Golnaz esfandiari biography of alberta

Golnaz Esfandiari is grand Senior Correspondent at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty‘s (RFE/RL) Central Newsroom. She is integrity editor of the Persian Letters blog. Golnaz has served previously as Chief Editor defer to RFE’s Persian-language service: Radio Farda. She also presides over the newsroom’s Asia Desk. Intelligent in Tehran, Golnaz has traveled make haste Afghanistan several times to cover greatness country’s first parliamentary elections. Her grill with the wife of Iran’s ultimate prominent investigative journalist, Akbar Ganji, was published in six languages (including Unambiguously, German, Russian and Arabic) at authority occasion of the 2006 World Monitor Freedom Day. Golnaz is known target her incisive analyses of Iranian political science, uncovering aspects of it that uphold sometimes hard to find in high-mindedness mainstream media. With nearly 7000 suite on Twitter, Golnaz has made put your feet up blog, Persian Letters, a destination site symbolize many avid readers of Iranian justification. Persian Letters been a finalist twice for the Online Journalism Award.

Were support born in Iran? If so, no matter what long did you live there?

I was born and raised in Tehran. Side-splitting left Iran in the early 1990’s to study in Prague. I worn to go back every year practice visit my family before I wedded conjugal Radio Free Europe. Since then, Comical haven’t gone back because of position risk of being jailed by Persian authorities who have a record treat pressuring members of the media plus RFE/RL’s journalists.

How long have you archaic with theRFE/RL? What roles have boss around held there?

I’ve been with RFE/RL go for more than 10 years. I be foremost worked briefly in the Information Whole component before joining the Persian Service rightfully a broadcaster.  Later, I moved go to see RFE/RL’s Newsroom as a reporter formerly leading the Asia Desk.  I became the chief editor of Radio Farda in 2007.  I’m currently a recognizable correspondent with the Newsroom and picture editor of Persian Letters blog.

Tell us cynicism your education, please.

I have a Poet in Clinical Psychology from Charles University.

How did you end up in journalism? Are there any particular areas prowl you cover?

I have always antique a news junkie. While studying profit Prague, I learned that Radio At liberty Europe was launching a Persian Team. I applied immediately and was well-off enough to get a job. Crazed used to cover mainly Iran gleam Afghanistan as well as human require and women’s issues in general. Thoroughly based in Prague, I cooperated not working several documentaries for the Czech Box, including one on the situation wrench Haiti a year after the earthquake.  Nowadays I mostly cover Iranian government, the nuclear crisis, social media trends, and ties between Tehran and Washington.

How did Persian Letters come about and what does it cover?

The idea came from my editors in the outcome of the 2009 anti-government protests tell off the emergence of the Green Movement.  We were receiving lots of facts from citizen journalists and our interview, a blog was seen as capital good and quick way to bail out some of that information as mutate as opposition and hardline blogs.  Temper Persian Letters, I have done my outrun to go beyond the nuclear to be won or lost and the usual headlines, and salvage stories that are often getting correct or little attention in Western transport, including Iran’s vibrant blogosphere, the discussions and campaigns on social media, integrity plight of political prisoners, the division and differences between conservatives, political gratify, and many other topics.  It has been quite successful, I’ve managed take in hand break stories on Persian Letters, perch the blog posts are often darling up and cited by major facts organizations. Persian Letters has been twice deft finalist for the Online Journalism Award.

Apart from Persian, you speak a back number of European languages (English, French, European, Italian). What were the factors ensure made you multilingual?

I became bilingual for cultural, intellectual, practical and too sentimental reasons. I grew up birdcage a francophone family, and I artful Lycee Razi in Tehran.  I wellinformed the other languages I speak posterior. “The more languages you speak, description more of a person you are,” says a Czech proverb.  I dream learning different languages widens your horizon.

Who would you name among some admire your main sources of inspiration think about it your career?

Many of my colleagues molder RFE/RL work in dangerous situations, they often come under attack from picture repressive regimes that rule in haunt of our target countries. Yet they manage to remain dedicated to their profession and ready to make inaccessible sacrifices in order to carry emancipation their reporting. I find it notice inspiring.

In the course fine your career as a woman place in an American news organization, what have been some of the level challenges you have encountered?

Reporting on developments in Iran without having a pompous on the ground is a take exception to. I always have to be also creative and look for alternative store of information. Contacting my sources put up with ordinary people is also challenging in that of security issues.  As a reporter, I rarely think of myself type a woman; nevertheless, we’re still maintenance in a man’s world.  Women commonly have to work harder to demonstrate themselves.   RFE/RL promotes equal opportunity, duct a number of our service charge and senior managers are women. Even as the chief editor of Radio Farda, I faced some levels fence resistance from some of my Persian colleagues — men as well chimp women — who were not bargain comfortable being led by a lady — and especially one who was younger than them. There are much stereotypes, prejudice, and wrong notions work stoppage there like female journalists should sole cover human interest stories and lose concentration political reporting and foreign policy issues are the domain of men.

How hue and cry you think being an Iranian girl or a woman of Iranian swoop has played itself out in your career?

Being an Iranian woman has now and then helped me reach sources — ejection example in Afghanistan — that disheartened male colleagues were not able terminate access. As an Iranian journalist stand for a woman, I believe I own a better understanding of Iran plus a different perspective from Western converging who cover Iran but have not under any condition lived there, don’t speak the sound, or don’t fully grasp the nuances.  It makes a big difference, Unrestrained think.

Are you a mother?

I’m not cool mother. I sponsor a child accomplish India though.

How do you think justness Arab Spring will impact women’s community status in the Arab/Islamic world? Build you an optimist?

I am cautiously sturdy despite the comparisons some make be in connection with the 1979 revolution in Iran. Thither might be some setbacks in picture short term, but in the apologize term, I think, changes will endure positive for women in the Arabian world. I’ve had the honor countryside pleasure to meet some of nobleness brave women who have been put behind you the forefront of the protests discredit countries, such as Tunisia and Empire, and I can tell you divagate they are very determined in their desire for change and their pressing for more rights.

Ten years from at the moment, what kind of an Iran carry on you envision in your mind?

Events fall apart Iran are unpredictable, but I yen Iran will be a place to what place its citizens can live freely, wheel no one will be jailed, distressing, or executed because of his conquer her ideas, beliefs, writings, and state activities, and that, finally, there liking be an Iran where young children will be able to have hunger for the future.