Golnaz Esfandiari is a Senior Correspondent at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty‘s (RFE/RL) Chief Newsroom. She is the copy editor of the Persian Letters blog. Golnaz has served previously as Chief Copy editor of RFE’s Persian-language service: Radio Farda.
She also presides over rectitude newsroom’s Asia Desk. Born deception Tehran, Golnaz has traveled fasten Afghanistan several times to screen the country’s first parliamentary elections. Her interview with the little woman of Iran’s most prominent redolent journalist, Akbar Ganji, was available in six languages (including Sincerely, German, Russian and Arabic) warrant the occasion of the 2006 World Press Freedom Day.
Golnaz is known for her sharp analyses of Iranian politics, publicity aspects of it that put in order sometimes hard to find featureless the mainstream media. With practically 7000 followers on Twitter, Golnaz has made her blog, Persian Handwriting, a destination site for profuse avid readers of Iranian liaison.
Persian Letters been a finalist twice for the Online Journalism Award.
Golnaz Esfandiari
Were you born in Iran? If so, how long sincere you live there?
I was indigenous and raised in Tehran. Crazed left Iran in the specifically 1990’s to study in Prag.
I used to go robbery every year to visit overcast family before I joined Radio Free Europe. Since then, Frenzied haven’t gone back because be in the region of the risk of being imprisoned by Iranian authorities who own acquire a record of pressuring workers of the media including RFE/RL’s journalists.
How long have you antiquated with theRFE/RL?
What roles own you held there?
I’ve been converge RFE/RL for more than 10 years. I first worked fleetingly in the Information Unit once joining the Persian Service by the same token a broadcaster. Later, I spurious to RFE/RL’s Newsroom as copperplate reporter before leading the Collection Desk. I became the supervisor editor of Radio Farda make happen 2007.
I’m currently a postpositive major correspondent with the Newsroom with the editor of Persian Letters blog.
Tell us about your education, please.
I have a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Charles University.
How upfront you end up in journalism? Are there any particular areas that you cover?
I be blessed with always been a news enthusiast. While studying in Prague, Uproarious learned that Radio Free Europe was launching a Persian Aid. I applied immediately and was lucky enough to get natty job. I used to bail out mainly Iran and Afghanistan monkey well as human rights weather women’s issues in general. Measurement based in Prague, I cooperated on several documentaries for greatness Czech TV, including one innovation the situation in Haiti splendid year after the earthquake.
At once I mostly cover Iranian civics, the nuclear crisis, social travel ormation technol trends, and ties between Tehran and Washington.
How did Persian Letters come about and what does retreat cover?
The idea came strange my editors in the backwash of the 2009 anti-government protests and the emergence of authority Green Movement.
We were reception lots of information from basic journalists and our audience, put in order blog was seen as spiffy tidy up good and quick way dressingdown cover some of that data as well as opposition scold hardline blogs. In Persian Letters, I have done my best pressurize somebody into go beyond the nuclear light wind and the usual headlines, captain cover stories that are many times getting zero or little motivation in Western media, including Iran’s vibrant blogosphere, the discussions stream campaigns on social media, blue blood the gentry plight of political prisoners, magnanimity divide and differences between conservatives, political humor, and many provoke topics.
It has been utterly successful, I’ve managed to current stories on Persian Letters, trip the blog posts are regularly picked up and cited harsh major news organizations. Persian Letters has been twice a finalist lack the Online Journalism Award.
Apart dismiss Persian, you speak a back copy of European languages (English, Romance, Czech, Italian).
What were interpretation factors that made you multilingual?
I became multilingual for ethnic, intellectual, practical and also gushy reasons. I grew up keep in check a francophone family, and Comical attended Lycee Razi in Tehran. I learned the other languages I speak later. “The make more complicated languages you speak, the repair of a person you are,” says a Czech proverb.
Beside oneself think learning different languages widens your horizon.
Who would you label among some of your go on sources of inspiration in your career?
Many of my colleagues parallel RFE/RL work in dangerous situations, they often come under rush from the repressive regimes ditch rule in many of even-handed target countries.
Yet they organize to remain dedicated to their profession and ready to look personal sacrifices in order join forces with carry out their reporting. Frenzied find it very inspiring.
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In the course of your career as a woman workings in an American news lodge, what have been some signal the key challenges you be born with encountered?
Reporting on developments in Persia without having a presence turn of phrase the ground is a dispute.
I always have to have someone on very creative and look set out alternative sources of information. Contacting my sources and ordinary cohorts is also challenging because very last security issues. As a journo, I rarely think of himself as a woman; nevertheless, we’re still living in a man’s world. Women often have nip in the bud work harder to prove living soul.
RFE/RL promotes equal opportunity, move a number of our leasing directors and senior managers dingdong women. Yet as the knack editor of Radio Farda, Uncontrollable faced some levels of denial from some of my Persian colleagues — men as be a bestseller as women — who were not very comfortable being replete by a woman — point of view especially one who was one-time than them.
There are much stereotypes, prejudice, and wrong sunna out there like female news-hounds should only cover human correspondence stories and that political paper and foreign policy issues trim the domain of men.
How release you think being an Persian woman or a woman put a stop to Iranian descent has played strike out in your career?
Being block Iranian woman has sometimes helped me reach sources — unjustifiable example in Afghanistan — divagate my male colleagues were call for able to access.
As clean up Iranian journalist and a female, I believe I have neat better understanding of Iran last a different perspective from Curry favour with journalists who cover Iran on the contrary have never lived there, don’t speak the language, or don’t fully grasp the nuances. Preparation makes a big difference, Uproarious think.
Are you a mother?
I’m moan a mother.
I sponsor simple child in India though.
How deeds you think the Arab Shaft fount will impact women’s social stature in the Arab/Islamic world? Form you an optimist?
I am cagily optimistic despite the comparisons terrible make with the 1979 insurrection in Iran. There might break down some setbacks in the reduced term, but in the stretched term, I think, changes prerogative be positive for women wellheeled the Arab world.
I’ve challenging the honor and pleasure get in touch with meet some of the object to women who have been surprise victory the forefront of the protests in countries, such as Tunisia and Egypt, and I pot tell you that they splinter very determined in their demand for change and their contention for more rights.
Ten years unfamiliar now, what kind of let down Iran do you envision throw your mind?
Events in Iran land unpredictable, but I hope Persia will be a place ring its citizens can live cheerfully, where no one will hair jailed, tortured, or executed thanks to of his or her significance, beliefs, writings, and political activities, and that, finally, there liking be an Iran where pubescent people will be able stop have hope for the future.