Kiran Nazish

Kiran Nazish is an independent Pakistani journalist. She has worked as a foreign correspondent around the world, including the Middle East and South Asia. Nazish founded and is the director of The Coalition For Women In Journalism, a worldwide support organization for women journalists.[1]

Career

In the early 2000s Nazish started her career in print journalism and went on to work in other media, including radio and television.[2] Nazish has won awards for her work[3] and has extensively covered conflict, peace and security in South Asia and the Middle East.[4]

Pakistan’s tribal regions

Her work included stories from Pakistan's tribal regions. She wrote, "I wanted to learn how journalists work in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, a semiautonomous, conflict-ridden region made up of seven tribal 'agencies' along the Afghan border known as the 'war zone.' Twelve journalists have been killed there since the terrorist attacks in the US on 9/11. If Pakistan is the worst place to be a journalist, FATA is the worst of the worst."[5] In Pakistan, she reported from the conflict-ridden FATA under Taliban control and later when the Pakistan army started its operation against terrorists in the region.[6][7]

Life in Mosul

In 2017, Nazish catalogued the experiences of journalists working out of Mosul. "Journalists are beaten or executed as spies… the militant group ISIS began rounding up journalists suspected of leaking negative information about the Islamic State," she reported.[8]

ISIS in Kobani, Syria

She did several stories on the ISIS presence in Kobani.[9][10] In one article, Nazish noted, "Many dead bodies of Islamic States fighters are strewn across street corners, and this is creating a hygiene issue for the children and pregnant women still living inside."[11] She later wrote about ISIS in Pakistan.[12] Nazish produced reports on civilians trapped in Aleppo during 2016.[13] Her work focused on the plight of the civilians.[14]

Kurdish struggle

Nazish covered Turkey's curfews and their impact on Kurdish towns.[15] "A 24-hour curfew was imposed on the town of about 130,000 people last December, and was only lifted this month. Residents who had fled the violence were allowed to return to Cizre on March 2, but many quickly discovered they had little to come home to.", she wrote in one piece.[16]

Daniel Pearl fellow

She was the Daniel Pearl fellow in 2014, at which time she worked at The New York Times.[17] While at the Times, Nazish focused on terrorism courts in Manhattan, the NYPD and the New York Muslim community. Nazish contributed reporting at the foreign desk.[18]

Threats and exile from Pakistan

While investigating a story involving the influence of intelligence agencies on democratic institutions in Pakistan, Nazish received death threats and was forced to drop the story. In the wake of the threats, Nazish lived in self-exile for years.[19][20] She was vocal about the threats women journalists faced during the time,[21][22][23] and the impunity that the culprits enjoy.[24] A 2017 study chronicled the many ways that women journalists had been surveilled and monitored, leading to self-censorship, documenting her experiences and exile.[25]

The Coalition For Women In Journalism

As founding director of The Coalition For Women In Journalism, Nazish pioneered the first global mentorship program for mid-career women journalists. The organization emphasizes the safety, wellbeing and growth of women journalists. The organization launched in 2017[26][27] and worked as a pro-bono organization. In 2019, The Coalition For Women In Journalism received funding support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies. The organization initiated its advocacy, including documentation of the threats and abuse that women journalists face globally.[28] The Coalition established a network in several countries, each including local mentors, who offer guidance to CFWIJ Fellows in their respective local language.[29] Nazish sought to address gaps she saw in the industry and threats that women journalists face.[30][31] "In a precarious and largely misogynist environment, female journalists feel stressed, stuck and often tired," she said in an interview.[32] Nazish spoke at length about issues that women journalists face across the globe, and produced a research article for Women's Media Center on how women journalists work in Mexico.[33] The organization has networks in South Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North America.

Academia

Nazish is the Stanley Knowles Distinguished Professor for 2019-2020 and is teaching journalism to undergraduate students at Brandon University.[34] She taught courses such as Covering Conflict and International Journalism at the O.P. Jindal Global University in Delhi, India.[35] She initiated journalism training programs and fellowships through her initiative at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).[36]

Recognition

Nazish received an Agahi Award in 2013 for best reporting for her story on internally displaced children in Dawn[37] and was nominated for other pieces during 2012.[38] Her work was on the Foreign Policy AfPak Channels’ Top 10 of 2012. Her interview with Pakistani politician (and Prime Minister elect in 2018) Imran Khan made the list. It was the year's fifth most read piece.[39] In 2019, Splice Watch featured her on their People to Watch list for 2019.[40]

