Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Journalism Under Gender Apartheid: An Interview with Malala Yousafzai and Zahra Joya

09/05/2025

At the Frontline Club in London, a venue long associated with media freedom and international reporting, Thomson met with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and Rukhshana Media founder Zahra Joya.

The conversation took place ahead of a panel discussion on the role of Afghan independent media under Taliban rule.

Malala, youve been involved very heavily with Rukhshana Media, and supporting it. What is the importance of the work that is being done by them? Malala: Rukhshana Media is playing a really critical role at this time because we all know that Afghan women are silenced, the journalists are threatened, and especially female journalists are putting their lives at risk by telling the stories of Afghan women and what they are going through in this country. And Rukhshana Media is one of the few platforms that is actually the voice of the Afghan women. Despite the dangers and the threats that they face. So in this moment, its really important for us to amplify their voices because they are bringing attention to the truth, to what is happening on the ground, how womens rights are violated, how women activists are getting imprisoned and getting tortured. And its really putting everything on record and at the same time, bringing attention to exactly what is happening right now.

Zahra, the challenges your journalists face are immense. How are they managing to operate? Zahra: Well, first of all, I would like to say a huge thanks to Malala and the Malala Fund, because they are supporting us and supporting, basically, the female journalists in Afghanistan. So I am working alongside almost 10 journalists on the ground, mostly female. And its really hard to gather information from inside the country, because every single information coming out should be under Taliban control, and it should be first reviewed by the Taliban. But my colleagues, they are working independently, and they are bringing first-hand information from inside. Its really hard. Its a risky job. And basically, my colleagues are taking their lives in their hands to gather information. I think, as Malala mentioned, its important for us to break the silence. Women of Afghanistan are forced to be silent. Its hard, but I think they are very brave, they are courageous, and they are working. I think their work is essential for us at the moment.

The voices of the women of Afghanistan and the voices of women in many other places are not necessarily being heard. Why do you think that is Malala? Malala: Its really frustrating, to be honest, because we have been talking about womens rights for so long. And it happens to be a month in a year and or a day comes in a year where everybodys talking about womans rights and everybody believes in equality. And then when, in reality, womens rights are violated and under a threat, then we witness a silence. So, I believe that in moments like these, we really need to test our true commitment to gender equality and people who are ahead in using the word should also be ahead in taking actions as well. Afghanistan right now is a country where the worst violations of womens rights are happening. Its the only country where girls are banned from secondary education for more than three and a half years. Its the only country where women are denied any public appearance, any political participation, any role in work, they are literally banned. And if they dare to step outside these rules, theyre punished, theyre beaten up, they are threatened. So theyre paying a price for simply daring to have these rights. When I think about what Afghan women and girls are going through right now, it really makes me want to do something for them because I really admire their resilience and how they are doing their activism. So to all our friends, our colleagues who believe in gender equality who are feminists should also join this call and share their solidarity with Afghan women in this most difficult time.

That is such an extreme form of gender oppression that we have to call it a gender apartheid

Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

You both share the phrase gender apartheid'. Its a strong phrase. Why is it gender apartheid? Malala: As the phrase of gender apartheid sounds strong, such is the violation of human rights in Afghanistan. I think words like gender discrimination and gender persecution fall short in explaining the scale of oppression that the Taliban are imposing on women and girls. They have issued more than 100 decrees and edicts, the majority of which are targeting women, limiting them in their work, education, and any appearance in public life. And that is such an extreme form of gender oppression that we have to call it a gender apartheid . The incredible women, the activists, the researchers who actually stepped forward and using this terminology thought about it really carefully. And they have been working together with these human rights experts and activists from South Africa who are also talking about the similarities between the situation that women in South Africa were facing where even they feel like gender was not properly addressed as part of their struggles, as part of their activism, and in this moment there is this sense of sisterhood, where women are feeling that the way that they are oppressed is not recognised in the same way, and we cannot just look away and see it more as a domestic problem, see it more as an internal issue. This should be seen as a global issue. This should be addressed both on moral and on legal international law basis.

The international community has said that the Taliban should look at the way they treat women and should change it. Is that enough? Zahra: No. The way that the Taliban are treating women is so harsh and so brutal. And as Malala mentioned, theres more than 100 decrees on edicts the Taliban issued, and most of them targeted
LINK: http://www.thomsonfoundation.org/latest/journalism-under-gender-aparth...
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 ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

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

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

07/05/2026

Sudan Digital Investigation Hub launches to support journalists navigating disinformation in conflict

Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...

07/05/2026

Victory+ CEO Neil Gruninger on the Impact of the Dallas Cowboys Deal, Creator-Led Content, and Free In-Market Access for Fans

Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...

07/05/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Ella Peterson, University of Illinois

From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production In the ...

07/05/2026

NAB 2026: Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards

Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...

