did that affect how many people joined eventually?

C: It did have a tremendous effect because according to numbers, those protests brought about two million people (on the streets) in a city of seven million and that is a huge amount. This was one of their earlier protests, where the environment felt very organic and very real.

K: Do you think the coverage of the HK protests was wholesome with South China Morning Post and was there any sense of censorship within the local press during the protests?

C: This is harder for me to speak about because I was on the Asian desk and not the Hong Kong desk. The Asian desk offers more regional insights and coverage of the area, so I was not involved in the day to day business in Hong Kong. I did more big picture stories. But SCMP got a lot of criticism at the time for the way things were covered. Because I was not on that desk, so it’s not my place to speak about it. But it was criticized a lot.

K: Could you speak generally about the coverage in local press and on social media, as an observer? Any restraints or obstacles in coverage?

C: There was not so much censorship as much as there was a tremendous amount of fake news churning out all the time. These protests were super unique in the way that they ran by the philosophy “Be like water”, which is one of Bruce Lee’s saying that became one of the motives of the protests. To flare up and dissolve when you can. They were unorganized and leaderless. There was no one behind the movement running things, so people communicated anonymously via Telegram, so it was very easy to share (virtual fake news).

K: Since you covered the protests, how did you separate feeling emotional, engaged and connected to it, and then going back to write about it as an objective journalist?

C: I have always felt more like an outside observer. As a journalist, you connect with your subject and interviewees, so it is possible to sympathize and empathize. But maybe because I did not grow up in Hong Kong, it has made me very cautious. I do not want to speak for people whose experiences I have not lived and being obsessive, and paranoid, of doing that in my reporting maybe helped a bit.

K: Let's talk about your reporting in South Korea when you were based there. What was that like?

C: I arrived in South Korea in early 2014. I always wanted to report on a dynamic, up and coming, culturally ripe place in Asia, so Seoul seemed to be it. I decided to take the chance to leave my job in Hong Kong, which was with another magazine, go to Korea and just work out on my own as an independent journalist. It was my first time freelancing and there was so much to learn.

Korea itself was a very interesting experience, as a woman of color. I had what you would call a contradictory privilege because of my western upbringing, my ability to speak English. But I’m also ethnically Chinese; and in South Korea, Chinese people are sometimes discriminated against.

As a person I felt, I was wanted and also unwanted. As a journalist, it was interesting because I would show up at interviews and people would think that I was the translator or there to do the PR, because I was this unassuming Asian person - a woman who would just show up.

K: When you’re able to blend into the society you get more access, but that can also be a disqualifier in certain ways. As a journalist, sometimes it can be compromising. Did you do any stories in Korea where you needed to speak to people in powerful places and how were you treated with sources like that?

C: I did a lot of business retail coverage in Korea. It was easy for me actually because I reported for Women’s Wear Daily. Everyone in the retail environment knows about them, so if I had to interview CEOs or executives, there was really no issue - that’s because of the foreign association. If I had been reporting for a local newspaper, it would most likely be very different. Although I do think journalists in Korea are in a position of power as well. That’s what I have heard at least about local journalists.

K: How do you find resources as a journalist in Hong Kong or Korea? What is your process of reaching your sources?

C: I don’t think I’ve really been in a position where I need (to reach) that one person. I enjoy writing more big picture pieces and when it comes to analysis on an issue, I try to get to as many different voices as possible for each one.

K: What would your top tip be for fellow journalists?

C: I want to share this tip with any new, aspiring journalist that getting sources is really tough but it’s all about the approach. I try to share as much information as I can with my sources or potential sources ahead of time, so they get a sense of what the story is about and what kind of questions I’ll ask them. Let them know that their input is valued and that they would become a valuable part of the story.

K: Finally, what can you tell us about Ariana magazine?

C: It is a social justice publication based in Hong Kong and Macau. The goal is to feature unheard voices of regular people who are making a difference in the society or who are contributing in their ways, to highlight different causes in the region and to explore the nuances of our collective humanity. Right now, it’s a print publication. It comes out quarterly, even though in the future we will be publishing it three times in a year. There is also a website component where we publish regular news and stories on NGOs, and the good work that they do around the world. We also feature videos as well as explainers on activists and their lives.

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Round up of Threats Women Journalists Faced

Press freedom is a luxury for many journalists around the world. In February, we documented 24 cases of threats and violence against women journalists around the world. Some of the most compelling of these cases are featured below:

Canada’s RCMP arrests American journalist for filming protests

American journalist Melissa Cox was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in New Hazelton, while she was filming protests by the indigenous people on an unceded Gitxsan territory. She was subsequently released after seven hours of detention and interrogation.

Melissa has been working on a documentary focused on the resistance of Wet’suwet’en First Nation land defenders against Coastal GasLink’s pipeline project. Even though she carried her press credentials along, Melissa was handcuffed by the RCMP and tampered with her equipment. For additional prosecution, she has also been summoned to the court on April 24.

Women journalists attacked during riots in India

During protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in India, several Indian women journalists were reporting on the ground. After the situation between anti-CAA protestors and those favouring the law turned violent, riots erupted in the northeast side of Delhi. Journalists, too, were targeted amidst the violence which intensified on February 26.

Pro CAA protestors tried to attack Parvina Purkayastha, reporter of a mainstream news channel, with sticks and bricks while she was in the field doing her job. Another journalist, Runjhun Sharma stepped in to save her colleagues, while they were attacked filming a mosque set on fire.

One more journalist shared an instance of being attacked with stones and bricks by pro-CAA goons. A Muslim reporter Ismat Ara feared sharing her identity as a Muslim and tried to infiltrate the area without disclosing that she was a journalist; yet she was followed by multiple men who found her suspicious. The journalists shared how they were asked about their religious identity before being allowed to move on. The rioters were adamant to not allow filming of the situation in affected localities.

journalists , especially women journalists, in riot-affected areas are currently vulnerable to the violence. Those who are Muslims are working on the ground with an increased threat to their safety.

Shaista Hakim faces gender discrimination

Pakistani female journalist Shaista Hakim, from the Swat valley was subjected to gender discrimination. Shaista, who is currently associated with a local news channel, is the first woman journalist from the once Taliban-controlled valley.

She was denied membership of the Swat Press Club and the Swat Electronic Media Association by her male counterparts, particularly the seniors. Shaista shared that the men were not comfortable with the idea of a woman being a part of such a club and association.

Journalism is a male-dominated field in Pakistan’s conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It is not easy for women journalists to pursue a career let alone partake in clubs and associations mainly taken over by men. Shaista is, however, resolute to challenge norms and stand up to those who refuse who acknowledge her contribution to the local journalism industry.

Russian journalist Elena Milashina physically assaulted by angry mob, received death threats too

Russian investigative journalist Elena Milashina was attacked by an angry mob in Grozny, Chechnya. A group of around 15 people physically assaulted Elena and a human rights lawyer Marina Dubrovina in a hotel’s lobby.

