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Megha Rajagopalan, Oral History Interview, 2023
You Li
Megha Rajagopalan is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative correspondent for the New York Times based in London, the United Kingdom. Previously, Megha was the China bureau chief and Asia correspondent for BuzzFeed News and a political correspondent at Reuters News Agency in Beijing, China. She has reported from 23 countries in Asia and the Middle East on stories ranging from the North Korean nuclear crisis to the peace process in Afghanistan. In 2021, Megha and her colleagues won a Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting for “a series of clear and compelling stories that used satellite imagery and architectural expertise and interviews with two dozen former prisoners to identify a vast new infrastructure built by the Chinese government for the mass detention of Muslims.” (according to the Pulitzer website). When the pandemic hit in 2020, Megha was a senior international correspondent for BuzzFeed News.
In this interview, she recounted the reporting and production of the project that won her team the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting in 2021. She revealed how her team combined investigative reporting, data mapping, and architecture into journalistic storytelling, and how they collaborated remotely when travel was restricted. She also reflected on her experiences corresponding in China and working for Buzzfeed News.
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Nikita Jain, Oral History Interview, 2023
You Li
Nikita Jain is an independent journalist based in India. She has covered various issues catering to human rights, gender, crime, health, education, and the environment among other things. Her work has been published on national and international platforms including the Wire, Women’s Media Centre, and Core Middle East, among others.
Jain published hundreds of articles during COVID-19 to document the impact of the pandemic on hospitals, patients, and minority groups in India. Her reporting challenged the government-controlled mainstream media that downplayed the severity of the pandemic. She had to dispute government propaganda, negotiate reporting access, and endure mental and physical health concerns to deliver those high-profile stories, some of which resulted in meaningful changes. She called the newsrooms and the public to recognize the talents of women journalists and acknowledge their work and contributions.
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Nirasha Piyawadani, Oral History Interview, 2023
You Li
Nirasha Piyawadani is a freelance journalist in Sri Lanka who covers stories on human rights, peace, migrant workers, gender-based myths, social issues on sexual and reproductive, media literacy, and climate and environmental issues. During the pandemic, Nirasha was a research assistant for the ICFJ-UNESCO Global Study: Online Violence Against Women Journalists from 2020 to 2021. She has been selected as a scholar for the International Visitor Leadership Program on Edward R Murrow Program for Journalists, conducted by the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs from February - March 2021. She studies Enhancing the Protection of Women Journalists and Women’s Human Rights in the Context of Shrinking Democratic Space in Asia conducted by Women (UN Women) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, and the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office for South-East Asia.
Piyawadani covered the issues facing marginalized communities during the pandemic. In this interview, she reviewed what it is like to practice journalism in this region, especially the challenges facing freelance journalists and women journalists. Ethnic tensions, job insecurity, political corruption, and discrimination against minorities and women, are a few issues highlighted in this conversation.
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Stefania D'Ignoti, Oral History Interview, 2023
You Li
Stefania D'Ignoti from Catania, Italy, is a freelance journalist who covers migration, conflict, women’s rights, and organized crimes in the broader Mediterranean region. She has reported from Sicily, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, the Syrian border, Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, The Economist, Al Jazeera, The Washington Post, the BBC, the Guardian, and more.
D'Ignoti was forced to shift the reporting focus from the Middle East to Coronavirus in Italy overnight after her flight to Iraq was canceled due to a border lockdown. She mostly covered the impact of COVID-19 on migrants and asylum seekers. In this interview, she commented on the challenges of being a woman journalist in Italy, the gender disparity in newsrooms and leadership, the contributions of women journalists, and concerns about job security and safety as a freelance journalist. Despite the challenges, Stefania considered the pandemic a booster of her career.
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Youssra Jabeen, Oral History Interview, 2023
You Li
Youssra Jabeen from Pakistan is a video journalist with Arab News Pakistan. She was a development communications manager at the United Nations Development Program's Merged Areas Governance Program (MAGP) from March 2021 to November 2023. Before working for UNDP, Youssra was a multimedia journalist with over 10 years of experience. She's interested in covering art and culture news, especially when they intersect with social issues such as women's rights and vulnerable communities. Her work has been published in major Pakistani news outlets such as BBC Urdu, Independent Urdu Dawn, and the Express Tribune. She also worked for the Dallas Morning News and received her degree in journalism from the United States.
Jabeen shared her insights on practicing journalism as a woman in Pakistan. In a patriarchal society, women journalists face gender stereotypes, sexual harassment, workplace bullying, and family pressure. In this interview, Yussra talked about her reporting, gains, and losses during the pandemic. She reminded the next generation to remain hopeful and keep searching for one's purpose in life.
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