Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Afghan woman reporter: Finalist, Young Journalist Year 2024

05/11/2024

One of the three finalists for the Young Journalist of the Year 2024 is a woman journalist working in secret in Afghanistan because of the restrictions imposed by the Taliban. She works for The Afghan Times which was founded by Afghan women journalists in exile. In this Q & A she explains how she manages to report under the severe constraints.

What difficulties do you face working as a woman journalist in Afghanistan? As a woman journalist in Afghanistan, I face constant threats to my safety and my ability to work. The Taliban's outright ban on women's voices and presence in journalism means I must operate in secrecy, constantly fearful of being discovered. I can no longer work openly, and I have to rely on trusted networks to communicate, gather information, and publish stories. It's also nearly impossible to access government sources or official channels, as the Taliban refuses to engage with women journalists. My work is further complicated by the stigma attached to female reporters, who are often targeted for violence and harassment, even by civilians influenced by Taliban ideology.

Tell us about the stories you submitted for the Award. The stories I submitted highlight the severe and ongoing challenges faced by Afghan women under Taliban rule.

The first article focuses on the closure of women-only restaurants, which were some of the few safe spaces left for Afghan women workers. It was extremely difficult to obtain interviews with women because many fear retaliation from the Taliban for speaking out. I had to rely on clandestine communication methods and work with sources who were equally committed to bringing the truth to light, but who also faced significant risks.

The Afghan Times

The second piece documents the devastating impact of flooding on Afghan women, already marginalized and vulnerable under Taliban policies. For this I had to navigate dangerous terrain, both physically and politically. The Taliban heavily restricts women's access to areas where they might be able to report on these issues, and their suppression of women's voices in media made it difficult to collect first-hand accounts. Additionally, security risks, including surveillance by the Taliban, made it dangerous to gather information in person.

The Afghan Times

The third report explores the crisis of child labour in Afghanistan, which has been exacerbated by the Taliban's ban on women's right to work, driving more families into poverty and forcing children into exploitative labour. Engaging with them without compromising their safety required careful coordination, often through secret channels.

The Afghan Times

How has life changed for you recently? The situation for women journalists has become even more perilous since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Previously, despite the difficulties, women could still work in media and report on issues affecting Afghan society. Now, the environment is suffocating; women are no longer allowed to participate in public life or hold professional roles, and the media itself has become heavily censored. Access to sources, information, and the ability to move freely have been drastically curtailed. The threat of violence or imprisonment for doing my job has escalated, and many of my colleagues have either fled the country or gone into deep hiding.

Can you describe the normal working day now for a woman journalist working in Afghanistan? A normal working day for a woman journalist like me is fraught with anxiety and isolation. I cannot go to a newsroom or conduct interviews in public. I work from hidden locations, often through encrypted communication tools, relying on a small and trusted circle of sources. My reporting requires extensive planning and discretion; every interaction must be calculated to avoid detection by the Taliban. Fear of surveillance means I have to work quickly and leave no digital footprint that could be traced back to me. What used to be routine-such as interviewing subjects, travelling to report on a story, or fact-checking information-now feels like navigating a minefield. Every day could be my last as a journalist in this country.

With all the challenges you face, why is it important for you to continue to tell the stories of the women in Afghanistan? Despite the dangers, it is essential for me to continue telling the stories of Afghan women because their voices are being systematically silenced. The international community often forgets the everyday struggles faced by Afghan women, who are not only oppressed but also erased from the public sphere. If I stop reporting, the reality of their suffering may never reach the outside world. My work is one of the few ways to bear witness to their lives and resist the Taliban's attempts to render them invisible. The stories of Afghan women are stories of resilience, courage, and survival. By telling their stories, I hope to give them a platform and inspire action that can lead to change.

What impact do your stories have? My stories shine a light on the ongoing atrocities committed against Afghan women, helping to raise awareness both within Afghanistan and internationally. They provide a voice to the voiceless, especially those who cannot speak for fear of reprisal. Through my reporting, I aim to mobilise international support and pressure on the Taliban to reconsider their policies, as well as to spark dialogue around the plight of Afghan women.

What or who inspires you to keep working as a journalist? I am inspired by the incredible strength of Afghan women who, despite facing overwhelming oppression, continue to fight for their dignity and rights. They risk their lives every day to keep their families alive, pursue education in secret, or speak out against injustice. Their resilience fuels my determination to keep working, even when I feel overwhelmed by f
LINK: http://www.thomsonfoundation.org/latest/afghan-woman-reporter-finalist...
See more stories from thompsonfoundation

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

25/08/2026

Law and Crime Moves Court TV to Amagi CLOUDPORT for Unifi...

