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Opinion: Pornographyâs harmful effect on women
Gender studies panel showcases feminist trailblazers
Nail technician named El Pasoâs best in 2022
Krishna Jayasankar goes the distance
âs Women Issue VOL. 107, NO. 13 MARCH 22, 2022
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO
Assayer of Student Opinion
theprospectordaily.com
Women in Journalism
Neema Soratgar is a visiting Afghan research scholar housed in the Womenâs and Gender Studies Department. Photo by Carolina Uribarri/ The Prospector
From Kabul to El Paso: The story of Neema Soratgar BY MARIA L. GUERRERO DURAN The Prospector
Neema Soratgar is an Afghan refugee who has been hired by UTEP as a visiting global scholar, housed in the Womenâs and Gender Studies Department as a research assistant to Director Gina Nuñez-Mchiri, Ph.D. In 1996, the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul underwent a radical change that has affected the lives of its citizens to an extreme degree. The Taliban regime took over, and the countryâs people â especially women â encountered days of horror. From 1996 to 2001, the Taliban ideology of the extremist Sharia Law was imposed in what is today known as a war-torn country. This extremist view restricted women from education and work and confined them under the shadow of a man, a burqa, and their homes. For Soratgar, this invasion meant rebellion. She dedicated years of her life to secretly insee SORATGAR on page 4
From left to right, Rachel Phillips, reporter and anchor for KVIA Channel-7; Martha Pskowski, environmental reporter at the El Paso Times; Gabriela Velasquez, photojournalist at the El Paso Times; Brianna Chavez, reporter, anchor, and producer at KVIA-TV; and Vania Castillo, CBS and KFOX reporter and weather forecaster speaks on the challenges in the industry. Courtesy of Phillips, Pskowski, Velasquez, Chavez, and Castillo.
Local female journalists talk challenges in news industry BY ITZEL GIRON The Prospector
Women have graced the world of journalism with intellectually written news pieces, beautiful photography, and stunning production in broadcast, though one might not think about the amazing journalists here in the borderland. Rachel Phillips, Brianna Chavez, Vania Castillo, Gabriela Velasquez, and Martha Pskowski are a few women journalists who cover the city of El Paso through multiple media. However, the journey to get to where they stand now was not a simple task. Becoming a journalist in any medium is difficult, but as women, problems tend to begin with self-confidence and mental blocks. For KVIA Channel 7 reporter and anchor Brianna Chavez, it is a problem she has faced then and even now. âI could have been a little more confident and I could have been bit kinder to myself because that goes a long way,â Chavez said regarding her younger self. âIâm a little more self-aware now and so I wish that was a trait I couldâve built up on more in college and even in high
school.â Chavez, who at times can be reporting in front of thousands on live television, has dealt with the high pressures of tight deadlines and competitiveness in the newsroom, which at times can create the uncertainty in herself. âItâs just a matter of believing in your abilities and just being a little kinder. If you mess up itâs okay.â Chavez said. âItâs finding little ways to learn from your âmistakesâ or learn from the things youâve done and taking that and giving yourself a little more compassion and moving on.â Along with Brianna, CBS and KFOX reporter and weather forecaster Vania Castillo says she can sometimes find herself in the same predicament. âGo for what you want. I think a lot of the times, especially as Hispanics, we tend to play down our achievements,â Castillo said. âI think itâs important to acknowledge where youâre at and how far youâve come and all the work that has gone into that.â Aside from the mental blocks someone might face, it can be a challenge when wanting to prove yourself as a woman to others, not
only in the newsroom but in public. For Vania, it can sometimes be a dangerous situation. Harassments, assaults and bullying towards women journalists both online and in-person are on the rise, according to a report done by the International Womenâs Media Foundation. It is something that happens often in this field of work and something Vania has dealt with first-hand. âI think thereâs always challenges when working in journalism especially (as a woman journalist), thereâs like extra precautions you have to take when youâre out on the field,â Castillo said. âIâve been grabbed. Iâve been harassed and stuff like that.â Even with harassment being yet another problem women face in this field of work; at times, the biggest problem can be others not believing and supporting you and your journey. For reporter and anchor for KVIA Channel-7 Rachel Phillips, being second guessed by others in newsrooms is something women constantly face. Phillips, who wants to join the sports journalism world has seen and heard the sexist comments made towards women reporting on sports.
Phillips said there is a lot of adversity for female journalists, and she works to educate men that women can report on sports and other topics just as well as men. âI mean really there should be no competition between the genders, just be like âyeah, a woman is doing it, cool, oh a man is doing it, cool,ââ she said. As negativity can surround newsrooms and areas of work, itâs important to have other women support you especially when faced with hardships. For Phillips, her former co-worker and founder of âMija, Yes You Can,â Iris Lopez, has been a great support system since day one. âI think weâre lucky at Channel 7 with someone like Iris Lopez,â Phillips said. âShe started (supporting women) because she didnât have that when she started, and she wanted to make sure that other women had that.â Though support from fellow women in the same field is key to a better environment, and the support from men who dominate those areas of work can be critical to having a healthier workplace. see JOURNALISTS on page 4
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