They were in the city to follow the trail of a jailed blogger and the mob accused them of coming to “defend Wahhabis”. Both Elena and Marina were brutally beaten and kicked by women in the mob, while one of the men recorded the whole incident on camera.

Elena reported her ordeal with local police and has accused Chechen authorities for the attack. She stated that the attack was linked to her work, as she had been earlier threatened by Chechen government. The torture did not end there, as Elena has since been receiving death threats via the internet.

Gayle King - another victim of online harassment

American TV presenter Gayle King was subjected to online harassment after clips of her questioning Lisa Leslie about Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault charge began circulating. CBS, the TV network she works for, circulated the clip has condemned the harassment and threats directed at Gayle.

Susan Zirinsky, president of CBS News, extended her support to Gayle amid the threats and criticism. It was surprising to see celebrities like Snoop Dogg joining Bryant’s fans to abuse and threaten Gayle online. The rapper later deleted the questionable video and apologized to Gayle.

This was the second similar incident that took place in the span of a couple of weeks. Washington Post’s journalist Felicia Sonmez also received ire for sharing an article about Bryant’s sexual assault history. She was also suspended by her employers, but was reinstated after WaPo faced criticism by journalists and advocates of press freedom.

Malaysian journalist Wan Noor Hayati faces trial for comments on social media

Malaysian government has charged an award-winning journalist Wan Noor Hayati with three counts of “causing public fear or alarm” related to the coronavirus outbreak in the region. She has been accused of allegedly commenting about the epidemic in relation to the arrival of 1,000 Chinese nationals on a cruise ship in Penang. 

Wan has pleaded not guilty to the accusations. If convicted, she could face six years of imprisonment for each count. Wan is currently on bail and the next hearing of her case will take place on March 11.

After the arrest of journalist Razan Zaitouneh’s abductor, is there hope for her recovery?

Syrian journalist Razan Zaitouneh, her husband and two human rights activists were abducted on December 9, 2013. Islam Alloush, a former spokesperson for Jaish al-Islam, was suspected to have kidnapped Razan and those along with her.

The French police was informed about the whereabouts of Islam by human rights groups after three years of thorough research. He was finally detained from Marseille on January 31, following criminal complaints against him.

Despite the French authorities’ swift actions against Islam, there is no trace of Razan, her husband and colleagues till date. News of their abductor’s arrest reignites hope among human rights defenders and journalists, but the question of when all the captives will be released remains unanswered.

Radio journalist Teresa Aracely shot dead

Mexican radio journalist Teresa Aracely Alcocer, also known as Barbara Greco, was brutally murdered in Ciudad Juarez. The 37-year-old journalist was standing outside her home along with her father when a group of gunmen shot her.

The culprits fled the scene and remain at large. An investigation is underway by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Women in Chihuahua, however the motive behind Teresa’s murder is yet to be determined.

Thhe city is notoriously known for femicides and violence against women. Teresa’s murder deterirated the already bleak situation for women in Cuidad Juarez.

Earlier in January, a women’s rights activist and artist, Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre was also killed for her activism. As per reports, Teresa had recently commented on a young girl’s murder in Mexico City.

Gul Bukhari threatened with alleged “terrorism charges”

Numerous media outlets in Pakistan reported that journalist Gul Bukhari was summoned by the country’s federal investigation agency for her “defamatory remarks” against state institutions. This was clearly the state’s way to intimidate Gul for her blatant views on the policies of the state.

Gul, who is known for being openly critical of state and its policies, has been ordered to submit her response within 30 days of receiving the notice. In case she fails to do so, a court case under PECA [Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act] and the Anti-terrorism Act involving “terrorism charges” could be registered against her.

The notice was widely circulated across local media. Gul has denied receiving any such notice and FIA also maintained silence on the matter. A local English daily in Pakistan, The News, reported about the government of Pakistan’s letter to authorities in the UK. The letter has urged the UK to take action against Gul Bukhari for using “British soil for her nefarious activities” against the state.

Women journalists in Turkey continue to face trials

The way Turkish government treats its journalists is the reason why independent journalism is the need of the hour.

On February 13, Durket Süren appeared for the third hearing of the lawsuit against her. She has been accused of “willingly helping a terrorist organization" and "creating propaganda for a terrorist organization”. She is also accused of previously selling copies of Azadiya Welat and Özgür Gündem - both papers have been shut down by authorities in October 2016. The prosecution has requested the judiciary to sentence Durket to eight and a half to 20 years in prison. Her next hearing will take place on May 18. Read our statement.

Cumhuriyet’s reporter Zehra Özdilek is facing trial on charges of “targeting people who took part in the fight against terrorism”. Zehra is being persecuted for her news report about a corrupt public officer, wherein she has been accused of writing the name of a secret witness. She has denied all the accusations against her and insists that the news was written to inform the public. When addressing the court during her defense, Zehra has requested to be acquitted from the case. Read our statement.

Reyhan Çapan, the editor-in-chief of Özgür Gündem, and her colleagues have been sued with charges of “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation”, “praising crime” and “incitement to commit crime”. They have been subjected to injustice for a series of articles published in the paper before it was shut down by Turkish government in August 2016.

Meşale Tolu, a German-Turkish journalist, has been sued for "being a member of a terrorist organization" and "propagandizing for a terrorist organization". She was charged for attending a march in 2014, which was held to protest the killing of a student - Suphi Nejat Ağırnaslı - during the fight against ISIS near Kobane. The same year,

Meşale also participated in an anti-corruption demonstration, as well as attending the funeral of two women killed during a police raid on a house in Istanbul. The court has adjourned her trial until July 14.

Danish journalist Sultan Çoban has been sentenced to a year and three months for sharing a social media post with photos of Kurdish fighters in Syria. During the first hearing of her case, the court convicted her in the lawsuit accusing her of “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation”. Even though the announcement of the court’s verdict has been deferred, along with the removal of judicial control measures and travel ban, Sultan has not been acquitted.

Semiha Şahin and Pınar Gayıp have been accused of “membership of a terrorist organization”. Semiha also bears the brunt of additional charges against her for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization”. During the eighth hearing of their trial on February 27, the court adjourned the case until May 14, following the lack of digital examination reports in their file.

Employees of Hurriyet newspaper took the publication to court for their wrongful dismissal. The journalists, who were also members of Turkish Journalists’ Union (TGS), were notified about the termination through a letter. The 45 journalists were not given any compensation, legal rights or justice, and their email accounts and computers were also blocked.

Filipino journalist Frenchiemae Cumpio arrested

Authorities in the Philippines arrested journalist Frenchiemae Cumpio, along with human rights activists during a raid across Tacloban on February 6. She has been accused of “illegal possession of firearms”.

