Speakers’ biographies: “How can gender equality and diversity promote trust in the media?”
On 14 and 15 March 2022, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is holding the conference “How can gender equality and diversity promote trust in the media?“ Distinguished speakers will meet in Málaga to discuss the impact that diversity and equality have on shaping public perception and trust in the media. Below, are the short bios and photos of the panelists.
The final conference will wrap up the two-year project “Trust and Quality in journalism”. It is organised in partnership with the Andalusian Journalists Union (SPA) and the Federation of Journalists Unions (FeSP) and funded by the European Commission.
Introduction:
Marta Barcenilla Escaño is a Spanish journalist, copyright consultant, unionist, and currently the Vice-President of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). She has worked in different positions for the Diario Palentino, as political issues editor at La Tribuna de Toledo, and as political, construction, military, and transport issues editor at ICAL in Valladolid. Since 2007, she has been living in Madrid, working for the Journalists’ Association FSC-CCOO. Currently, she is collaborating as a Copyrights consultant for Cedro, a Spanish publisher and authors association.
Agustín Yanel Nunez Journalist. General Secretary of the Federation of Journalists’ Unions of Spain (FeSP) since 2013 and member of the executive of the Journalists’ Union of Madrid of which he has been general secretary. Degree in Journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid. He has worked in the news agencies Europa Press and Efe, as a specialist in judicial information. He was part of the founding team of the newspaper El Mundo, where he was in charge of judicial information and parliamentary chronicler. Columnist and participates as a journalist in radio and television talk shows.
Inmaculada Postigo Gómez, Dean of Media Faculty, University of Malaga
Renate Schroeder is the Director of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) where she has worked since 2003. In 1993, Renate started working for the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Advocacy at EU and Council of Europe level; presentation of EFJ at international meetings and fact-finding media freedom missions; project work, communication, and assistance in several EFJ expert groups including on freelancers, broadcasting media literacy, and digital journalism, are part of her work-load in the small dynamic Brussels office.
How can gender equality & diversity inside the newsrooms and in the news promote trust in the media?
Amal El Mohammadiane Tarbift, journalist and doctoral student in the Doctorate program in Education and Social Communication at the University of Malaga. She currently works as a researcher in radio democratization and eco-social transition in the Research group of COMandalucía of the University of Malaga. Her experience in the professional field has been developed in Cadena Ser Melilla, Onda Color, and social organizations. She has given workshops and courses on media literacy, gender, human rights, and radio in various projects. She is Co-founder of La Poderío and collaborator of La Revista Soberanía Alimentaria, El Salto and Onda Color, where she writes about migrations, human rights, feminism and agroecology.
Rosie Parkyn, Global Director of Impact, Internews (TBC/online). She has worked to support independent, local media and information in all its forms for nearly two decades. Starting out as the Project Manager for a prison radio station in South-West London, she spent ten years designing and delivering award-winning development programs across Africa with the BBC’s international development charity and now oversees the research and evaluation department at non-profit Internews. She remains as committed as ever to ensuring that all stories get told and that everyone, everywhere benefits from journalism which holds power to account and provides news they can use.
Frans Jennekens is head of diversity and editor-in-chief of religious and spiritual programs at Dutch national public broadcaster NTR. He is also vice-chairman of the Intercultural and Diversity Group from the European Broadcasting Union. Jennekens initiates and organises projects concerning diversity and inclusion in the company. He also commissions many information and cultural programs on Dutch prime time TV. Jennekens is an award-winning radio and television, documentary maker. He is a sort of “booster” who pushes diversity in the company. It means that the company and all the programs reflect the Dutch population in a true way and in accordance with the cultural and journalist standards of the company. He organizes the ongoing and strategic approach of Diversity and Inclusion based on a company-wide Unconscious Bias Policy.