07/05/2026

Scripps National Spelling Bee Revamps Broadcast; Mina Kimes to Host, Embassy Rows Michael Davies to Produce

ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...

07/05/2026

MUBI Selects Bitmovin as Cloud VOD Encoding Partner

Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...

07/05/2026

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and U.S. Soccer Extend Spanish-Language Media Rights Through 2030

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...

07/05/2026

Angel City Football Club and Victory+ Announce Regional Broadcast Partnership

Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...

07/05/2026

Spiideo Launches AI Highlights for Automated Highlight and Clip Creation

Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...

07/05/2026

Leostream Announces Unified HPC Remote Access Ecosystem for Post-Production and Enterprise Workflows

Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...

07/05/2026

Victory+ Adds Atlanta Dream Local Broadcasts to Free Streaming Platform

The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...

07/05/2026

Riedel Communications Appoints Marc Engroff as CFO; Frank Eischet Moves to Group COO Role

Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...

07/05/2026

ARD Extends SES Satellite Distribution Agreement Through 2039

SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...

07/05/2026

Case Study: How Pro Cheer League Built a Broadcast-First Arena Production

UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...

07/05/2026

Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide Launch Womens College Volleyball Showcase at AT&T Stadium

Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...

07/05/2026

Deine persnliche Spotify DJ Experience ist jetzt in vier neuen Sprachen und weiteren Mrkten verfgbar

Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...

07/05/2026

Il DJ personalizzato di Spotify ora disponibile in 4 nuove lingue e in pi Paesi

Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...

07/05/2026

Your Personalized DJ Experience Is Expanding With 4 New Languages and More Markets

Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...

07/05/2026

Seu DJ personalizado do Spotify t chegando em mais lugares - agora em 4 novos idiomas

Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...

07/05/2026

Save Your Personal Podcast to Spotify and Listen Anywhere

From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...

07/05/2026

Spotify Celebrates API Heritage Month With New Music and Artist Spotlights

Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...

07/05/2026

Symphonic Elements Chooir by UJAM

Company announce long-requested choir instrument In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...

07/05/2026

Buchla debut Ziggy synthesizer

Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...

07/05/2026

Polyend Drums hybrid drum machine

Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...

07/05/2026

Nektar Panorama CS12: Reaper & Fender Studio Pro support

Control surface now officially supports four DAWs When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...

07/05/2026

SGL Carbon: Expected lower sales, but EBITDA margin improved. Forecast confirmed

In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...

07/05/2026

Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characterization using near-field technology

Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...

07/05/2026

L3Harris Red Wolf + SKY RAIDER II INTERNATIONAL: Unmatched Flexibility for Kinetic Strike, EW, ISR and Support Missions

Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...

07/05/2026

US Air Force Selects L3Harris to Develop Digital Infrastructure for its Advanced Battle Management System Network

L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...

07/05/2026

New Nielsen Report Shows The Profound Impact of Asian Influence on Sports and Pop Culture

Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...

07/05/2026

IAB Tech Lab Introduces Standardized Signals For CTV Ad Portfolio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/05/2026

Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 202...

Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing Cobal...

07/05/2026

FOR-A delivers creativity practicality and technical exce...

Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...

07/05/2026

Intinor brings advanced IP transport diagnostics and HDR...

Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...

07/05/2026

Bitmovin Powers Global Film Streaming Platform MUBI

Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...

07/05/2026

Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026

Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next. ...

07/05/2026

Convergence is Now Established Reality,' Says NAB 2026 Report

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/05/2026

Interra Systems to Showcase Best in Class QC Monitoring a...

At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...

07/05/2026

PlayBox Neo shines a spotlight on delivering Secure Scala...

At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...

07/05/2026

BFBS selects Synamedia to deliver New Digital Platform fo...

Strategic three-year partnership marks delivery phase of BFBS' next-generation media vision Media organisation and military charity BFBS (British Forces Br...

07/05/2026

Amagi Unlocks New Opportunities for CTV Performance with...

Amagi, the agentic industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced the availability of its In-Content Ads offering v...

07/05/2026

Lightware Introduces Rack Taurus For Clean Centralized AV...

Lightware Visual Engineering has developed Rack Taurus for rack-based environments such as education and corporate training spaces. It enables clean and simple ...

07/05/2026

Jigsaw24 Showcases End-to-End Media Workflows at MPTS 202...

Jigsaw24, the UK's leading media equipment supplier and systems integrator, will showcase its expanded end-to-end workflow capabilities at MPTS 2026, signal...

07/05/2026

Ease Live Granted US Patent for Technology Powering Perfe...

Ease Live, an Evertz company, today announced that it has been granted a US Patent for its proprietary graphical overlay technology, the foundation for interact...

07/05/2026

Leader prepares advanced Test and Measurement showcase fo...

Test & measurement innovator Leader Electronics of Europe will present an extensive range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement solutions at...