Frenchiemae has been labelled as a high ranking officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which is considered a dangerous allegation in the country. She works as a correspondent of Altermidya Network and Eastern Vista. She has reported on human rights abuses in the Eastern Visayas region, particularly the victimization of the peasant community at the hands of Filipino military. Not long before her arrest, Frenchiemae informed her colleagues that she was being followed by unknown men. She was afraid they belonged to the military.

According to the military’s report, the alleged raids “identified Communist Terrorist Group safe houses” in the city. However, human rights organizations and those rallying for press freedom have all condemned the injustice that journalists and human rights activists are being subjected to.

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CFWIJ IN THE PRESS

Our statement condemning the threats Indian women journalists have been facing amidst communal riots in India was reproduced by Indian publication Firstpost.

Our friends at Nieman Lab highlighted the utility of the app and gave readers a rundown of how they can sign up for beta testing.

Barazilian news outlets ANER and Portal IMPRENSA featured JSafe using an informational article about the app.

We spoke with Gul Bukhari after she was allegedly slapped with “terrorism charges” by Pakistan’s Federal Invetsigation Agency. The report was featured in the UK based publication Morning Star.

American Press Institute noted JSafe as an app that empowers female journalists.

Turkish independent website Bianet covered JSafe.

An online platform in Turkey Ekmek ve Gül listed JSafe as their Application of the Day.

Pakistani newspapers Pakistan Today and The Nation featured JSafe on their digital platforms.

Journalist’s Toolbox and Poynter shared our call for JSafe’s beta testers.

Euronews wrote an article about the utility, safety and sustainability of the app.

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WOMEN JOURNALISTS TO FOLLOW

Masih Alinejad

Masih Alinejad is an Iranian journalist - currently based in Brooklyn, New York - known for her courage and strength to speak truth to power. Her unfiltered views about the authoritative Iranian regime makes her one of the most courageous journalists in the region. She is also known for her 2014 campaign - “My Stealthy Freedom” - to protest Iran’s mandatory public hijab law for women and girls. In 2017, she launched her campaign - White Wednesdays - to encourage women to either wear white shawls or remove their headscarves on Wednesdays as a symbol of protest. She has worked as an independent contractor with local and international media outlets including the Voice of America’s Persian-language service and the Iranian branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

She tweets here.

Wudan Yan

Wudan is an independent journalist based in Seattle, Washington, USA. She tells stories by writing and photographing to make a living. Her words can be found on Buzzfeed, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Columbia Journalism Review, California Sunday Magazine, Huffington Post, and Longreads among several other outlets. Wudan writes about the environment, science, populations and stories of human interest. She also runs a business podcast - The Writer’s Co-op - for freelance writers with her co-host Jenni Gritters, where they discuss the woes of freelancers. When she is not writing, Wudan can be found sharing photos and stories of her German Shepherd June on Instagram.

She tweets here.

Find her work here.

Gulshan Khan

Gulshan is an independent photojournalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her work is focused on human rights, identity, and social justice with topics ranging from climate change and environment to gender justice and healthcare. She has worked as a correspondent with AFP and was the first African woman hired by the agency in 2017. Gulshan’s work can be found in The New York Times, New Frame, The Guardian, The Washington Post, El Paris, among others. Her photographic prowess is visible through the visuals she captures.

She tweets here.

Find her work here.

Isabella Cota S

Isabella is a freelance investigative journalist based in Mexico City, Mexico. She was formerly associated with Reuters and Bloomberg. Her work has appeared in several international publications including The Guardian, PRI, and BBC among others. While working as a correspondent with Bloomberg, Isabella reported on business, finance, politics and social issues in Latin America. Her story on Al Jazeera about women getting hold of their rapist in Mexico shed light on the prevalence of sexual assault in the country.

She tweets here.

Find her work here.

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NEWS AND NEWSWORTHY

The 19th - a news outlet for women by women

A group of women in the US have established a news outlet for women who are under-represented and under-supported in the media. The online publication named The 19th is about reporting at the ‘intersection of gender, politics and policy’.

Lack of representation in newsrooms and broader media often results in the exclusion of important voices. It also impacts the selection of a story and does not do justice to its editing. So The 19th has been kickstarted to fill in the vacuum and brings the voices of more women to the fore.

South Korea finally has its first woman anchor

The live ‘News 9’ bulletin at South Korea’s prominent broadcaster KBS will now have the country’s first ever woman lead news anchor - Lee So-jeong. Lee has finally grabbed the opportunity and has made history by doing so.

She is now being hailed as an undeterred and prepared news anchor who has paved way for many women journalists in South Korea to take up the primetime news spot. Lee has taken over the studio, which was once dominated by men.

Politico journalist wins George Polk Award

Long Island University has honored Politico journalist Helena Bottemiller Evich with the George Polk Award in Journalism. She has been awarded for her series of stories including her environmental reporting focused on the Department of Agriculture and its ignorance towards the climate action plan.

Helena’s work also covered the Trump administration’s lack of interest towards climate change. Politico’s Editor Carrie Budoff Brown has deemed the award to be “more than just a recognition of Helena’s own world-class abilities.”

Helena is among the 15 winners who have received awards in 14 categories.

Lesley Visser to be the first woman to receive lifetime achievement Sports Emmy

Veteran sports journalist Lesley Visser will be honored with the lifetime achievement award at the 41st annual Sports Emmy. She has made history by being the first woman to receive the award.

According to the National Academy of Television Arts and Science, Lesley will be awarded on April 18 in Manhattan, New York. Considering her years-long experience and pioneership, Justin Gubar, the Executive Director of the Sports Emmy Awards said, “Lesley has spent her career serving as an unparalleled role model and mentor to countless up-and-coming journalists including myself.”

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OPPORTUNITIES

Metrics For Journalism In The Digital Age - Brazil

Brazilian communication professionals can apply for a partial scholarship for a short course that will teach them how to measure and monetize news audience. The course will take place on April 16 and 17 in São Paulo. Apply before March 22. Get all the deets here.

Solutions Journalism To Migration Reporting - Europe

Journalists based in EU and those covering (or interested in covering) migration can apply for this solutions journalism training opportunity. The training will help you expand public narrative about immigration in the region and bring stories of immigrants to the fore, as well as the communities they have joined. Last day to apply is March 31. Details here.

Learn social media strategies - Latin America

The Centre for Digital Journalism (CFPD) at the University of Guadalajara is offering an online course in Spanish for media professionals in Latin America. This course on social media strategies for institutions will help participants nail social media in their respective organizations. Register for this course before March 27. Details here.

Short film competition by We Are Water Foundation - Worldwide

The We Are Water Foundation is inviting entries for their international short-film competition. The competition's theme is climate crisis. Winners will be awarded in four different categories which include micro-documentary, micro-fiction, micro-animation and audience award. Deadline to submit entries is April 2. Details here.

