The Backstory: A media freedom podcast

It’s been thirty years since the Windhoek Declaration for the Development of a Free, Independent and Pluralistic Press was born on May 3, 1991 in Namibia. The declaration was not only a proud moment for African journalism, it also inspired others to do the same, and the United Nations launched World Press Freedom Day on May 3 two years later. Though some countries across the African continent have made press freedom gains since then, many continue to struggle with journalist safety, independence and financial pressures. What are the press freedom challenges facing African media? And what steps are being taken towards improvement?

In this episode:

- Angela Quintal (twitter.com/angelaquintal) Director of the Africa program, Committee to Protect Journalists (cpj.org)

- Gwen Lister (twitter.com/GwenLister1), founder, The Namibian (https://www.namibian.com.na)

- Churchill Otieno (twitter.com/otienoc), Head of Development & Learning, The Nation (https://thenationonlineng.net), President, Kenya Editors' Guild

- Joan Chirwa (twitter.com/ChirwaJoan), Founder, The Free Press Initiative, Zambia (twitter.com/ZambiaFree)

For more resources and tips visit WAN-IFRA's press freedom page (wan-ifra.org/about-us/press-freedom/).

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode: Simple Hop by Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Slam_Funk/Broke_For_Free_-_Slam_Funk_-_11_Simple_Hop)

The Covid-19 pandemic has focused attention on issues that have been taboo in many newsrooms for a long time: mental wellbeing, stress management, technological burnout and limits between personal and professional life. For women journalists in particular, where there is an expectation to remain productive under demanding circumstances, these challenges have been compounded. What can journalists to improve their own wellbeing and resilience? And what should editors and managers be doing to better support their teams?

In this episode:

- Mar Cabra (twitter.com/cabralens), Pulitzer prize-winning data journalist and founder of The Self-Investigation (theselfinvestigation.com)

- Tamala Chirwa, Director of Operations and People, Women in News programme

- Ritu Kapur (twitter.com/kapur_ritu), Founder and CEO of The Quint (thequint.com), India

This season of The Backstory is produced in partnership with WAN-IFRA’s Women in News programme, a ground-breaking effort to promote gender equality throughout the news industry.

For more resources and tips visit WAN-IFRA's press freedom page (wan-ifra.org/about-us/press-freedom/) and the WIN site (www.womeninnews.org/)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode: Gaia by Soularflair (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Soularflair/CUES_for_film_TV_games_etc_POSITIVE/Cue_1_-_Emotive-Beautiful-Building_Gaia_1536)

Sexual harassment happens everywhere, and media organisations are not immune. Addressing it is good for journalists, and for the media business in general. How can organisations create a work culture where sexual harassment does not happen? How can they identify it, and address it when it does happen?

In this episode:

- Carin Andersson, Human Resources consultant and former HR Director at MittMediaAB, Sweden (http://mittmedia.se)

- Collin Haba, CEO, The New Times, Rwanda (https://www.newtimes.co.rw/)

- Melanie Walker, Executive director of Media Development and Women in News (WIN), WAN-IFRA.

- Myra Abdallah, Lebanese journalist and Arab region trainer on Sexual Harassment for WIN

WIN Sexual Harrassment toolkit: http://womeninnews.org/resource/41

This season of The Backstory is produced in partnership with WAN-IFRA’s Women in News programme, a ground-breaking effort to promote gender equality throughout the news industry.

For more resources and tips visit WAN-IFRA's press freedom page (https://wan-ifra.org/about-us/press-freedom/) and the WIN site (www.womeninnews.org/)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode: One And by Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Leaf/Broke_For_Free_-_Leaf_-_08_One_And)

Journalists should be committed to reporting facts and presenting the news in an honest way. But when they use their reporting to give a voice to those who are under-represented - to victims instead of perpetrators - they have the power to create social change. In this episode, four journalists from Latin America, the Middle East and Africa talk about the unique opportunities they have as women to make a difference in their societies through their reporting on climate change, indigenous communities, migration, press freedom, health and women's rights.

