Female Al Youm Producers Highlighted in Alhayat Article
Alhayat, a pan-Arab newspaper, published a story about the obstacles that Arab female journalists face in the Middle East. It quoted Fran Mires, Al Youm’s Executive Producer and Al Youm’s female senior producers in Lebanon, Jerusalem, Cairo and Dubai.
In the article, Mires said that Al Youm’s team leaders in the Middle East are strong independent women. They balance family and work.
“As Arab women, and as trusted voices in the region’s media, we must be part of the change that is growing every day and unfolding before our eyes,” said Nayla Khoury, one of the show’s senior producers in Lebanon. “The media has always played a key role in breaking down boundaries and destroying false perceptions by transcending gender, social and cultural divisions.”
Abeer Salman, Al Youm’s Senior Producer in Jerusalem said “we constantly challenge ourselves to bring our audience across the region and around the world angles to stories that they have never seen before.”
Nidale Zgheib, Senior Producer of Al Youm in Lebanon, and mother of two young children found it uneasy to give herself fully to these two most important aspects of her life. But she believes that family and work can go together. A successful woman will always find a way to be a great wife, a super mom and a successful businesswoman. “I forget sometimes that I am a woman; I only know that I am a person who is passionate about her family and work, and I approach my family and work responsibilities with the same devotion and commitment.”
Badia Samir, Al Youm’s Senior Producer in Cairo said, the empowerment of women is a long road that needs the attention of journalists. “Each day I try to prove that women can succeed and overcome fear just like men. I was covering the Egyptian revolution from Tahrir Square, surrounded by thugs who threatened me, but I persevered. The fact that I am a woman didn’t stop me from fulfilling my duty.”
“Women are gifted with patience and the ability to accommodate others. Those qualities helped me and my colleagues deal with the pressure and challenges of our chosen profession,” added Souad Belaoun in Dubai. “Our show is blessed with strong female leaders, but I need to say that it is our hard work and shared vision that unites us, not our gender.”
Alhayat also quoted Alarabiya’s news journalist Nivine Afiouni.
http://international.daralhayat.com/internationalarticle/256833