Lola Fernandez Palenzuela has worked as a journalist and news editor and is currently the Director of Communications at the Euroarabe Foundation. She is the Secretary of Equality at the Spanish Federation of Journalists’ Unions (FeSP) and was founding member and General Secretary of the Andalusian Journalists’ Union (1999-2017). From 2017 until 2020, she was the Deputy Secretary of FeSP. She is a founding member of the feminist digital magazine ‘La Poderio’ and of the feminist Association ‘Comunicadoras de Granada’. She is also a member of the International Network of Journalists with a Gender Vision RIPVG and of GAMAG Europe.
From top to bottom: more female and diverse leaders in the media
Meera Selva is Director of the Journalism Fellowship Programme at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and deputy director of the Reuters Institute. Meera is an accomplished senior journalist with experience in Europe, Asia, and Africa. She joined the Reuters Institute from Handelsblatt Global where she had been working out of Singapore, having helped launch the digital daily business paper in Berlin in 2014. She was also previously a London-based correspondent for the Associated Press and Africa correspondent for the Independent based in Nairobi. She also has several years of experience in financial journalism. She is co-founder of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network and her work at the Reuters Institute includes climate change, newsroom diversity, and media freedom. Meera studied for an MPhil in European Politics at St. Antony’s College, Oxford, and was a journalist fellow at the Reuters Institute in 2007-8 where she looked at the media coverage of the Darfur crisis. She is also a member of the RISJ Steering Committee.
Katrin Pötzsch has worked as a journalist for German public broadcasters, developer of new formats for younger audiences, change manager, and head of the visual production department at the Bavarian Broadcaster (BR). She developed and set up the Instagram news channel “News WG” and worked as a consultant for the BR’s director of information as well as a trainer for new media. The advancement of women and gender politics have been her core issues for years, just like new work and empowerment instead of hierarchy.
Allan Boye Thulstrup is the vice president of the Danish Union of Journalists since 2020 and a member of the Labour Rights Expert Group (LAREG, EFJ). He has previously worked as a political reporter at a regional Danish newspaper and as a communications consultant.
Montserrat Boix Piqué TVE journalist, a specialist in equality policies in the media. She has worked at TVE Information Services since 1986, specializing in foreign policy, international information, and information from a gender perspective. In 2017 she was elected Secretary of Equality and Civil Rights of UGT-RTVE and since then she has been part of the RTVE Equality Commission. She was the promoter of the RTVE Equality Observatory and since its creation in 2018 she has been part of it as a union representative.
Mogens Blicher Bjerregård has been the President of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) since 2013. He has also been the President of the Danish Union of Journalists since 1999. Previously, Mogens worked as a journalist at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation “DR”, the newspaper “Bornholmeren” and at the local TV station “TV Svendborg”.
Tackling online harassment
Florence Hainaut worked as a journalist for RTBF, a Belgian French-speaking public service broadcaster, for TV and radio news programs until 2016. Since then, she has worked as a freelance journalist, working with various Belgian print media. In 2021, together with her colleague Myriam Leroy, she produced #salepute (#FautUglySlut), a documentary on misogynistic cyber violence. It was broadcast on Proximus TV, La Une (RTBF), and Arte International. The film won the silver medal at the URTI 2021 prize (International Radio and Television Union) and was nominated in the “best documentary” category at the Magritte du cinéma.
Kristin Olson is the Principal Adviser to the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media since 2019. Prior to this, in her position as Senior Specialist for the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and Chair of Sida’s Media committee, she worked closely with a multitude of recognized global NGOs, multilateral bodies, and bilateral decision-makers to further the international efforts for improved freedom of expression. She has a background as a journalist, media manager, and TV- and radio producer in Sweden – in various formats and journalistic genres – including producer of an educational TV series on media’s impact in society. Holding double Master degrees in Humanitarian Assistance with a focus on Peace & Conflict studies, and in Communication for Development respectively, she is also the author of recognized factual books for universities and the general public on media literacy; on media and society; and on policy communication.