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BADASS WOMEN AUTHORS

On Their Own: Women Journalists and the American Experience in Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, a group of more than 500 women print and broadcast journalists were given the task of covering America’s activities in Vietnam. Many of these brave women lost their lives, some were wounded and others were taken as war prisoners. This gripping narrative written by veteran journalist Joyce Hoffmann gives its readers an insight into the unknown stories of these phenomenal journalists including the likes of Gloria Emerson, Beverly Deepe, Dicky Chapelle, Kate Webb, and others. This one is a must read.

The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One

Amanda Lovelace continues to empower women with the second instalment of her famous Women are Some Kind of Magic series. Unlike the stereotypical fairy-tales we’ve grown up reading, this book teaches women the importance of self-love. It encourages them to be independent, uplift other women around them and be more accepting of themselves. Amanda surprises her readers using a witch as a symbol of empowerment. Every woman, especially young girls, should read this gift of modern literature.

Out on Assignment: Newspaper Women and the Making of Modern Public Space by Alice Fahs

Alice Fahs brings to light the lives and writings of several women journalists in history. These ladies have contributed their services for major metropolitan newspapers in the beginning of the 20th century and broke stereotypes. They became a symbol of hope for women who sought new, independent and urban lives. But these women journalists hustled hard to get their dream job. Some of them took up challenging beats in the field, while others worked on women’s pages. If you’re a journalist looking for inspiration from the past, then this heavily researched book is for you.

Followers

Megan Angelo explores the current generation’s dependence on technology, their obsession with social media, as well as their craving for likes and followers in her gripping debut. The story revolves around three women and social media spanned between two time periods — 2015 and 2051. In 2015, roommates Orla and Floss want to get famous and gain more followers. The third woman Marlow’s story is set in 2051, when social media dominates everything. The book is a dark exploration of the perils of social media and its increasing influence in the future. You ought to have Followers on your bookshelves if you enjoy reading speculative fiction.

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January Issue

WOMEN IN JOURNALISM MAGAZINE

January 2020 Issue

Editor’s Note

Hello readers!

We are kicking off this month with a fantastic interview with an Indian media entrepreneur Arshi Yasin. Our freelance writer Rabia Mushtaq got on a one-on-one with Arshi about her journey establishing a successful sports focused digital media start-up called The Bridge.

Following the wave of protests in several countries around the world, we followed the work of women journalists on the ground. While many of our members are covering these stories around the world, we got a hold of CFWIJ alum and star journalist Luna Safwan who has been covering the story from Lebanon. Luna shares with us her reporting hacks amidst a riveting developing story from the streets of Lebanon. 

We are super thrilled to announce the beta launch of our safety app for journalists called JSafe. We have worked with the RJI at University of Missouri to develop the app for women journalists but can be used by all journalists to report abuse, harassment, assaults and other forms of threats. 

Featured in the magazine, some hot recommendations of badass women journalist employers and on lookers should Watch The ByLine. 

This, and more awaits inside Women In Journalism Magazine.

Happy reading!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Arshi Yasin – On building ‘The Bridge’

Journalism fascinated Arshi Yasin, the 28-year-old who began her journey from Kishanganj – a small town near the borders of Bihar and Bengal in India – as a college-going student to Bangalore as a journalist/entrepreneur. After studying engineering and spending a few years running social media campaigns for various entities and among her other expertise, Arshi finally found her true calling – sports journalism.

She tapped into the start-up world dedicating her ambitions and skills to establish The Bridge – a digital media house covering all kinds of sports in India using textual and visual storytelling. Arshi co-founded the platform with Shuvro Ghoshal – her colleague from a former workplace – and manages a team of 20, only within a span of two years. Together, they are making waves in the Indian sporting world and sports journalism.

CFWIJ sat down with Arshi to chat about sports journalism in India, social impact of The Bridge, advice for aspiring women sports journalists and much more. Go read.

CFWIJ: Before establishing The Bridge, you worked as a writer, business developer, spearheaded digital campaigns and even headed the Aam Aadmi Party’s social media during its initial years. How did that all come together? And did it all prepare you to start your own digital news platform?

Arshi: In 2016, I came to Bangalore and started working with The Logical Indian – an independent and public-spirited digital media platform for Indian millennials. In 2017, we found out about a women’s ice hockey team in India. It was surprising for us, since India is predominantly obsessed with cricket.

So Shuvro Ghoshal – the co-founder of The Bridge, who was one of the sports writers at The Logical Indian, and I traveled to Ladakh, to work on stories and make documentaries. Upon reaching the region, we learned that the team had to participate in a tournament in Thailand and required funds to do so. We started a social media campaign and contacted the Ice Hockey Federation to arrange for funds. Because of The Logical Indian’s community strength and power of the internet, we were able to raise the funds.

Then Shuvro and I realized that India has so many sports related stories to be told, but there is no platform that focuses on other sports except for cricket. Numerous publications and media houses in different languages cater to cricket, but none of them accommodated other sports.

That’s where we identified a vacuum and found scope in this industry. So in the latter half of 2017, we conceived the idea. Today, if someone asks me about The Bridge’s competition, I say ‘none’. There is no India-centric sports portal that caters to the Olympics and lesser known sports.

CFWIJ: What challenges did you come across when you developed the idea of your start-up and created The Bridge subsequently?

Arshi: Entrepreneurship is not a cake walk. Both my co-founder and I belong to the middle class. We have had our fair share of struggles. But despite that, the most difficult part back then for us was to get the right kind of people for the company. It is still the biggest challenge. We have so many sports, but very few people follow table tennis, boxing, wrestling or weightlifting. But in the past two years, we have been blessed to have identified the right people. We are now a team of 20 people, all of whom are passionate about the work we do. Together, we have done interesting projects in the past two years.

For instance, a team of 16 women football players based in Munger – a city in Bihar, India – wanted to participate in a tournament organized by the United Nations, but they needed shoes – worth INR 90,000 – to play. We published an article on The Bridge and in a span of 24 hours people donated money to buy them shoes. The girls then went to Delhi to participate in the tournament, and won too.

With respect to funding for The Bridge, there was none, initially. But in 2018, we realised the need to expand. So we went out in the market and secured our seed funding, which was in February 2019, almost a year ago. Now, we are operating out of Bangalore and have an office space. This year is very important for us because of the Olympics and we are anticipated to see what is in store for us.

CFWIJ: With reference to the examples you have shared, did you ever think about the social impact of your work when you decided to highlight the often, undercovered sports in India?

Arshi: The social aspect is always there, especially for women in sports. We have come across stories of sportspersons from small villages where women get married at the age of 16, 17 or 18. But then these girls have chosen sports as a way of life, they have played well, they have won on the state and national levels, they keep performing well and have come out to participate in international tournaments. They are doing well for themselves, which is a good example of social impact.

