Women journalists do have much more challenges to cope with than men, especially when dispatched in areas with a high potential of conflict. Journalists everywhere are at increased risk of being replaced by kind of Artificial Intelligence production of news where all should look good, neutral and eventually copy-pasted from agencies´ websites.
I believe in the power of words, in the power that journalists do have to change and say the truth to power. No matter what power. Journalists are not made to be a cozy comfortable presence. Power should be afraid of them and the pressure of the opinion public represented by journalists should be strong enough to force politicians and other public appointees to never forget whose interests do they represent.
Theoretically. In reality things are more complicated...
Former head of the ARD Studio in Tehran, Munich-born Natalie Amiri took the risk(s) - literally - of becoming the voice of those unheard in Iran. In addition to the everyday news reporting, she is also is able to seize the nuances and distinctions between different layers of power and the social reflections. Her successful book - Zwischen den Welten. Von Macht und Ohnmacht im Iran (In my approximate translation: Between Worlds. About Power and Powerless in Iran) - is not only a love story to Iran but also an example of why and how journalists should be knowledgeable of the culture, language and history of the countries they are reporting from.
The book includes dramatic episodes from the recent history of Iran, including the 2009-Green Movement as well as profiles women like Nasrin Sotoudeh who are a model of strength and accountability. Amiri´s encounters with the representatives of the security aparatus are horrible and terrible but it shows the high risks journalists are exposed when on assignments in countries ruled by repressive regimes.
The book is a must read from everyone interested to understand more about the everyday life in Iran, beyond the simplistic black-and-white portrayals.
Photojournalist Julia Leeb is on the forefront of conflict reporting. She was in about to be killed in Libya and escaped an aggressive mob in Egypt during the ´Arab Spring´. She reported from North Korea, South Sudan and the state-who-does-not-exist: Transnistria. Her visual stories - some of them published in the book - are looking deep into the soul of the people, the pawns who are making everyday history.
One may start respecting more journalists and the risks some may take for every single bit of information. The reports from the war fronts by Julia Leeb are a reminder that good work still can be done but everything comes with a risk. Especially for women.
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