Dr. Maja Šimunjak is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism at Middlesex University London and a Leadership Fellow of the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Her research deals with journalists, emotional labor, and online abuse, as well as wider political communication issues, particularly as they pertain to digital and social media. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Communication from the University of East Anglia, and a BA and MA in Journalism. Maja also has extensive experience as a professional journalist and editor in various media outlets, including the positions of editor and news anchor at a national television station, subeditor in daily newspapers, and radio journalist and anchor.
Laia Serra Perello, criminal lawyer, expert trainer in human rights, Information and Communication technologies, discrimination, and gender. Author of the research ‘Online gender violence’ and the study ‘Hate speech: analysis from human rights and interpretive guidelines’. She is part of the association Dones Juristes and the Associació Catalana per a la Defensa dels Rights Humans, among others, and regularly collaborates with feminist groups. Advisor to the Observatori contra l’Homofòbia (Barcelona) since 2007 and to the Associació d’Assistència a Dones Agredides Sexualment (AADAS) since 2012. She regularly writes opinion articles in media such as El Diario.es, La Directa, El Punt Avui, and Pikara Magazine.
Martine Simonis, AJP, Belgium, is the National Secretary of the Belgian Union of Journalists (AGJPB) and General Secretary of AJP (Association des Journalistes Professionnels – Frech and German part of the Belgian Union). She has developed many projects and tools for journalists, especially: www.fondspourlejournalisme.be (financial support for journalistic investigation), www.ajp.be/diversite (Studies, actions, and campaigns to promote Gender and diversity in the media/newsroom), www.ajpro.be (permanent training for journalists).
Working groups:
Group 1: How to tackle gender inequality in the media from unions’ perfectives? (e.g. gender pay gap and the impact of a pandemic worsening the gap?) Sharing good practices / campaigns.
Maria Angeles Samperio is the editor of El Diario Montañés (Cantabria), of the Vocento Group. Economy Section President of the Gender Council of the International Federation of Journalists, of which she has been a member practically since its inception. Member of the Women’s Committee of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). Vice-coordinator of GAMAG (Global Alliance on Media and Gender). She has been President of the Press Association of Cantabria for more than 15 years and Vice President of FAPE at various stages.
Pamela Morinière is the head of Communications and the gender office of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). She has authored several reports and manuals on gender and media, including IFJ Guidelines for media and unions to combat online harassment, Council of Europe Media Gender and Elections (2018) and Council of Europe Handbook on Gender and media (2015). She is leading the IFJ campaign on online harassment #YouAreNotAlone. A strong advocate for press freedom and trade unions’ rights, she has a keen interest in journalism ethics and supports diverse, gender equal news.
Group 2: Sharing good practices on diversity in the news and in the newsroom?
Clara Aurrecoechea Iturregui holds a doctoral degree in Journalism and Graduate in Journalism. Andalusian RTV journalist. She has also worked as an editor in written media such as Dirao 16, Diario El Sol, Diario Médico. Public Media Member of the SPA and trade union delegate of the SPA in the RTVA, she has been a member of the Equality Commission of the RTVA.
Guylaine Germain is the Equality and Diversity coordinator for the Professional Journalists Association (AJP), for the French-speaking journalists in Belgium. She has studied Law and Journalism in France and Belgium. She is an independent journalist on the side for Belgian and French writing press.
Yuk Lan Wong is the project and policy officer at the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). She joined the International Federation in August 2009 after she obtained her Joint Honours degree in Social Policy and Journalism, Films and Media Studies at Cardiff University in the UK. She has over 10 years of experience managing projects related to ethical journalism, media diversity and trade union rights in the media sector. She also coordinates with the EFJ’s expert groups on Labour rights and Public Service Media.
The future of journalism
Alexandra Borchardt is a senior journalist, media consultant, and lecturer. With 25 years of newsroom experience, 15 of these in leadership roles, she now helps publishers with digital transformation in the World Association of News Publishers’ Table Stakes Europe project. She heads the Journalism Innovators Program at Hamburg Media School, teaches as an Honorary Professor for Leadership and Digitalisation at TU Munich’s TUM School of Management, and is a Senior Research Associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in Oxford. She is the lead author of the recently published EBU News Report “What’s Next: Public Service Journalism in the Age of Distraction, Opinion, and Information Abundance. Alexandra is a member of several advisory bodies and served on committees of the Council of Europe concerned with journalism, digital technologies, and freedom of expression.
