Women In Journalism Power List by CFWIJ

Follow and hire women journalists and experts on Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, ISIS and the Kurdish issues

Women journalists are on the ground covering the hot spots of the world. The Coalition For Women In Journalism prepared a list of reliable women journalists and experts you should follow for the coverage and for hire.

Many of them spent years gaining expertise in the region, often learning the language and making connection that gives them deep insight on the stories they cover or analyze. This list should help readers find some of the best journalism and analysis. This list should also help employers, television producers and researcher find the best women on the ground who bring nuanced, gritty reportage from anywhere on the global timezone.

Syria: Reporters and analysts

1. Alessandria Masi: Managing Editor for Syria Deeply and currently works at CNN. She tweets here.
2. Elizabeth Ferris: ISIM Research Professor at Georgetown and a non-resident senior fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution. She tweets here.
3. Elizabeth Tsurkov: Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute. Admin, Women Know MENA — a platform for analysis and reportage by female reporters, analysts and practitioners focused on the Middle East and North Africa. She tweets here.
4. Farah Najjar: Journalist/Producer for Al Jazeera English with a focus on Palestine and MENA. She tweets here.
5. Hannah Allam: Foreign affairs reporter for McClatchy Newspapers, former Baghdad bureau chief. She tweets here.
6. Hoda Abdel-Hamid: War correspondent with Al Jazeera. She was hired as the Iraq correspondent and then became a Senior International correspondent. She tweets here.
7. Hwaida Saad: Covers Syria from Lebanon. She tweets here.
8. Janine di Giovanni: Analyst and author. 2019 Guggenheim Fellow and senior fellow at Yale Jackson Institute. Long-time war reporter on conflict. She tweets here.
9. Joyce Karam: Washington Correspondent, The National. She tweets here.
10. Kiran Nazish: Journalist and analyst on Syria, ISIS, terrorism, Afghanistan, Turkey and Kurdish issues. Former Senior Fellow New America Foundation. She tweets here.
11. Liz Sly: Washington Post’s Beirut bureau chief. She tweets here.
12. Nussaibah Younis: Senior Research Associate at the Project on Middle East Democracy in Washington DC. She tweets here.
13. Rania Abouzeid: Independent journalist based in Beirut covering the Middle East, primarily Syria. She tweets here.
14. Robin Wright: Writer for New Yorker. Author of Rock the Casbah and other books on Middle-East. She tweets here.
15. Rukmini Callimach: Correspondent for The New York Times covering ISIS. She tweets here.
16. Saphora Smith: Foreign reporter for NBC News covering Middle East and AfPak. She tweets here.
17. Suzan Haidamous: Washington Post reporter in Beirut. She tweets here.
18. Zeina Khodr: Senior correspondent at Aljazeera English for Turkey and Syria. She tweets here.

Kurdish issues: Journalists and analysts for commentary and panels

1. Aylina Kılıç: reporter focused on Kurdish issues. She tweets here.
2. Cale Salih: Project manager at the Institute for Integrated transitions, writes on Kurdistan. She tweets here.
3. Figen Gunes: Reporter with focus on Turkey, Kurdish issues and London. She tweets here.
4. Liz Sly: Washington Post’s Beirut bureau chief. She tweets here.
5. Lawen Azad: Former host and producer of ‘Inside Kurdistan Extra’. She tweets here.
6. Nurcan Baysal: Kurdish author, journalist, human rights defender, columnist. She tweets here.
7. Ruwayda Mustafah: Author of A Journey to Kurdistan. She tweets here.

Turkish-Syria border: Reporters/Photojournalists on the ground

1. Kristina Jovanovski: Canadian journalist based in Turkey since two years. Currently on the Turkish side of the Turkey-Syria border. She tweets here.
2. Jenan Moussa: Reporter for Dubai’s Al Aan TV. She tweets here.
3. Julia Hahn: DW’s Turkey Correspondent. She tweets here.

Turkish-Syria border: Analysts

1. Erin Cunningham: Washington Post correspondent in Istanbul, writing about the region. She tweets here.
2. Karen Young: Resident Scholar at American Enterprise Institute, covering political economy of the Gulf/MENA. She tweets here.
3. Mona Yacoubian: Conflict analysis and prevention in the Middle East at U.S. Institute of Peace, with a focus on Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan. She tweets here.

