Female reporter interviews children in Pakistan
Internews - Empowering Local Media Worldwide
In Other News...

Internews to Present Human Rights Media Awards with Desmond Tutu

Internews has announced the thirty winners of its global "Every Human Has Rights" Media Awards, honoring journalists who have reported on human rights abuses from Guantanamo Bay to the Gaza strip. The winners are being flown to Paris to receive their awards on December 6 at the Every Human Has Rights celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Irish President Mary Robinson will speak at the event. (More)

Media Experts from Middle East and North Africa Meet in Beirut

On November 1-2, the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) held the first ever Regional Forum for Media Development for the Middle East and North Africa. Over 60 media experts from the Middle East and North Africa attended the regional forum in Beirut, where they developed common strategies for media development to ensure that free, independent and pluralistic media are at the core of development programs in the region. (More)

Climate-Change Media Boost for Millions of the Most Vulnerable

Millions of people at high risk from climate change will get vital information they need thanks to an initiative that just named 40 journalists who will be brought to the UN negotiations in Poznan, Poland in December. "Journalists from developing countries are still very much under-represented at these crucial global forums," says James Fahn, executive director of Internews' Earth Journalism Network. "The Climate Change Media Partnership is starting to make a difference in communicating the importance of climate change issues to the public and policy-makers around the world." (More)
Coming Events

Internews Europe Head Speaks at Stanford on Russian Media

Manana AslamazyanManana Aslamazyan, Executive Director of Internews Europe, and board member of Internews Network, will speak on “Prospects for Independent Media in Putin’s Russia” at a special briefing November 21 at Stanford University. The event is hosted by Internews Network and the Center for Democracy, Development and Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford. (More)

Left in the Dark: The Unmet Need for Information in Emergency Response

As part of a forum on the information needs of affected populations in the aftermath of disaster, Mark Harvey of Internews Europe will speak on how broadcast media have been used to provide emergency "lifeline" information. The forum is hosted by the BBC World Service Trust on December 4 in London. (More)
Awards, Awards, Awards

Afghan Journalists Honored by Committee to Protect Journalists and IWMF

Farida NekzadFarida Nekzad of Pajhwok Afghan News was selected by the Committee to Protect Journalists as one of five journalists honored with its 2008 International Press Freedom Awards at a ceremony next week, along with her colleague at Pajhwok, Danish Karokhel. Nekzad was also honored in October by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF).

Nekzad is managing editor and deputy director of Pajhwok Afghan News, Afghanistan’s leading independent news agency, which is supported by Internews. She is also a leading activist for media rights and women's rights in Afghanistan. Despite threats to her safety from Islamic groups angered by Pajhwok's reporting, Nekzad has never stopped working.

Danish KorokhelDanish Korokhel is director of Pajhwok Afghan News. He is a media rights activist as well as an internationally recognized authority on Afghanistan’s modernization. (More)

Former Internewser in Uzbekistan Garners Human Rights Watch Award

Farida NekzadA former Internews staffer in Uzbekistan is being honored today by Human Rights Watch for her work as a journalist and human rights activist. Umida Niazova was imprisoned by Uzbek authorities in January 2007 on charges including "smuggling of subversive literature" and "distributing materials causing public disorder." Among these materials was a report on Uzbek troops' use of force in 2005 against protesters in the city of Andijan, which killed an estimated 500 people. Niazova is an outspoken critic of the government's handling of the Andijan protests and the subsequent crackdown on independent journalists and human rights activists. (More)

November 20, 2008

Mariane Pearl and Women’s Stories of Hope

Dear Friend,

On both sides of the camera or mic, both as journalists and as interview subjects, women around the world are making their voices heard. This e-newsletter features a thought-provoking conversation I had with journalist Mariane Pearl about why she tells stories of women struggling against tremendous obstacles, and why, despite the murder of her husband Danny Pearl by Islamic extremists, she still believes in the necessity of hope.

Other stories in this issue focus on Internews’ work training and mentoring women journalists from Chad to Yemen and fostering coverage of sensitive issues affecting women and girls, such as gender-based violence and child marriages. The fact that reporters in deeply traditional societies are beginning to tackle such difficult topics is in itself a cause for hope.

Sincerely,

Annette Makino
Senior Vice-President for Communications and External Affairs
Internews Network

Q&A with Mariane Pearl − The Role of Journalists and the Challenge of Hope

Woman journalist at a mic"Journalism is one profession that holds so much power, you can easily lose track of its purpose. As we drift apart, our job is to remind people of their commonality. It's easy to report on differences; it takes a lot more work to report the other kinds of stories." (More)

− From Q&A with journalist and author Mariane Pearl

Yemen: Empowering the Voices of Women and Youth

Woman with mic at whiteboardIn 2007, Yemen ranked last out of the 128 countries considered in the World Economic Forum's annual Gender Gap Index, signifying the persistence of serious gender-based inequalities. To address these inequalities and bring women's voices to the fore, Internews Network is empowering Yemeni youth and media professionals to explore sensitive issues concerning gender, society, and human rights.(More)

Africa: Reporting on Gender-Based Violence

"Through this program, women in particular are informed and sensitized on GBV issues. Topics long considered taboo are unveiled and discussed, and now GBV survivors frequently ask to share their experiences on our program."

− Annick Nsabimana, Internews’ Resident Journalism Advisor on GBV in Chad

In an effort to confront gender-based violence (GBV) in Kenya, Chad and Uganda, Internews has developed programs that empower the local media to bring the issue to the forefront. (More)

Chad: Radio Stories Tackle "Thunderbolt Marriages" and Genital Cutting

Woman journalist at a micTwo recent radio stories by journalists Internews has trained as part of its community radio project in Chad have tackled sensitive topics of vital importance to women and girls. After attending workshops and being mentored by Internews, reporter Yolande Denemadji produced an in-depth story about the controversial ritual of female genital cutting. And a radio program by Frédéric Doumdigao Komba explored the risks of child marriages, such as health problems for girls physically unready for pregnancy and a high rate of marital unhappiness and divorce in these "thunderbolt marriages."

Vietnam: Narrowing the Digital Divide for Women

Internet usage has been increasing rapidly in dynamic Vietnam, with an estimated 20% of the population online. At the same time, women are playing a greater role in Vietnamese society, from government offices to corporate boardrooms. To help Vietnamese women to make the most of the Internet in their professional lives, Internews Network and VietNet-ICT launched a new program this month that will mentor women in how best to use Internet technologies. (More)

Five Ways You Can Empower Women in Media

 

More about Internews

InternewsInternews is a nonprofit international media development organization whose mission is to empower local media worldwide to provide people with the news and information they need, the ability to connect, and the means to make their voices heard.

See more information on our programs in humanitarian media, health journalism, environmental reporting, women and much more.

View this e-newsletter on our web site

Banner photo: Reporter Sumeera Awan interviews children after the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan (Mark Edwards/Still Pictures/Internews)

Please send comments to Patricia Chadwick - pchadwick@internews.org · Internews Web Site
SUBSCRIBE to get news from Internews
UNSUBSCRIBE from Internews mailings
We respect your desire for privacy and will not make your email address available to third parties.
© Copyright 2008 Internews Network | Contact Us: +1 707-826-2030