I feel good that I’m contributing my bit in this aspect; every small step counts. I cannot build a viewership of 10 million in a day or a year; it will take time. But all these impactful projects give me strength to move ahead.

CFWIJ: How did you and your co-founder get seed funding for The Bridge? Do you both still struggle with that aspect of your start-up?

Arshi: If an idea is good, if the founders are passionate and get connected to the right set of investors, then it is not that difficult. Every investor is different; some are philanthropic but others focus on the profit that a company can make in a span of five to 10 years. In India, the pie of revenue in sports is dominated by cricket and other sports that are nowhere close to it. Fortunately, our investor is a like-minded individual. Even though The Bridge is a private limited company, he does not just ask us for a balance sheet because sports are very close to his heart, he believes in our idea and that is how he invested in it.

Even today in terms of revenue, the media is not a heavily money-making venture and I do not think it will ever be. We are facing a problem in terms of revenue generation and it is not close to what we forecasted, the economy is also down, and so the marketing budgets are shrinking. But since this is the Olympics year, we are hopeful and making efforts for betterment.

Considering the trends in the last five or 10 years, the popularity of other sports, apart from cricket, has increased in India. Companies are investing in sportspersons through marketing campaigns. Even the sports ministry has increased its budget. This is the most fertile time for anyone who wants to contribute to the Indian sporting system and I am very positive about it.

CFWIJ: The Bridge drew immense traction in a rather short span of time. Did you expect the amount of following it gained, particularly with respect to its contribution to sports journalism in India?

Arshi: No, because I have closely monitored the trend and the reign of other media publications. It takes time, like five to seven years to reach the level of platforms like Buzzfeed, ScoopWhoop, The Quint or The Logical Indian. But the growth is rapid because there is no similar entity. If you ask anybody in the sporting ecosystem, apart from cricket, people know The Bridge, they know that it is a platform covering non-cricketing sports in a detailed manner. Now, we’re into vernacular language, so we have also tapped into that market.

CFWIJ: The Bridge essentially started as a two-person organization, but now there is a team to manage different roles within the organization. What was this transition like for you as a co-founder?

Arshi: It is a significant transition, because working in an organization as an employee and working towards a vision with a team are both very different. Confidence and having clarity on the work that I’m doing is very important. As a first time entrepreneur, I’m learning each day and I have observed the transition in the last two years.

My teammates say that I’m a very lenient boss, so at times I deliberately try to be strict – something I’m very bad at. I don’t believe in pressurizing or scaring employees to get the work done. Whoever is working with us should love the job and know their purpose, as that will lead to maximum productivity. This is why we are very flexible and this is probably the reason behind The Bridge’s growth.

CFWIJ: To see one’s organization grow day by day is a dream for any start-up founder. In an industry that is financially struggling globally, what plans do you have to sustain your start-up as a media entity in India?

Arshi: I have given a lot of thought to it and have arrived to the conclusion that just being a media entity will always keep the venture in a very fragile situation. There have to be parallel supporting ideas or verticals in the business for revenue. This yeaUPDATESr, we are expanding to multiple verticals.

There is no dedicated e-commerce portal where you can only buy Indian sports merchandise. For instance, if someone wants to buy P.V Sindhu’s sports jersey, it’s not out there, so we are planning something like that. Even though The Bridge will function how it is functioning (at the moment) and it will expand. But we are coming up with new ideas and verticals, to find new sources of revenue.

CFWIJ: Women sports journalists across the world encounter immense harassment and abuse, especially on the ground. You’ve done your fair share of reporting of sports events in India. How would you describe your experience?

Arshi: Fear exists. Not just within journalists but any woman. Sports are primarily male-dominated. The state of journalism, especially sports journalism is also similar. The way people treat you in such events or situations makes you feel unwelcome. But now I take it as a challenge because I want more women to step up and come forward to join this stream. More women should go out and cover hockey, football or any other sporting events.

More than highlighting harassment, we should talk about ways to overcome it. The more we talk about fear, the fewer women will come ahead but the more we talk about courage, the more women will participate.

We, at The Bridge, are a team of almost 20, wherein the number of women is five. Whenever I hire, it is on the basis of skillset, but I also ensure a healthy gender ratio in my team. Everyone comes with different perspectives, backgrounds, and cultures.

When I go for events, it’s not easy, at times. The situation can get uncomfortable, but if I make it obvious and succumb to it, it will give others a reason to not welcome me. I don’t want that, I want the world to see me. There are people whose attitudes have changed. They now take me seriously because my work speaks. That is the impact I have made in the past two years.

CFWIJ: What advice would you give to women who want to pursue a career in sports journalism or want to start their own digital news platform focused on sports?

Arshi: A girl on LinkedIn messaged me and shared that she has done engineering but wants to pursue sports journalism. I responded to her saying ‘don’t hold back’. The more you fear, the vacuum will be larger. You have to enter the ecosystem and bridge the gap. There will be challenges, but overcome those challenges and work towards your goal.

My advice would be to not hold back. Enter the field with enthusiasm and confidence. Prove people wrong, especially those who scare women or harass them. By not entering the field we’re giving them a chance to say that this is just a man’s field and a woman cannot survive. We are not living in that age anymore, where a woman cannot travel or cover events. However, we have to be careful, safe, alert and aware. But never hold ourselves back.

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Round up of Threats Women Journalists Faced

Press freedom is a luxury for many journalists around the world. In January, we documented 27 cases of threats and violence against women journalists around the world. Some of the most compelling of these cases are featured below:

Seyhan Avşar under trial for her story on a corrupt prosecutor

The Cumhuriyet reporter Seyhan Avşar is being tried for “identifying a public officer as a target for terrorist organizations”. She is accused of a crime she has not committed. In fact, Seyhan is being victimized for a news story she wrote in March 2019, focused on the case of prosecutor sentenced for 10 months imprisonment and fined for malfeasance.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office noticed her story after it got published and launched an investigation against her. The first trial of Seyhan’s case was held on January 9, where she denied the charges against her. She defended her story stating it to be within the limits of press freedom and told the court that it was aimed at informing the public about the corrupt prosecutor’s wrongdoings. Seyhan’s lawyers have asked for her immediate acquittal and the trial was adjourned until May 21.

Hazal Ocak faces lawsuit by Cengiz Holding

On January 24, Cumhuriyet reporter Hazal Ocak faced the second trial for a lawsuit filed against her. She was sued by Mehmet Cengiz, the chairman of Cengiz Holding, for a news story published in October 2019. The news story was about the restoration of a historical Bosphorus Villa that burned down and was owned by Cengiz.

During the second hearing, Hazal’s lawyer requested the court to listen to the witness. The request was accepted in the interim decision. Hazal has rejected the lawsuits and says it has only been filed to intimidate her. The next hearing of the case will take place on March 4. We hope that the Turkish judiciary listens to our colleague and ensures justice in her case.