References
  1. "The Coalition for Women in Journalism is creating a network of support based on mentorship". journalism.co.uk. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  2. "Tüm Dünyadaki Kadın Gazeteciler İçin Bir Ağ: Coalition For Women In Journalism". Sivil Sayfalar.
  3. "The 2nd AGAHI Awards Maps out Quality Journalism in Pakistan". mishal.com.pk. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  4. "Visiting prof goes from conflicts to BU campus". Canada. October 15, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  5. Nazish, Kiran (January 2013). "fundamental objections".
  6. "Extremism vs. Education". US. January 16, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  7. "Drone Warfare in Pakistan". US. October 30, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  8. Nazish, Kiran (October 25, 2015). "Life under Islamic State rule in Mosul one of constant fear". Mosul. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  9. "Escaping Kobane: Relief and guilt". October 15, 2014.
  10. Ali, Huseyn (December 25, 2014). "I dream of a job, a school, a home".
  11. Matthews, Dylan (October 20, 2014). "Vox Sentences: The ISIS battle you should know about". Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  12. Jalalzai, Musa Khan (October 1, 2015). The prospect of Nuclear Jihad in South Asia. Pakistan: Algora Publishing. p. 239. ISBN 978-1628941678.
  13. Nazish, Kiran (December 28, 2016). "Aleppo's calamity leaves the burning question: where is humanity in 2016?".
  14. Nazish, Kiran (December 13, 2016). "Aleppo civilians facing execution plead, 'Oh, God, help us'".
  15. Nazish, Kiran. "the political game and the humanitarian crisis". Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  16. Nazish, Kiran (March 13, 2016). "Cizre in ruins as Turkey lifts curfew on Kurdish towns". Cizre. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  17. "2014 FELLOW KIRAN NAZISH". danielpearl.org. Retrieved January 1, 2020..
  18. "KIRAN NAZISH FELLOWSHIP ARTICLES". danielpearl.org. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  19. "For Pakistan's unprotected and threatened journalists, can new legislation make a difference?". ifex.org. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  20. "Pakistan's military, ISI waging 'quiet war' against journalists, activists: Expert". defence.az. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  21. "Responding to Internet Abuse". cpj.org. April 27, 2016.
  22. "Seeking Freedom: The Press in Pakistan". May 6, 2012.
  23. "A Female Journalist in Pakistan: Kiran Nazish". thediplomat.com. April 24, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  24. Rubin, Elizabeth (May 2013). "Journalists Killed 2003-2012" (PDF). Roots of Impunity (Report). Committee to Protect Journalists. p. 41. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  25. Surveillance of Female Journalists in Pakistan (PDF) (Report). Digital Rights Foundation. 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  26. "The Coalition for Women in Journalism is creating a network of support based on mentorship". journalism.co.uk. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  27. "Women Journalists Bring a Whole New Type of Support Based on Mentorship". dw.com. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  28. "CFWIJ receives funding support from The Craig Newmark Philanthropies". medium.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  29. "Coalition For Women In Journalism Offers Mentoring, Global Support". pressroom.rferl.org. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  30. "CFWIJ Kurucusu Kiran Nazish: Kadın Gazetecilik Destek Ağı Oluşturmayı Hedefliyoruz". otekileringundemi.com. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  31. "Tüm Dünyadaki Kadın Gazeteciler İçin Bir Ağ: Coalition For Women In Journalism". www.sivilsayfalar.org. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  32. "Gazeteci kadınlar için bir destek ağı". journo.com.tr. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  33. Nazish, Kiran (June 8, 2016). "Essential tools for reporting in Mexico: a notebook, camera, and contraceptive pill".
  34. "Visiting prof goes from conflicts to BU campus". Canada. October 15, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  35. "Pakistan, India and Aman ki Asha: The year that was, and looking ahead". amankiasha.com. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  36. Shaukat, Aroosa (September 30, 2012). "technological understanding: LUMS project studies internet's impact".
  37. "For Jalozai IDPs, returning home is a far-off dream". dawn.com. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  38. "The 2nd AGAHI Awards Maps out Quality Journalism in Pakistan". mishal.com.pk. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  39. "The AfPak channels Top 10 of 2012". foreignpolicy.com. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  40. "Splice Watch 2019". www.splicemedia.com. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
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