Lack of Coverage

I’m on a mission to interview a journalist from every country in the world!

For episode 4, I’m delighted to be joined by Helene Aecherli (Switzerland).

From a career that began by covering the opening of hair salons in her hometown of Lucerne, journalism has taken Helene across the world.

She’s reported from Guantanamo Bay, where her creative article uses the courtroom sketch artist as its narrative thread.

From Egypt, where her award-nominated piece “Dangerous Singles” focuses on unmarried women over 28, who are regarded as a “security threat” by conservative politicians in the country.

And from Yemen where, beyond journalism alone, she set up a humanitarian project called “Salt for Sewing Machines” in 2015.

Helene was also named by Schweizer Journalist, as their reporter of the year for 2019.

We discuss all of this and much more over the next hour.Hope you all enjoy the episode!

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro

00:46 Growing Up

03:34 Entering the Profession of Journalism

08:00 MENA & Nuance

13:53 Yemen

29:30 Salt for Sewing Machines

34:35 “Dangerous Singles” in Egypt

40:42 Gender & Journalism

44:37 Guantanamo

51:57 Being “Unconventional” in journalism

55:24 Personal Reflections

Follow me:

Substack: ⁠@lackofcoverage⁠ (https://lackofcoverage.substack.com/)

Instagram: ⁠@lackofcoverage (https://www.instagram.com/lackofcoverage/)

TikTok: ⁠@lackofcoverage (https://www.tiktok.com/@lackofcoverage)

Warnings: Adult themes.

I’m on a mission to interview a journalist from every country in the world!

For episode 3, I'm joined by Gwen Lister (Namibia).

As a young girl, Gwen witnessed the great injustices of apartheid and decided to fight this through the medium of journalism.

She did this from Namibia, which was under South African control, and launched the independent newspaper “The Namibian” in 1985.

The paper exposed human rights violations committed by apartheid South Africa's occupying forces, and was a key voice in the fight for Namibia’s independence.

And whilst Gwen was jailed twice (including when 4 months pregnant), faced threats on her life, and had her offices firebombed on multiple occasions, her newspaper never missed an edition.

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro

00:41 Growing up in an apartheid society 

04:30 Why Namibia?

06:21 The Windhoek Observer

13:48 Starting The Namibian, obstacles, and arrest

21:33 Motivation, imprisonment, and personal impact

24:47 Namibia's independence 

27:33 Attacks on The Namibian

30:31 Role post-independence

37:48 Leaving The Namibian 

42:56 NMT Media Foundation & importance of print

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Follow me:

Substack: ⁠@lackofcoverage⁠ (https://lackofcoverage.substack.com/)

Instagram: ⁠@lackofcoverage (https://www.instagram.com/lackofcoverage/)

TikTok: ⁠@lackofcoverage ⁠(https://www.tiktok.com/@lackofcoverage)

Warnings: Adult themes.

I’m on a mission to interview a journalist from every country in the world!

For Episode 2, I’m joined by Serbeze Haxhiaj (Kosovo).

Serbeze started out in journalism as a teenager around the same time that the Kosovo war began in 1998, which led to her becoming a refugee. 

Over an almost 30 year journalism career, her work has focused on topics such war crimes, reconciliation, human rights, and corruption – all of which we touch upon in this podcast.

Aside from her extensive work, we also discuss the human side of journalism and the emotional weight that comes with a career in the profession.

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro

01:20 Growing Up in Kosovo

08:39 The Kosovo War

15:08 Returning to Kosovo

18:27 Interethnic Stories

26:37 Future of Interethnic Relations

34:50 Victims of Wartime Sexual Violence

42:52 Emotional Toll of Journalism

50:17 Corruption in Post-War Kosovo

57:13 Reflections

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Follow me:

Substack: ⁠@lackofcoverage⁠

Instagram: ⁠@lackofcoverage ⁠

TikTok: ⁠@lackofcoverage ⁠

YouTube: ⁠@lackofcoverage⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠Lack of Coverage

Warnings: Strong language, adult themes, discussion of sexual violence.

I’m on a mission to interview a journalist from every country in the world!

For Episode 1, I’m joined by Simon Vera (The Netherlands). 

Back in 2024, Simon became the first journalist in the world to spend time with the Fano rebel group in Ethiopia.

His area of expertise is in East Africa, and he spends his time travelling around the region writing about topics such as conflict, human rights, and climate change.

In the episode, we discuss his time with Fano, why he was barred from entering Tanzania, and much more!

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro

01:06 Early Years & Uni

05:35 Who Are Fano?

10:19 Accessing Fano

15:20 Drone Strike Aftermath

21:01 Daily Life with Fano

25:46 Barred from Entering Tanzania

31:29 Roaming Journalist in East Africa

35:17 Sudan Plans

40:28 Climate and Conservation

47:17 Follow Simon's Work

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Follow Simon:

Substack: @simonvera

LinkedIn: Simon Vera

Instagram: @simonvera.mh

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Follow me:

Substack: @lackofcoverage

Instagram: @lackofcoverage

TikTok: @lackofcoverage

 YouTube: @lackofcoverage

LinkedIn: Lack of Coverage

Warnings: Strong language and adult themes