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Afghan Female Journalists Fight for Their Place In the Newsroom
Women reporters aim to remain at the forefront of their stories; now international media outlets need to hire them
“Afghanistan is a horrible place, especially for women. This is not true, but it is how the international media show my country,” says 21-year-old Diba Akbari, a reporter and presenter at Zan TV, the first TV channel aired exclusively by Afghan women.
Diba and her fellow Afghan female journalists report on the society in which they were born and raised — and they face a wide range of challenges. Their careers were born within deeply entrenched patriarchal norms and a lack of media independence. Some face objection to their work from their families and harassment both in their offices and while reporting. Others have paid dearly in their personal lives as a result of their work.
Despite these hurdles, Afghan women journalists continue to push forward, investing in their country and providing a unique and insightful perspective on Afghan stories — one not available from men or outsiders.
The growth of the Afghan press has been one of the rare undisputed success stories of foreign intervention in the country. Before 2001, no private broadcasters operated in Afghanistan. Today…
