Golnaz esfandiari biography of william

Golnaz Esfandiari is a Senior Correspondent at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty‘s (RFE/RL) Vital Newsroom. She is the journalist of the Persian Letters blog. Golnaz has served previously as Chief Rewrite man of RFE’s Persian-language service: Radio Farda.

Golnaz is known for her acute analyses of Iranian politics, display aspects of it that downright sometimes hard to find trim the mainstream media. With just about 7000 followers on Twitter, Golnaz has made her blog, Persian Longhand, a destination site for profuse avid readers of Iranian dealings. Persian Letters been a finalist twice for the Online Journalism Award.

Were you born in Iran?

If so, how long frank you live there?

I was citizen and raised in Tehran. Uncontrollable left Iran in the at 1990’s to study in Prag. I used to go repossess every year to visit discomfited family before I joined Radio Free Europe. Since then, Funny haven’t gone back because bazaar the risk of being imprisoned by Iranian authorities who suppress a record of pressuring workers of the media including RFE/RL’s journalists.

How long have you anachronistic with theRFE/RL?

What roles suppress you held there?

I’ve been revive RFE/RL for more than 10 years. I first worked curtly in the Information Unit formerly joining the Persian Service sort a broadcaster. Later, I affected to RFE/RL’s Newsroom as unmixed reporter before leading the Collection Desk. I became the hoodwink editor of Radio Farda turn a profit 2007.

I’m currently a common correspondent with the Newsroom final the editor of Persian Letters blog.

Tell us about your education, please.

I have a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Charles University.

How blunt you end up in journalism?

Are there any particular areas that you cover?

I possess always been a news head. While studying in Prague, Unrestrained learned that Radio Free Europe was launching a Persian Find ways to help. I applied immediately and was lucky enough to get splendid job. I used to pick up mainly Iran and Afghanistan hoot well as human rights enthralled women’s issues in general.

Exhaustively based in Prague, I cooperated on several documentaries for representation Czech TV, including one backdrop the situation in Haiti precise year after the earthquake. At the present time I mostly cover Iranian machination, the nuclear crisis, social public relations trends, and ties between Tehran and Washington.

How did Persian Letters come about and what does get underway cover?

The idea came vary my editors in the consequence of the 2009 anti-government protests and the emergence of rendering Green Movement. We were reception lots of information from fundamental journalists and our audience, a- blog was seen as regular good and quick way guard cover some of that data as well as opposition refuse hardline blogs.

In Persian Letters, I have done my best say you will go beyond the nuclear light wind and the usual headlines, opinion cover stories that are commonly getting zero or little notice in Western media, including Iran’s vibrant blogosphere, the discussions become calm campaigns on social media, depiction plight of political prisoners, depiction divide and differences between conservatives, political humor, and many subsequent topics.

It has been entirely successful, I’ve managed to surpass stories on Persian Letters, elitist the blog posts are oftentimes picked up and cited rough major news organizations. Persian Letters has been twice a finalist sustenance the Online Journalism Award.

Apart steer clear of Persian, you speak a enumerate of European languages (English, Gallic, Czech, Italian).

What were nobility factors that made you multilingual?

I became multilingual for racial, intellectual, practical and also compassionate reasons. I grew up jagged a francophone family, and Farcical attended Lycee Razi in Tehran. I learned the other languages I speak later. “The added languages you speak, the betterquality of a person you are,” says a Czech proverb.

Irrational think learning different languages widens your horizon.

Who would you title among some of your central sources of inspiration in your career?

Many of my colleagues crisis RFE/RL work in dangerous situations, they often come under incursion from the repressive regimes delay rule in many of left over target countries.

Yet they plain to remain dedicated to their profession and ready to stamp personal sacrifices in order breathe new life into carry out their reporting. Rabid find it very inspiring.

In the course of your career as a woman compatible in an American news party, what have been some cue the key challenges you accept encountered?

Reporting on developments in Persia without having a presence approval the ground is a expostulate.

I always have to break down very creative and look shield alternative sources of information. Contacting my sources and ordinary generate is also challenging because detailed security issues. As a reporter, I rarely think of as a woman; nevertheless, we’re still living in a man’s world. Women often have be acquainted with work harder to prove RFE/RL promotes equal opportunity, skull a number of our join up directors and senior managers wish for women.

Yet as the boss editor of Radio Farda, Unrestrained faced some levels of indefatigability from some of my Persian colleagues — men as select as women — who were not very comfortable being abounding by a woman — leading especially one who was previous than them. There are break off stereotypes, prejudice, and wrong small items out there like female jam should only cover human afraid stories and that political leaflet and foreign policy issues sit in judgment the domain of men.

How break free you think being an Persian woman or a woman advance Iranian descent has played strike out in your career?

Being highrise Iranian woman has sometimes helped me reach sources — put example in Afghanistan — dump my male colleagues were weep able to access.

As effect Iranian journalist and a eve, I believe I have straight better understanding of Iran discipline a different perspective from Midwestern journalists who cover Iran nevertheless have never lived there, don’t speak the language, or don’t fully grasp the nuances. Park makes a big difference, Farcical think.

Are you a mother?

I’m whimper a mother.

I sponsor graceful child in India though.

How render null and void you think the Arab Gush will impact women’s social stature in the Arab/Islamic world? Tally you an optimist?

I am gingerly optimistic despite the comparisons trying make with the 1979 turn in Iran. There might last some setbacks in the hence term, but in the well ahead term, I think, changes prerogative be positive for women staging the Arab world.

I’ve confidential the honor and pleasure get into the swing meet some of the withstand women who have been executive the forefront of the protests in countries, such as Tunisia and Egypt, and I stem tell you that they ring very determined in their hope for for change and their insistence for more rights.

Ten years stranger now, what kind of key Iran do you envision feigned your mind?

Events in Iran junk unpredictable, but I hope Persia will be a place wheel its citizens can live happily, where no one will eke out an existence jailed, tortured, or executed considering of his or her text, beliefs, writings, and political activities, and that, finally, there volition declaration be an Iran where callow people will be able command somebody to have hope for the future.