Beritan Canözer appears for her trial’s second hearing

Another Turkish journalist Beritan Canözer is still being tried for her journalism. On January 27, the second hearing of her trial took place. During the hearing, the prosecutor asked the court to imprison Beritan for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” on social media – an accusation that she has firmly denied. She has also dismissed the posts being used as evidence against her. After her lawyer asked for additional time in the case, the court was adjourned till March 25.

Pelin Ünker’s vs. Çalık Holding

We monitored another case of persecution in Turkey on January 31. Journalist Pelin Ünker attended the fourth hearing of the lawsuit filed against her by Çalık Holding for her news series about their offshore companies in Malta. She is under trial for “defamation and insult”. Pelin did the story after the internationally famous Paradise Papers leaks.

She was facing three lawsuits for her journalism and was also sued – with similar charges – by former Turkish prime minister Binali Yıldırım and his two sons. Pelin was sentenced to 13 months and 15 days in prison on January 8, 2019. But the sentence was overturned on May 6, 2019. However, she is yet to get free from this one remaining lawsuit filed against her.

When speaking during her previous hearing in her defense, Pelin said, “Maybe I can be sent behind bars for a while, but it is more important for me that my beliefs are not imprisoned.”

The next hearing of Pelin’s case will take place on April 28.

Burundi’s press freedom goes down the drain

On January 30, Burundian journalists Agnès Ndirubusa and Christine Kamikazi, along with their two male colleagues – Egide Harerimana and Terence Mpozenzi, were sentenced to 2.5 years imprisonment and a fine of one million Burundian francs for “trying to undermine state security”. The journalists were arrested in Musigati District while reporting on an armed attack by anti-government rebels in the Bubanza Province on October 22, 2019. They were denied bail and were later ordered to be detained in November 2019. During a hearing in December 2019, the state prosecution demanded appalling penalties for all the journalists.

One of the journalists’ lawyers, Martin Ndayisaba, has said they will be appealing against the decision. Considering the severity of the case the world has demanded justice for all the journalists. We too, at The Coalition, urge Burundi’s judiciary to revisit their decision.

Ruken Demir subjected to abysmal conditions in prison

Another upsetting news to come from Turkey was about the mistreatment Ruken Demir - the Mezopotamya Agency reporter - was being subjected to inside the prison. She has been banned from sending and receiving letter ever since she was arrested on November 16, on charges of “carrying out activities on behalf of a terrorist organization”.

Ruken’s brother Hogir Demir received information about his sister being beaten and forcibly strip searched in custody. She has also faced health issues, as confirmed by prison doctors, yet has not been transferred to a hospital.

Her brother said, “Ruken has been banned from sending and receiving letters. They claim that she has leaked information through letters. Ruken said that they feed unhealthy things in prison. She mentioned that there are insects, hair, and other such things in her food. She has also not been allowed to read books or newspapers.”

The inhumane treatment that Ruken is facing in prison is extremely concerning for us and has exposed the cruel face of Turkey’s government that has hijacked press freedom in the country.

Evrensel and Birgün journalists deprived of press card

On January 25, Turkish authorities invalidated the press cards of hundreds of journalists working for newspapers Evrensel and Birgün. The move has made it difficult for all the affected journalists to report as freely as they would with the press cards on them. Women journalists whose cards were revoked included Editor-in-Chief Şengül Karadağ Bayhan, photojournalist Sevil Atar, as well as correspondents Derya Dursun, Elif Ekin Saltık, Elif Görgü, Emine Uyar, and Nazire Yaşar.

No clarification was given by the Directorate of Communications before they cancelled the press cards of several journalists. The department had tweaked the color of the pass from yellow to turquoise. The change required journalists to get their cards renewed. When they applied for renewal, the applications were rejected and the apparent ‘update’ took a rather sinister form. Consequently, older cards of the journalists now remain annulled and cannot be used anymore.

Since the Turkish government has not given any clarification about the issue, the move has been deemed an attack on independent media outlets and a nasty way to oppress press freedom in Turkey.

Felicia Sonmez, Washington Post and the risks of online harassment

Felicai Sonmez, the national political reporter at Washington Post, faced extreme online harassment and trolling for tweeting an article about veteran American basketball player Kobe Bryant, who – along with his daughter – was killed in a helicopter crash on January 26.

Felicia received rape and death threats on her social media and email, screenshots of which she shared on Twitter. The reporter was asked by her employer publication to delete the tweets and was sent on an administrative leave, while they reviewed its content to check for violation of their newsroom’s social media policy. In the wake of immense backlash from the industry, organizations working for journalists, and the Washington Post Guild, the publication reinstated Felicia. However, she continues to face barrage of abuse at the hands of trolls and harassers online.

Draconian Decree 370 used to threaten journalist Iliana Hernández

On January 29, a Cuban journalist and activist Iliana Hernández was charged with “receiving stolen property” and was intimidated with the suppressive Decree 370, following a raid conducted at her home in Havana.

Agents of the National Revolutionary Police and Cuban Intelligence Directorate raided the journalist’s home on January 8, and confiscated her equipment including her computer, cell phone, USB, tripod, and a broken hard disk, as well as documents of the complaints she had filed against the arbitrary police practices. She was arrested after the police search but was released the same day on 1,000 Cuban pesos bail; but her equipment was not returned.

Iliana faces criminal charges that could land her inside the prison for a year. After five days, she was summoned at the police station to present papers proving her ownership of the equipment and lawful purchases but her papers were not accepted by the agents. They took her to an inspector from the Ministry of Communications, who threatened her with a fine for breaching Decree 370 - a law that criminalizes disseminating “information contrary to the social interest, morals, good manners and integrity of people” on public networks.

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Covering Lebanon protests: On the ground with Luna Safwan

Luna Safwan is an independent/freelance journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, and CFWIJ alum. This month we are featuring Luna’s work in Lebanon during the stunning protests that erupted in late 2019. 

Luna has been covering these ongoing protests that have entered 2020, in her country from the start. She has been working tirelessly on the ground getting first hand information and developments amid the demonstrations as they happened in Beirut. Seeing her courageous reporting and social media updates from the streets of Beirut, we got in touch with Luna and asked her to share tips on how women journalists can stay on top of their game while covering protests across the world. Here’s everything she shared with us. Watch.

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CFWIJ IN THE PRESS

Kiran Nazish in Conversation with Jin News in Turkey

Jin News in Turkey interviewed CFWIJ’s Founding Director Kiran Nazish about The Coalition, why it is important to support women journalists and a lot more.

Understanding the science of fake news and its legal consequences

On January 17, we organized an informative discussion in Karachi, Pakistan, about fake news and its legal repercussions for journalists. CFWIJ member and senior journalist Lubna Jerar Naqvi and Supreme Court Advocate Shoaib Ashraf were invited as experts on the subject. Our discussion was featured in Pakistani news outlets DAWN, Daily Times, Pakistan Today, Khaleej Times, and The Nation.