Turkey: Journalists on the ground

1. Alba Cambeiro: Freelance photojournalist from Spain based in Istanbul, covers Middle East politics with a special focus on social and gender issues. She tweets here.
2. Arwa Damon: CNN Senior International Correspondent. She tweets here.
3. Ayla Jean Yackley: Journalist covering Turkey. CFWIJ member. She tweets here.
4. Dareen Khalifa: Senior Syria Analyst, International Crisis Group. She tweets here.
5. Durrie Bouscaren: Journalist based in Istanbul, Turkey. She tweets here.
6. Ece Toksabay: Reuters correspondent based in Ankara, Turkey. She tweets here.
7. Fariba Nawa: Journalist and Host of On Spec Podcast and Author of Opium Nation. She tweets here.
8. Hélène Franchineau: Independent visual journalist with more than 8 years of experience in China and the Middle East. Speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Turkish. She tweets here.
9. Jane Arraf: NPR international correspondent covering Iraq. She tweets here.
10. Jenan Moussa: Reporter for Dubai’s Al Aan TV. She tweets here.
11. Liz Sly: Washington Post’s Beirut bureau chief. She tweets here.
12. Raziye Akkoc: AFP correspondent based in Ankara, Turkey and covers Turkish politics and foreign policy. Co-creator of weekly newsletter Turkey recap. She tweets here.
13. Sara Kayyali: Syria Researcher, Human Rights Watch. She tweets here.

Turkey: Analysts

1. Alev Scott: Freelance writer and author of Turkish Awakening. She tweets here.
2. Amberin Zaman: Columnist at Al-Monitor and former Turkey Correspondent, The Economist, Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar. She tweets here.
3. Asli Aydintasbas: Journalist and Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She tweets here.
4. Ayla Albayrak: Journalist, former WSJ correspondent in Istanbul. She tweets here.
5. Cale Salih: Researcher for The United Nations University’s Centre for Policy Research, formerly based in Kurdistan. She tweets here.
6. Christy Quirk: Polling specialist and political strategist based in Istanbul. She tweets here.
7. Emel Kurma: Helsinki Citizens Assembly, an organization of citizens dedicated to peace, democracy and human rights in Europe. She tweets here.
8. Emma Sinclair-Webb: Director for Human Rights Watch in Turkey. She tweets here.
9. Gonul Tol: Director of the Middle East Institute’s Turkish Studies Program in Washington. She tweets here.
10. Hale Akay: Independent researcher. She tweets here.
11. Humeyra Pamuk: Senior Correspondent at Reuters and Knight-Bagehot Fellow at Columbia Journalism School. She tweets here.
12. Jomana Qaddour: Syrian American lawyer and doctoral student Georgetown University Law Center focusing on constitutions and ethno-sectarian politics in Syria/Iraq. She tweets here.
13. Kiran Nazish: Turkey correspondent and analyst. CFWIJ member. She tweets here.
14. Laura Pitel: Financial Times correspondent based in Ankara, Turkey. CFWIJ member. She tweets here.
15. Nigar Goksel: Turkey Director, International Crisis Group. She tweets here.
16. Sabiha Senyucel Gundogar: Research director of PODEM Istanbul. She tweets here.
17. Zeynep Erdim: Bureau Editor, BBC News. She tweets here.

Lebanon: Journalists on the ground

1. Abby Sewell: Beirut-based features reporter for Daily Star Lebanon. She tweets here.
2. Alexandra Talty: Writer and Journalist based in Lebanon. She tweets here.
3. Bissan Fakih: Former campaign director The Syria Campaign. She tweets here.
4. Hwaida Saad: Beirut correspondent for the New York Times. CFWIJ Member. She tweets here.
5. Julie Kebbi: Works for L’Orient-Le Jour’s International news desk. She tweets here.
6. Lizzie Porter: Freelance print and radio reporter on Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran. Also works as Beirut correspondent for Monocle Magazine. Fluent in English, French and Arabic. She tweets here.
7. Luna Safwan: Reporting for VICE Arabia. CFWIJ Alum. She tweets here.
8. Natalia Sancha: Independent journalist and photographer based in Beirut since 2008. She tweets here.
9. Jane Ferguson: Award-winning international journalist and Special Correspondent for PBS NewsHour. Based in Beirut. She tweets here.
10. Rebecca Collard: Freelance journalist covering Middle East. She tweets here.
11. Sarah Dadouch: Washington Post correspondent based in Beirut, Lebanon. She tweets here.
12. Tamara Qiblawi: Digital Middle East producer at CNN International. She tweets here.
13. Zahraa Dirany: Freelance Journalist and Media Coordinator at the Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering. She tweets here.