Amagi, the media industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced that Law&Crime has migrated its Court TV channel, s...

25/08/2026

Broadcast Solutions demonstrates world-class technology a...

Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast and media industry, is showcasing the breadth of its ca...

25/08/2026

Leader boosts Test and Measurement capabilities for Denma...

Thatcham, UK 25 August 2026: Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, has announced that leading broadcast rental company Minitech has purchased a Le...

25/08/2026

Appear and TVTEL power centralised VAR signal transport i...

Appear's X20 Platform enables visually lossless video contribution with sub-frame latency and full path redundancy for TVTEL's centralised VAR operation...

25/08/2026

Big Blue Marble to showcase next-generation 5G Broadcast...

World-first demonstration combines 5G Broadcast and Media over QUIC for seamless, ultra-low-latency hybrid media delivery Big Blue Marble will showcase new dev...

25/08/2026

MNC Software Unveils Unified Software Suite at IBC2026 to...

MNC Software, a global leader in network management and operational support systems tailored to the broadcast and media industry, will showcase its complete sof...

25/08/2026

VAB: Ads in Local News Boost Sales and Brand Perception

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

ESPN to Bump Up Streaming Subscription Prices

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

HPA Opens Call for Award Entries

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

CNN Returns to Air After Technical Difficulties

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

Calrec to Showcase DMF Capabilities at IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/08/2026

Imagine Communications to Showcase AI and MCP Strategy at...

Company to Demonstrate Practical AI Applications That Add Value Today and Longer-Term Path Toward Agentic AI At IBC2026 (Sept. 11 14, RAI Amsterdam, Stand #1.B...

25/08/2026

KRK Kreate Series Standardizes Monitoring at Miamis WDNA...

Serving South Florida with a unique blend of jazz, Latin jazz, salsa, reggae, blues, and culturally reflective programming, WDNA 88.9FM operates as both a tradi...

25/08/2026

GlobalM Brings GMX Broadcast Platform to Oracle Cloud Inf...

GlobalM announced that it is integrating its GMX software-defined media platform with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), bringing together Oracle's global c...

25/08/2026

Escape to the country as Cheap Irish Homes returns for a brand-new series

The new series begins Tuesday 1 September at 7pm on RT One and RT Player The search for Ireland's hidden housing gems is back as Cheap Irish Homes return...

24/08/2026

New Book Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN' Preserves Founder Bill Rasmussen's Origin Story and the Lessons That Still Define the Network Today

Co-authors Mike Soltys and Garrett Sutton reflect on Rasmussen's vision, intentional optimism,' and fan-first philosophy following his death last week...

24/08/2026

Dr. Fill from Yurt Rock

Human-played drum fills on demand Sample library developers Yurt Rock have announced the launch of a new plug-in that's dedicated to creating drum fill...

24/08/2026

Black Rooster Audio launch PS-VC1 Vocal Chain Channel

Debut plug-in in new Professional Series Black Rooster Audio's latest plug-in delivers an all-in-one vocal-processing tool, and is the debut release in ...

24/08/2026

SBS WorldWatch embraces digital future with move to SBS On Demand

SBS WorldWatch embraces digital future with move to SBS On Demand 24 August, 2026 Media releases On 18 September, SBS WorldWatch will transition from a lin...

24/08/2026

Rohde & Schwarz addresses operational efficiency and infrastructure resilience at IBC 2026 in Amsterdam

Rohde & Schwarz addresses operational efficiency and infrastructure resilience a...

24/08/2026

Rohde to Focus on Operational Efficiency, Sustainability at IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/08/2026

Calrec advances the EBU Dynamic Media Facility vision at...

As the broadcast industry moves toward more flexible production platforms, Calrec will present its evolving audio ecosystem at IBC 2026, on Stand 8.C47. The dem...

24/08/2026

Stop Using Boring Static Highlights - Pro After Effects Workflow

Stop Using Boring Static Highlights - Pro After Effects Workflow Graham Quince August 24, 2026 0 Comments Did you know you can use After Effects expre...

24/08/2026

Paledusk Performance Captured with URSA Cine Immersive

Paledusk Performance Captured with URSA Cine Immersive Brie Clayton August 24, 2026 0 Comments Creative production company THINGS. brings the band'...