Andreas Marckmann Andreassen is an experienced editor, speaker, and author. He is Editor-in-Chief at the Danish media company Markedsføring, and former Digital Editor and Head of News at Journalisten. Andreas recently finished a fellowship on automation in the media, and his book (in Danish) received funding so that it could be mailed to every member of the Danish Union of Journalists. He currently works on an English-language edition, and is a frequent speaker on automation and AI in the media.
Jenny Rönngren, Managing Editor at Feministiskt Perspektiv. A journalist for more than 25 years based in Sweden, editor and co-founder of the association Feministiskt Perspektiv and Fempers Nyheter, an independent bi-weekly feminist online newspaper with a gender perspective. She is part of the permanent council of the International Network of Journalists with a Gender Perspective (RIPVG).
Maria Ángeles Fernández Gonzáles, is a member of the coordination team of Pikara Magazine and freelance journalist. Master in Globalization and Development (UPV/EHU) and postgraduate degree in International Information (Complutense University). She is co-author of the Drowned Memories investigation (European Parliament 2019 and 2021). She is the winner of the Joan Gomis 2020 Award for her journalistic career, together with the journalist Jairo Marcos, for her work on water, a subject in which she is an expert. Pedro Zerolo Award for Digital Journalism (2017) and Dionisio Acedo Journalism Award (2013). Co-author of the book Climate Emergency (Libros.com, 2021).
Media financing models and sustainability
Lars Boering is the Director of the European Journalism Centre, an independent European non-profit working to support, strengthen and develop journalism. In previous roles, he has been actively involved with journalism, photography, and art. He was Managing Director of the Amsterdam Art Foundation and in 2008 became an independent advisor and entrepreneur. As Managing Director of the Dutch Photographers’ Association (2010-14), Lars advised photojournalists on copyright issues and entrepreneurial skills. As of 2015 he led the World Press Photo Foundation and has transformed it into an organization that is more than a contest, becoming a global platform connecting professionals and audiences through trustworthy visual journalism and storytelling. He has taught at academies throughout the world and has been involved as an advisor for festivals, contests, and other institutions. He is an experienced keynote speaker and moderator who believes lifelong learning is a necessity and a joy.
Jelena Valentić is an editor with almost 20 years of experience in feature and news coverage for print and online media. She has been the editor-in-chief of Telegram’s HR since 2016. Her journalism career began in 2000, in the Croatian public-owned newspaper Vjesnik. She later joined Croatia’s leading print daily Jutarnji list and in 2005 became the lifestyle editor. In 2015, she joined Telegram as the feature editor and later editor-in-chief.
Francisco Terron Ibanez Graduated in Journalism. Editor of Canal Sur-RTV Andalucía, where he has been editorial coordinator and program editor. Founding member of the Diario de Granada, of which he was a member. Journalists also in the newspapers El Día de Granada, El Independiente, and El País newspaper. Founding member of the Union of Journalists of Andalusia (SPA) of which he has been Secretary-General since 2017. He has been a speaker at numerous conferences and conferences related to journalism and is co-author of the book “Deterioration of traditional journalism. Public media on target”.
Marc Gruber is currently working as an independent media expert for various organizations including the Council of Europe and has worked at the Brussels-based secretariat of the International/European Federation of Journalists between 2001 and 2014. He dealt with European media policies in relation to the EU institutions, the Council of Europe, and the member unions of the EFJ across the continent, with a particular focus on Eastern Europe. In 2015-2017 he was Head of Communication and press relations at the Eurodistrict Strasbourg-Ortenau, a Franco-German cooperation organization based in Strasbourg. He also worked as a freelance journalist in 2014-2015.
This activity is part of a two-year project “Trust in Journalism” launched by the EFJ and is co-funded by the European Commission (DG EMPL).
