Female First in Journalism: Attending the IWMF Awards

Parisa Hafezi at the IWMF Awards, on October 27th, at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York City

This past Thursday, October 27th, I attended the International Women’s Media Foundation’s 21st Annual Courage in Journalism Awards, on behalf of CBS News. IWMF honored Parisa Hafezi – the first female journalist to work in Iran representing foreign media since 1979, and the only female journalist working for Reuters in the Middle East – along with four other female journalists who had endured violence, threats, and political pressure in the field.

According to the IWMF website, “the Courage in Journalism Award is the only international awards that recognize the bravery of women journalists.” In attendance to support: Princess Rym Ali of Jordan and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Arianna Huffington, and ABC’s Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopoulus, who introduced Hafezi.

While many other journalists fled her country in 2009, due to political unrest, Hafezi stayed put. In her own words, Hafezi described that decision: “I said to my colleagues, if you want, you can leave. I am staying so that I can feel the fear that the people feel and I can write about it.” Hafezi is a single-mother to two young girls. Her home was raided in front of her kids after reporting that Iranian President Ahmadinejad favored a U.N.–drafted nuclear fuel deal in November of 2009. “My kids were scared—they don’t forget—especially the little one,” said Hafezi.

Several months later, after raids on her home and workplace, in February of 2010, four men abducted Hafezi as she left her office. They took her to an unmarked building where she was subjected to verbal and physical harassment and intimidation for hours. “What upset me the most,” said Hafezi, “was that they made accusations that I was involved sexually with former government officials. How else, they proclaimed, would I have been previewed to top secret information.” This experience, Hafezi said, made her feel “humiliated,” because she had no clue what the interrogators were talking about. Yet, she maintained her silence when asked to name her sources.

Today, the Iranian governmental constantly watches the Reuters offices in Tehran and there have been several break-ins. The Iranian government refers to Reuters as “the Zionist news agency.” Despite all of this, Hafezi is determined to do her job as Bureau Chief and report the truth. “It’s my job and I love my job,” said Hafezi. “When you love your job, you want to do it properly for the sake of other Iranian women, to show that we can do it. We can overcome difficulty.” Her ultimate inspiration, Hafezi said, is her daughters. “To pave the way for my daughters, I want them to have a better country. Who else better to do it than I? It is my duty.”

As a female journalist, I was directly impacted by Hafezi’s touching story of triumph in the face of adversity. Being a woman in a male dominated industry is far from easy; but these women showed me that it’s not reason enough to quit. In fact, I believe, that women are the best journalists because we are capable of being compassionate while still remaining objective. This allows us to break through political, social, and cultural barriers in our writing and reporting. Covering the 2011 International Women’s Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Awards, reminded me just how important organizations like She’s the First are, and why I am happy to be a part of this team. By educating young girls in developing nations, we are empowering them to be fearless and courageous. One day, the girls in our program will be the brave journalists defying the odds and receiving this prestigious honor.

Why I’m Attending UN Intl Year of Youth Celebration

by Samantha Neugebauer

Post author Samantha Neugebauer

Hi! I’m Samantha Neugebauer and I’m one of 192 delegates selected to participate in the UN International Year of Youth Celebration on August 11th in New York City. This celebration, sponsored by AllyKatz and hosted by High School Musical star Monique Coleman, will be an opportunity for motivated girls ages 11-24 to share their voice and opinions on important global issues.

Through the Twitter feed of @shesthefirst and its founder @tammytibbetts, I learned about this amazing opportunity! I would not have known to apply otherwise. Now, I get to spend a day at the UN headquarters and the French Institute Alliance Francaise, become friends with a group of talented and inspiring girls, participate in a press conference broadcast worldwide, and meet celebrities and sponsors.

Most importantly, I will have a platform to talk about an issue I can about: college access. At the Millennium UN Summit in September 2000, eight Millennium Developments Goals were agreed upon by members of the UN with a deadline of 2015. At present date, it is unlikely that all these goals will be attained in entirety, but that does not mean the UN has not made great strides over the last 11 years. At the Youth Celebration, I plan to talk about the Millennium Goal of Universal Education.

According to a report by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, countries such as Burundi, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo and Tanzania have either achieved or come close to attaining primary education for all its children. This a great progress, but there is a still a long way to go. This past May, I graduated with an M.S.Ed in Higher Education from the University of Pennsylvania. The primary focus of my studies was college access and international education; however, my interest as education stretches back as far back as I can remember.

I am proud to have grown up Philadelphia and I was the first person in my family to earn a college degree when I graduated from New York University. At NYU, I developed my own concentration on the American Dream and I learned a lot about the social, economic, and geographic forces that keep people from receiving a quality education. I also learned how even in the most educated societies in the world, there is still fear and misunderstanding.

In March 2011, shortly after the heartbreaking natural disasters in Japan, a U.C.LA. student made an unsettling YouTube video. She complained and mocked fellow Japanese students who, in her opinion, were being too noisy in the library following Japan’s devastation. While she received harsh criticism from many in her university community and beyond, the disconcerting truth is this student is not an anomaly. Despite globalization, technology, and efforts by various groups, there is still room in our own country and across the world for more and better education.

I believe with Universal Education, we will see a sharp decline in this type of behavior, misapprehension, and racism. As our world shrinks, we will rely on our international friendships for many things and with educated societies, we will come to respect all cultures and create dialogues with one another. It is simple to think the problem is elsewhere, in some faraway place, but we can’t ignore the educational discrepancies between one neighborhood to the next right here in America. That is why I plan to discuss how it is imperative that we all have a chance–not just those born in wealthy societies and households–to have an education and a voice among the world’s nearly seven billion citizens.

I’ll fill you in on what happens at the Celebration– please leave any questions you have for me about the big day below!