24/08/2026

Sky Arts Confirms Double Classical Documentary Showcase Ahead of Edinburgh TV Festival

The Handel Scandal and Dangerous Debussy will both air on Sky Arts this AutumnMo...

24/08/2026

Dalet Accelerates Media Transformation with AI, Automation and Governance at IBC 2026

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, w...

24/08/2026

Arvato Systems becomes a service partner of HANDELSVERBAND.swiss

Arvato Systems Becomes a Service Partner of HANDELSVERBAND.swiss Zurich - Arvato Systems Switzerland has been a service partner of HANDELSVERBAND.swiss since ...

24/08/2026

Up to 30x More Work Per Watt: NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 Sets a New Efficiency Standard for AI Agents

According to OpenRouter data, agentic AI workloads consume 15x more tokens than ...

24/08/2026

With Groq 3 LPX in Full Production, NVIDIA Extends Vera Rubin Inference for Agents

The next era of AI inference won't be defined by a single breakthrough chip,...

24/08/2026

How XPUs Meet a World-Class AI Factory

To generate intelligence at scale, AI factories run continuously, and their economics are defined by delivered output: tokens per second, tokens per watt, cost ...

24/08/2026

Documentary on the life and writings of James Connolly to air on RT

We Only Want the Earth: The Life & Ideas of James Connolly airs Wednesday 26 August on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm RT is to air the compelling documenta...

23/08/2026

Parish Audio introduce Parametric Compressor

Offers up to 10 bands of compression Parish Audio's latest release allows users to place individual compressors anywhere in the frequency range, but tak...

22/08/2026

Macon Blair on Filmmaking and the Long Road to Idiots

O'Shea Jackson Jr., Dave Franco, and Mason Thames appear in Idiots by Macon Blair, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of ...

22/08/2026

Crafting the Contenders: Adam Bricker, ASC on bringing Hacks home

By the time Hacks reached its fifth and final season, Adam Bricker ASC had spent six years shaping one of television's most distinctive visual identities. T...

22/08/2026

World Cup Drives TVP to Retain Top Spot in July as Live Sport Buoys Polish Viewership

Polsat reclaims second place, ByteDance climbs to eighth, and live football miti...

22/08/2026

DirecTV Offers New Customers a Year of Free Netflix with Ads

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/08/2026

Judge Sets Early October Hearing for ABC Lawsuit Against FCC

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/08/2026

ORF Taps Net Insight for Full IP Upgrade

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/08/2026

Breezeline Teams Up with DirecTV to Launch New Streaming Bundle

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/08/2026

Avid brings agentic media production to IBC2026

Avid brings agentic media production to IBC2026 Brie Clayton August 21, 2026 0 Comments After launching Avid Content Core at NAB 2026, Avid expands it...

22/08/2026

Making of Lord of the Flies Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro

Making of Lord of the Flies Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro Brie Clayton August 21, 2026 0 Comments Filmmaker Lisa Marie Russo shoots on the bea...

22/08/2026

Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Dogs In A Pile

Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Dogs in a Pile The rising jam band talks about where it all started on the Berklee campus ahead of their Homecoming performance o...

22/08/2026

Berklee Alumna Lexi Vollero MA '22 Receives Fulbright Award to Brazil

Berklee Alumna Lexi Vollero MA '22 Receives Fulbright Award to Brazil Vollero, a Berklee NYC graduate, has been selected for a Fulbright Open Research Awa...

21/08/2026

FOX Sports Rolls Out Its Most Ambitious Live Motorsports Production' Ever at IndyCar Freedom 250 GP in DC

A massive deployment of specialty cameras, graphics, and AR will showcase the na...

21/08/2026

Creative Studio Zookeeper Embraces Pinball Motif for West Coast Conference PSA

The West Coast Conference unveiled its new 30-second public service announcement, the latest expression of the Conference's We Rise in the West brand iden...

21/08/2026

ESPN Soft-Launches a New NFL Graphics Package, Scorebug During Thursday Night's Raiders-Texans Preseason Game

New look will serve as the foundation for ESPN's upcoming NFL season and Sup...

21/08/2026

ESPN to Debut Little League Alumni Alt-Cast for 2026 MLB Little League Classic

ESPN will air the ninth annual MLB Little League Classic presented by New York Life on Sunday, August 23, at 7 p.m. ET from Historic Bowman Field in Williamspor...