In this episode:

- Nina Lakhani (twitter.com/ninalakhani), environmental reporter for The Guardian, formerly in Mexico and Central America

- Diana Moukalled (twitter.com/dianamoukalled), co-founder of Daraj (daraj.com/en/), independent media platform in Lebanon

- Margaret Ngonga (www.facebook.com/ngongamargaret/), co-founder, The Ridgeway Sun, online magazine diffusing health information from Zambia

- Limbikani Kamlongera (www.linkedin.com/in/limbikani-sarah-kamlongera-6559ab91/), communication for development expert, board member of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, and WIN coach

This season of The Backstory is produced in partnership with Wan-Ifra’s Women in News programme, a ground-breaking effort to promote gender equality throughout the news industry.

For resources and tips visit Wan-Ifra's press freedom page (www.wan-ifra.org/microsites/press-freedom) and the WIN page (www.womeninnews.org/)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz and Colette Davidson. Sarah Elzas mixed the episode.

Music in this episode: Juparo by Broke for Free (freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Petal/Broke_For_Free_-_Petal_-_05_Juparo)

Technology has revolutionised how we get our news. Data visualisation and multimedia are increasingly used to tell stories, and coding is no longer just for computer scientists. But when it comes to working with digital technology, in most newsrooms men outnumber women. Why are men still dominating this field? And what does it take for women to get ahead? In this episode, four women from the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and North America talk about how they beat the odds to work with technology -- and why it’s so important for women to aim for these positions and bring new perspectives into the world of tech.

In this episode:

- Mariana Santos (twitter.com/marysaints), founder, Chicas Poderosas (chicaspoderosas.org/), training women in digital media and leadership skills across Latin America

- Catherine Gicheru (twitter.com/cgicheru1), ICFJ Knight Fellow, co-founder PesaCheck, founding editor The Star Kenya (https://www.the-star.co.ke), and at the time of the interview, senior programme manager Code for Africa, Kenya

- Chayma Mehdi (twitter.com/chaymamehdi), head of the Innovation Lab, Inkyfada, Tunis, Tunisia (inkyfada.com/en)

- Sonali Verma (twitter.com/Sonali Verma), senior product manager of analytics, Globe and Mail, Toronto, Canada (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/)

This season of The Backstory is produced in partnership with Wan-Ifra’s Women in News programme, a ground-breaking effort to promote gender equality throughout the news industry.

For resources and tips visit Wan-Ifra's press freedom page (www.wan-ifra.org/microsites/press-freedom) and the WIN page (www.womeninnews.org/)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz and Colette Davidson. Sarah Elzas mixed the episode.

Music in this episode: Gaia by Soularflair(freemusicarchive.org/music/Soularflair/CUES_for_film_TV_games_etc_POSITIVE/Cue_1_-_Emotive-Beautiful-Building_Gaia_1536)

Women in leadership, diversity in the workplace - these are catchphrases that media organisations are talking about, but what do they mean? Why is it important to have women in top positions? And who are the women who are already there? In this episode, three women who have made it to the top echelons of their media organisations in Africa, the Middle East and Europe talk about what it took to get there and what they are doing to change things for other women who follow in their paths.

In this episode:

- Pamella Sittoni (https://twitter.com/pamsittoni), Executive Editor, Daily Nation group and Managing Editor, Daily Nation, Kenya (https://www.nation.co.ke/)

- Acil Tabbara (https://twitter.com/aciltab), senior editor, L’Orient Le Jour, Lebanon (https://www.lorientlejour.com/), former AFP Gulf and Yemen bureau chief (https://www.afp.com/)

- Helje Solberg (https://twitter.com/heljes), News director, NRK, Norway (https://www.nrk.no/)

This season of The Backstory is produced in partnership with Wan-Ifra’s Women in News programme, a ground-breaking effort to promote gender equality throughout the news industry.

For resources and tips visit Wan-Ifra's press freedom page (www.wan-ifra.org/microsites/press-freedom) and the WIN page (www.womeninnews.org/)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode: One And by Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Leaf/Broke_For_Free_-_Leaf_-_08_One_And)

Often, without even realising it, much of the media we consume is dominated by men. Men’s voices and men’s perspectives account for roughly 75% of the news. Yet, women make up half the population. Research has shown that stories that feature women are more widely read by women. So, why does this imbalance persist and how can news organisations shift how they represent women? Listen to how some have done it, with tips on measuring the problem, and ways to fix it.

