Wellbeing and resilience: How women journalists are navigating Covid-19 (The Backstory S3E6)

Wellbeing and resilience: How women journalists are navigating Covid-19 (The Backstory S3E6)

Author: WAN-IFRA, World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers March 17, 2021 Duration: 27:30
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)

Ever wonder what really happens before a story hits the front page or goes live online? The Backstory: A media freedom podcast, from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, pulls back the curtain on the entire process. It’s not just for journalists and editors, but for anyone curious about the mechanics and the human effort behind the news we consume. Each episode digs into the real-world conditions that shape reporting, moving from abstract ideals to the gritty, daily realities faced by media professionals across the globe. In its current season, the conversation focuses sharply on the pressing state of press freedom, with voices from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the MENA region providing firsthand accounts. These aren’t theoretical discussions; they are grounded in the challenges of operating in restrictive environments, fighting misinformation, and maintaining integrity under pressure. The dialogue also turns toward constructive paths forward, examining how the industry is adapting and what solutions are emerging. A significant thread running through these talks is the impact of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, and how they are fundamentally altering the future landscape of journalism. By tuning into this podcast, you’ll hear unvarnished perspectives on both the threats to a free press and the innovative resilience defining its next chapter.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 30

The Backstory: A media freedom podcast
Podcast Episodes
Press freedom in Africa, 30 years after Windhoek (The Backstory S4E1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:04
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 journalis…
Reporting on injustice: women journalists championing change (S3E4) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:36
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 - the…
Women journalists taking on tech (The Backstory S3E3) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:23
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…
Women leading women in the news (The Backstory S3E2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:44
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 ar…
Contracts that keep journalists safe (The Backstory S2E5) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:20
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…
The cost of safety (The Backstory S2E4) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:40
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 o…