JSafe Safety app launches Beta Version. Join us in the beta testing process. 

Our mobile application JSafe – built to support women journalists facing harassment – was featured in Nieman Lab’s article. The American Press Institute has also featured JSafe in their journalism updates. TV News Check has also highlighted JSafe on their platform. The app has also made it on the Society of Professional Journalists’ platform Journalist’s Toolbox.

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WOMEN JOURNALISTS TO FOLLOW

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Alex is a journalist and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. She works as a producer at Transmitter Media and writes too - mostly fiction and essays about identity, and technology. Alex also teaches journalism. She’s a pro at public speaking - as if we weren’t already impressed. If you think this isn’t enough to make her a badass, go through her work to find what you’re missing.

She tweets here.

Alexandra E.C. Petri

Another Brooklyn based journalist and producer Alexandra has us swoon over her career trajectory. She has lived and reported from five countries and has travelled extensively. She is currently working at the New York Times and was formerly associated with the National Geographic. Explore all the work she’s done over the years. PS: We totally stan Alexandra for her self-proclamation of being a resident cake gremlin.

She tweets here.

Lucy Sherriff

Lucy is a British multimedia journalist based in Los Angeles. She has filmed, produced, written and presented some really fascinating documentaries ranging from climate change and environment to women and communities. Her work has appeared on CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera and Washington Post, among others. She has previously worked as a multimedia editor for HuffPost. Girl has literally been to places for quality journalism. Go see her work here.  

She tweets here.

Anna Pratt

Anna is a Boston based senior digital editor working for PRI’s The World. She calls herself a veteran freelancer and was a former chair of the Society of Professional Journalists' Freelance Community. With an experience of over a decade as a freelancer and staff writer/editor, Anna knows all the tricks of running a newsroom that produces a well-crafted, clean copy. See how incredible her work is.

She tweets here.

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NEWS AND UPDATES

JSafe needs beta testers

We are thrilled to launch the beta version of our safety app JSafe – for iPhone users. JSafe app is aimed at equipping journalists to report threats, attacks and any form of abuses they face while working in the field. 

We are now launching the beta-testing phase of the app, which we would like to open to members of our group. With your help, participation and suggestions we can improve the current version of the app before we launch it officially for all journalists. 

“For the last year, a little more than that, we have tried to document threats and harassment women journalists face while at work. We have come across torrents of online abuse women reporters face and tried our best to offer our support to those women we are connected to,” says Kiran Nazish, founder of CFWIJ. “With this app, we hope we can offer a tool to every female reporter working in every newsroom and every location on the ground, to be able to report a violation and seek help when needed. We hope this app may empower women journalists by plugging them directly to a support system.”

This app helps us take a step forward in improving the working environment for women journalists. Fill this form, if you want to participate in beta testing JSafe.

In case you’re wondering what JSafe is, here’s a refresher for you:

• JSafe is an app created to benefit journalists by allowing them to document threats and attacks they face including all forms of harassment, abuse, bullying, and physical assault.

• The app aims to help journalists reach out for help when faced with threatening situations.

• The users can add any relevant piece of information on what threat they are facing including their attacker’s social media handles and email address.

• It also lets users upload photos and videos as evidence. 

• The option to follow up for resources by CFWIJ is also available for users, which will help them any kind of assistance they need with their case.

• This app is a product of a collaboration between the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri and the Coalition For Women In Journalism. We are grateful for the generous investment by RJI both monetary and technical to develop the app. After the launch the app will be managed by the Coalition For Women In Journalism. 

For now, the app’s beta version is only available for iOS users. We are contemplating an Android version and will be able to share any news about doing so in the coming future.

More women editors in the UK’s national newspapers

Isn’t this the most incredible news of the year? Well, January was long enough, wasn’t it?

We are so glad to learn that more than a third of the United Kingdom’s national newspapers will now be edited by women. That is one hell of a takeover by our amazing colleagues in the UK.

Fleet Street in London is now home to more women editors than ever in its history. We already gushed about Roula Khalaf’s appointment as Financial Times’ first female editor last year but we’re more ecstatic to know that Victoria Newton is now at the helm of editing The Sun and also continues to work as the editor of the Sun on Sunday. Victoria has taken over after Rebekah Brooks, who was the tabloid’s first woman editor.

Emma Tucker is editing the Sunday Times after Martin Iven’s departure, while Kath Viner has been the Guardian’s editor since 2015. Alison Phillips edits the Daily Mirror. Those responsible for the top job in the digital sphere are also worth the mention. Cait Fitzsimons edits 5 News, Rachel Corp is the current acting editor of ITV News, Fran Unsworth BBC News’s director, and Jess Brammar has recently taken over as the editor-in-chief at the HuffPost UK.

This is just amazing. Here’s looking forward to more gender diversity in journalism.

Black Heritage stamp to honor journalist Gwen Ifill

If you thought we were done with our feel-good bits of information, you need to read this news ASAP.

We were thrilled to know that legendary journalist Gwen Ifill will be memorialized on a news U.S. Postal Service Forever stamp. She will be the 43rd stamp in the Black Heritage series. Gwen, who died battling cancer at 61, remains one of the most iconic black figures in American journalism.

Support independent journalism in Minnesota

Jessica Lee, Great Kaul and Erin Hinrichs are some of the many brilliant women reporters working for MinnPost – a nonprofit, nonpartisan enterprise producing top-quality journalism in Minnesota.

The independent platform runs on donations by readers and ensures quality reporting for them. Help support their venture and the work of their several women reporters covering issues that impact Minnesota. Donate here.

Block Party to block online harassment

The more, the merrier – isn’t it?

Journalists can really benefit from tech inventions to help them tackle online threats. While it is not specifically designed for journalists, Block Party – an app by engineer and tech diversity advocate, Tracy Chou – is built to prevent online harassment. Tracy is also looking for beta testers.

Block Party allows its users to choose who they want to hear from and also lets them filter anyone who sends them unsolicited content on Twitter. There are several more useful features in the app that users can benefit from. If you or anyone you know wants to try it out, sign up to join the waitlist here.

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OPPORTUNITIES

The Southern African Journalists' Bursary

The International Journalists' Programmes (IJP) is offering a bursary to six young South African and five young German journalists. Journalists must be fluent in English and German language abilities, though not mandatory, will still be beneficial. The bursary is worth €3,000 and to apply for this program, you must be aged 25 to 40. Deadline is February 15. Visit IJP’s website for further details.

RNA Awards For Religious Reporting

Journalists worldwide reporting on religion can apply for the RNA Awards in the news media. The awards cover categories including daily newspapers, magazines and non-daily newspapers, online-only, multiple media, broadcast, and books. Deadline to enter the awards is March 2. Eligibility varies. Visit their website for more details.

