Reporting from Conflict Zones: Media Resilience in Afghanistan
11:45 AM – 1 PM
Location: Al Mirqab Ballroom, Four Seasons Hotel Doha
This panel discussion offers a timely and crucial exploration of the media and journalism landscape in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. It examines the challenges faced by journalists and media organizations in covering stories from Afghanistan. Panelists will discuss the impact of the Taliban’s return on press freedom, with a focus on censorship, self- censorship, and the challenges of reporting under intense scrutiny. The discussion will also delve into the safety risks faced by journalists, including targeted attacks, threats, and intimidation, as well as ethical concerns regarding protection of sources and other on-the-ground support. The aim of the panel is to shed light on the critical role of media and journalism in Afghanistan post- 2021 and to foster a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as journalists navigate the complexity of reporting on and from Afghanistan during the Taliban rule.
Suzi Mirgani (Chair)
Suzi Mirgani is Assistant Director for Publications at the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS), Georgetown University in Qatar. Her research lies at the intersection of politics and popular culture. She is author of Target Markets: International Terrorism Meets Global Capitalism in the Mall (Transcript Press, 2017); editor of Informal Politics in the Middle East (Oxford University Press/Hurst, 2021); and Art and Cultural Production in the Gulf Cooperation Council (London: Routledge, 2017); and co-editor of Bullets and Bulletins: Media and Politics in the Wake of the Arab Uprisings (Oxford University Press/Hurst 2016), and Food Security in the Middle East (Oxford University Press/Hurst, 2014). Her recent publications include: “Peeking behind the Curtain: Gulf Filmmakers Imagine the Lives of Female Migrant Domestic Workers in the Arabian Peninsula,” in Reorienting the Middle East: Film and Digital Media Where the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean Meet, eds. Dale Hudson and Alia Yunis (Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2023); and “Consumer Citizenship: National Identity and Museum Merchandise in Qatar,” Middle East Journal 73, no. 4 (2019). Mirgani served as book review editor for the Journal of Arabian Studies from 2015 to 2022, and she publishes short stories and poetry, some of which have appeared in Mizna 23, no. 2 (2022); International Feminist Journal of Politics(2007); Journeys Home: An Anthology of Contemporary African Diasporic Experience (2009). As a complement to her academic work, Mirgani is an independent filmmaker, highlighting stories from the Arab world.
Sana Safi
Sana Safi is a Senior Presenter for the daily BBC News Pashto TV news program, BBC Naray Da Wakht (BBC World Right Now). In addition to her television role, she hosts “Newsday” on BBC World Service, a global radio news program, covering the latest developments that matter to international audiences. Her radio documentaries have made a significant impact, shedding light on critical aspects of Afghan history and society Over the last 15 years, she has covered issues ranging from women’s rights and human rights to media freedom, corruption, and migration. Project 17, a BBC World Service radio and podcast series made in partnership with The Open University, which she presented, explored the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals through the eyes of seventeen,17-year-olds from 17 different countries. Apart from her journalistic work, she is known as the author of a children’s book and a collection of short stories.
Ibraheem Bahiss
Ibraheem Bahiss is an Afghanistan Analyst with the International Crisis Group. He has spent several years living and researching in Afghanistan. He has authored several reports looking at the Taliban’s policies and governance as an insurgency. Currently, he is based in Afghanistan, where he leads Crisis Group’s country office and manages a team of researchers tracking various geographic and thematic issues.
Ali Latifi
Ali Latifi is an Emmy-nominated producer and writer working for major US and International broadcasters and print outlets, including PBS, CNN, The New York Times, Foreign Policy Magazine and the LA Times. He has reported from Washington DC, Greece, Turkey, Qatar, and Afghanistan, among other locations. He has covered the struggles Afghan refugees face in Greece and Turkey since 2013. He has also written extensively on the Taliban in Doha and is a frequent commentator on Afghan issues for radio and television news. In Afghanistan, he has traveled across at least 15 of the country’s 34 provinces, where he has covered everything from drone strikes and civilian casualties to singing competitions and the cost of marriage in remote areas.