In this episode:

- Kesewa Henessey (twitter.com/HennessyKesewa), Digital editor for engagement, Financial Times (www.ft.com/stream/4b28a9de-fbd9-43c6-b513-dc0c47fa0109)

- Vincent Kahiya (twitter.com/vtkahiya), veteran journalist in Zimbabwe, lead trainer, Women in News programme (www.womeninnews.org/).

- Mona Magdy, lead trainer, Women in News programme (www.womeninnews.org/), MENA region.

This season of The Backstory is produced in partnership with Wan-Ifra’s Women in News programme, a ground-breaking effort to promote gender equality throughout the news industry.

For resources and tips visit Wan-Ifra's press freedom page (www.wan-ifra.org/microsites/press-freedom) and the WIN page (www.womeninnews.org/)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode: Juparo by Broke for Free (freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Petal/Broke_For_Free_-_Petal_-_05_Juparo)

Protests have become more frequent, and more violent, around the world. Covering them has become increasingly dangerous for journalists, and has required new ways of thinking and acting. This episode puts safety issues into the context of covering protests. What are journalists and editors’ experiences? What should they be thinking about?

In this episode:

- Sergi Vicente, director, Betevé, public television station in Barcelona (https://beteve.cat/)

- Zuraidah Ibrahim, deputy executive editor, South China Morning Post in Hong Kong (https://www.scmp.com/)

- Monica Almeida, chief of the investigative unit, El Universo, daily newspaper in Ecuador (https://www.eluniverso.com/)

- Roger Renni, director, Key Objectives, supporting journalists on the ground and providing hostile environment training (http://keyobjectives.net/)

For resources and tips visit Wan-Ifra's press freedom page (www.wan-ifra.org/microsites/press-freedom)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Chris Zabriskie (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/Vendaface/04_-_The_Life_and_Death_of_a_Certain_K_Zabriskie_Patriarch)

A contract may seem like an afterthought for a freelancer, and it’s not obvious how it is linked to safety. But contracts should be a part of every journalist’s conversation with an editor, especially when the assignment involves risk. What should journalists be asking for? And what should editors and news organisations be thinking about?

In this episode:

- Anna Day, freelance journalist, co-founder Frontline Freelance Register (https://www.frontlinefreelance.org/)

- Safa Al Ahmad (https://twitter.com/ghariba33), freelance journalist/filmmaker, board member Frontline Freelance Register

- Alexander Papachristou, executive director, Cyrus R Vance Center for international justice (https://www.vancecenter.org/) of the NYC Bar association, adviser on Model contract for freelancers from the ACOS Alliance (https://www.acosalliance.org/contracts)

For resources and tips visit Wan-Ifra's press freedom page (www.wan-ifra.org/microsites/press-freedom)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Broke for Free

(https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Directionless_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Directionless_EP_-_01_Night_Owl)

What is the cost of keeping yourself safe when you’re a journalist? Journalists, editors and security managers help us start to understand how money can be a safety concern in itself, especially for freelancers who are often left on their own to negotiate budgets and insurance coverage.

In this episode:

- Safa Al Ahmad (https://twitter.com/ghariba33), freelance journalist/filmmaker, working on Yemen & Saudi Arabia

- Zaffar Abbas, editor of Dawn newspaper in Pakistan (https://www.dawn.com/)

- Prash Naik (https://prashnaik.com/), media lawyer, former general counsel for Channel 4 television in the UK

- Sharbil Nammour, Global Head of Security and Risk, Vice Media (https://www.vice.com/)

For resources and tips visit Wan-Ifra's press freedom page (www.wan-ifra.org/microsites/press-freedom)

The Backstory production team is Andrew Heslop, Mariona Sanz, Colette Davidson and Sarah Elzas, who edited and mixed the episode.

Music in this episode by Swelling (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Swelling/Projector_Music_For_Visual_Media/Swelling_-_Projector-_Music_for_Visual_Media_-_04_Night_II)