Joan Shorenstein Fellowship

Journalists worldwide with at least five years of full-time experience at a news organization or as full-time freelancers can apply for this fellowship. This fellowship offers the time and resources required to contemplate, research and write on issues crucial within the realms of politics and media. Make sure you have not participated in any other fellowship within the two years prior to your preferred semester. Apply by March 1. Visit their website for details.

Field Reporting Awards

Institute For Journalism and Natural Resources is inviting grants’ proposals for its 2020 Field Reporting Awards. The grants will help journalists cover the costs of their reporting work focused on the environment, natural resources, energy, development, agriculture, public health, and environmental justice. Journalists in the North American region can apply. The proposals are due on February 14. Find details here.

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CFWIJ CAMPAIGNS

Justice For Imprisoned Women Journalists

If you haven’t already, follow our Twitter campaign to seek justice for imprisoned women journalists across Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia. Our colleagues are arbitrarily jailed inside prisons - mainly at the behest of the state - for their fearless journalism.While Turkey based Jin News correspondent Melike Aydin has been released, others are still awaiting justice. We hail their bravery in the face of authoritarian regimes and appreciate their courage for speaking truth to power. The Coalition For Women In Journalism seeks justice and freedom for our persecuted colleagues. Join us in this crusade to free the bearers of truth. Follow our campaign on Twitter.

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BADASS WOMEN AUTHORS

WAR IS NOT OVER WHEN IT'S OVER: WOMEN SPEAK OUT FROM THE RUINS OF WAR

THIS BOOK, WRITTEN BY ANN JONES, LARGELY CONCENTRATES ON THE IMPACT OF WAR ON AFGHAN WOMEN. HAVING SPENT MOST OF THE YEARS IN THE WAR-TORN COUNTRY AS A JOURNALIST, PHOTOGRAPHER AND HUMANITARIAN AID WORKER, ANN CHRONICLES THE VOICES OF BRAVE AFGHAN WOMEN IN A POST-WARFARE AFGHANISTAN. DEEMED AS A “GRIPPING, GROUND-FLOOR LOOK AT THE LINGERING RAVAGES OF CONFLICT IN SOME OF THE DEADLIEST CONTEMPORARY WAR ZONES” BY KIRKUS REVIEWS, YOU’VE GOT TO READ THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE THAT YET.

A SILENCED VOICE – THE LIFE OF JOURNALIST KIM WALL

SWEDISH JOURNALIST KIM WALL’S DEATH LEFT ALL OF US DEVASTATED TO THE CORE. WRITTEN BY HER MOTHER INGRID, THIS BOOK IS AN ODE TO KIM’S STRENGTH AS A WOMAN AND JOURNALIST. IT IS FOCUSED ON THE TIME HER PARENTS PURSUED THEIR DAUGHTER’S WHEREABOUTS TO THEIR GRIEF, AND CONCENTRATES ON KIM’S LIFE GROWING UP IN SOUTHERN SWEDEN TO BECOMING AN ENERGETIC JOURNALIST. TO UNDERSTAND KIM AND HER LEGACY UP CLOSE, ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR MUST-READ LIST.

NARCOLAND: THE MEXICAN DRUG LORDS AND THEIR GODFATHERS

IN THIS EXPLOSIVE ACCOUNT OF DRUG CARTELS IN MEXICO, AUTHOR ANABEL HERNÁNDEZ EXPOSES THE ENABLING ROLE OF THE MEXICAN STATE. HAVING WORKED ON THE BOOK AFTER FIVE YEARS OF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING AND DEATH THREATS IN THE PROCESS, ANABEL BRINGS AN INTENSE, POLITICAL DEBATE TO THE SURFACE. PUBLISHED IN 2010, THE BOOK HELPS READERS UNDERSTAND THE “WAR ON DRUGS” THAT COST THE NATION OVER 60,000 OF ITS CITIZENS IN A SPAN OF SIX YEARS. WE TOTALLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DELVE INTO THIS EYE OPENING READ.

HOW TO FAIL: EVERYTHING I’VE EVER LEARNED FROM THINGS GOING WRONG

ALL OF US, AT A CERTAIN POINT IN LIFE, HAVE EXPERIENCED FAILURE. SOME ARE TOO GOOD TO REPEAT THOSE MISTAKES, BUT OTHERS MAY FIND THEMSELVES FAILING TIME AND AGAIN. IF YOU ARE THAT PERSON OR KNOW ANYONE WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING WITH FAILURE IN SOME FORM, THIS BOOK MIGHT HELP IN MENDING YOUR LIFE’S TROUBLES. HOW TO FAIL IS A FUNNY, HONEST MEMOIR OF LEARNING FROM FAILURES AND DISCOVERING SUCCESS. ELIZABETH DAY PUTS IT ALL REALLY WELL.

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CFWIJ TIPSHEET

Transcribe Like A Pro

As a journalist, we’re pretty sure you don’t have the time to sit down transcribing piles of audio interviews and recordings for work. Before you head to your next assignment, give these speech-to-text apps a chance to take care of your burden. We’d still recommend keeping a recorder by your side, just in case. Go ahead, give them a shot!

Otter

With 4.8 stars rating on the App Store, we found Otter to be a nice catch. The app is free to download – isn’t that great news? It records and takes notes for you in real-time, makes searching documents easy, and sharing them further. The only thing that makes it slightly less beneficial is its English only feature, so if your recordings are in other languages, Otter will not be of any help.

Download for iOS and Android.

Transcribe - Speech to Text

This is a dream transcription app. What app will let you record and transcribe in over 120 languages and dialects. You read it right. DIALECTS! Isn’t that the best app ever? You can easily transcribe a video or voice memo, import files from other apps and Dropbox, export raw text into your favorite editing app, and features no ad.

Download for iOS.

Evernote

If you’re a journalist who’s always on-the-go, then Evernote is your best bet. The app is robust at note-taking and document sharing. For those quick chats with sources and last minute field interviews, Evernote will turn speech into text and also annotate images for you. It’s a perfect companion for your adventures on the field.

Download for iOS and Android.

Just Press Record

How can one not be sold at the idea of having a transcription app that can turn speech into searchable text in more than 30 languages? The app organizes all the recordings properly. With your phone by your side while you work, the app will make your life easy – for real. So far, it is only available for iOS users and costs $5.

Download for iOS.

Dragon Anywhere

We’ve heard people raving about its flagship dictation software, but Dragon Anywhere is also available for smartphone users. The app instantly transcribes your speech, let’s you edit the text, customize your dictionary and search the documents. You can even save your files in the iCloud or Dropbox to access all your files. Dragon Anywhere is free to use but certain features can only be accessed via subscription fee. It only works for English and German – so that’s possibly the only downer.

Download for iOS and Android.

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