Lebanon: Analysts

1. Abeer Saksouk: Architect and urbanist.She tweets here.
2. Andrea Backhaus: Journalist and Editor at Zeit Online. Covers Middle East, conflict and migration, and beyond. Based in Berlin, Germany. She tweets here.
3. Ceilina Nasser: Human rights researcher on MENA region. She tweets here.
4. Hanin Ghaddar: Former Managing Editor of NOW Lebanon — English. Expert on Middle East. She tweets here.
5. Hayat Mirshad: Journalist and Head of Communications and Campaigning at the Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering. She tweets here.
6. Jane Ferguson: Award-winning international journalist and Special Correspondent for PBS NewsHour. Based in Beirut. She tweets here.
7. Joyce Karam: Washington correspondent for The National with expertise on issues in the Middle East. She tweets here.
8. Maha Yahya: Director Carnegie Middle East. She tweets here.
9. Mary Khodari: Feminist and Gender Equality Activist. She tweets here.
10. Nada Bakos: A former CIA analyst and author of book, “The Targeter: My life in the CIA,” specializes on aspects of ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
11. Rand Hammoud: Does research and Campaigns on Iraq and Jordan for Amnesty International. She tweets here.

Iraq: Reporters and Photojournalists on the ground

1. Rukmini Callimachi: Correspondent for The New York Times covering ISIS. She tweets here.
2. Susannah George: AP correspondent based in Baghdad. She tweets here.
3. Shelly Kittleson: Freelance journalist based in Iraq. She tweets here.

Iraq: Analysts

1. Bayan Sami Rahman: Kurdistan regional government representative to USA. She tweets here.
2. Cale Salih: Researcher for The United Nations University’s Centre for Policy Research, formerly based in Kurdistan. She tweets here.
3. Denise Natali: Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies focused on Iraq, Kurdistan and oil. She tweets here.
4. Dr. Choman Hardi: Editor-in-Chief of Serdemi Jin, a bi-seasonal Kurdish journal of women’s theory, culture and art. She tweets here.
5. Erin Banco: Investigative reporter and is currently writing a book on Iraq. She tweets here.
6. Jess Wanless: Emergency and Humanitarian Communications for the International Rescue Committee, based in Iraq. She tweets here.
7. Maha Yahya: Director of the Carnegie Middle East Center focused on political violence and identity politics. She tweets here.
8. Maria Fantappie: Senior Analyst at the International Crisis Group’s Middle East and North Africa Program. She tweets here.
9. Rasha Al Aqeedi: Editor-in-Charge at Irfaa Sawtak. She tweets here.
10. Vian Dakhil: A Yazidi member of the Council of Representatives of Iraq. She tweets here.

Afghanistan — Reporters/Photojournalists on the ground

1. Ayesha Tanzeem: Voice of America’s Bureau Chief for Afghanistan and Pakistan. She tweets here.
2. Diaa Hadid: Covers Pakistan and Afghanistan for NPR. Previously reported on the Middle East for New York Times. She tweets here.
3. Fatima Faizi: Reporter for the New York Times. She tweets here.
4. Kathy Gannon: Associated Press’ senior correspondent for Pakistan and Afghanistan. She tweets here.
5. Maria de la Guardia: Multimedia journalist. She tweets here.
6. Maryam Mehtar: Reporter at Salam Watandar. Member of the Editorial Board at newspaper Jameabaz. She tweets here.

Afghanistan — Analysts

1. Beth Murphy: Filmmaker and journalist. She tweets here.
2. Gelareh Kiazand: Filmmaker and producer. Visit her website.
3. Kiran Nazish: Journalist and analyst on Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, ISIS and Kurdish issues. She tweets here.
4. Linda Hemby: Political Sociologist and Human Rights Defender. Focuses on human rights in MENA, Turkey and Afghanistan. She tweets here.
5. Lynn O’Donnell: Journalist and author with a focus on Afghanistan, Iraq and China. She tweets here.
6. Mariam Amini: Founder of Afghan Historians. She tweets here.
7. Patricia Gossman: Associate Asia Director for Human Rights Watch and has worked on Afghanistan and South Asia for over 30 years. She tweets here.
8. Shelly Kittleson: Freelance journalist based in Iraq, specialized in the Middle-East and Afghanistan. She tweets here.
9. Zahra Nader: Former reporter for The New York Times in Kabul. She tweets here.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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For more information about the Coalition, please visit www.womeninjournalism.org.