Guarding Integrity - Journalism's Guide to Navigating Clickbait
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of 'Human Ways', Maria Winva, an accomplished journalist and analyst, shares her journey in journalism, the challenges she faced as a female journalist, and the importance of maintaining integrity in the age of clickbait. Maria discusses the role of journalism in women's empowerment, the impact of gender on news coverage, and the future of journalism in the digital age. She emphasizes the need for quality journalism, the power of women's solidarity, and the importance of accurate representation in media.
Takeaways
- 🌐 Maria Winva is an accomplished journalist and analyst with a focus on European Affairs and international relations, currently working at the Polish Press Agency.
- 📰 Maria has contributed articles on China and Taiwan to Polish dailies and magazines, highlighting her experience as a freelance journalist.
- 🎓 Holding an impressive academic background in EU-Asia relations and Chinese studies, Maria's education has significantly influenced her career path in journalism.
- 📝 Maria's first article was published during the COVID-19 outbreak, inspired by her experiences and observations of everyday life in China during the pandemic.
- 💼 Maria advises aspiring journalists to build their portfolio gradually, emphasizing that a regular job in journalism requires experience and a strong body of work.
- 👩💼 Maria discusses the challenges faced by female journalists, including being underestimated due to youthful appearances, and the importance of not letting this discourage one's professional growth.
- 🔍 Maria believes that the hesitancy often seen in female journalists can lead to more critical insights and curiosity, which are essential qualities in journalism.
- 📉 Maria acknowledges the role of clickbait in media but suggests focusing on expanding the space for quality journalism to counterbalance its negative effects.
- 🌍 Maria's international experience has shaped her perspective on journalism, emphasizing the importance of understanding and accurately conveying the realities of different cultures.
- 📌 Maria shares an example of how she navigated a controversial topic by maintaining journalistic integrity while still creating an engaging and informative piece.
- 👭 Maria highlights the importance of women's solidarity and sharing experiences to build confidence and empower women in the journalism industry.
Q & A
Who is Maria Winva and what is her current occupation?
-Maria Winva is an accomplished journalist and analyst with a background in European Affairs and international relations. She is currently working at the Polish Press Agency, Poland's national news agency, where she covers International Affairs.
What was Maria's initial career path before becoming a journalist?
-Maria initially studied Chinese studies and had internships related to diplomacy, including one at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UN migration in Beijing. It was during her time in Beijing that she started writing articles, which eventually led her to a career in journalism.
How did Maria Winva's first article come about?
-Maria's first article was born out of the need to fill her free time during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. She decided to write about everyday life in China during the pandemic and successfully published her article in a Polish magazine.
What advice does Maria give to those wanting to start a career in journalism?
-Maria advises building a portfolio slowly, gaining experience, and not expecting to get a full-time journalism job right away. She emphasizes the importance of persistence and gradually establishing oneself in the field.
What challenges does Maria face as a female journalist?
-Maria mentions being perceived as less experienced due to her youthful appearance, which can lead to not being taken as seriously as her male colleagues. However, she encourages not being discouraged by this and focusing on the quality of work.
How does Maria view the difference in news coverage between male and female journalists?
-Maria observes that female journalists tend to be more hesitant and questioning, which she believes can lead to a more critical and curious approach to journalism, compared to the overconfidence sometimes displayed by male colleagues.
What is Maria's perspective on the impact of clickbait on journalism?
-Maria acknowledges that clickbait can be detrimental to the quality and trust in journalism. However, she also sees it as a part of the media landscape and suggests focusing on creating quality content as an alternative to counteract its effects.
How has Maria's experience working internationally influenced her approach to journalism?
-Maria's international experience has broadened her horizons and taught her the importance of understanding and accurately conveying the perspectives of different cultures, rather than imposing her own beliefs and values.
Can you provide an example of Maria dealing with a controversial topic while maintaining journalistic integrity?
-Maria shared an experience where she was asked to write about China's role in the fentanyl crisis in the United States. Instead of repeating narratives, she researched and presented a more nuanced view, highlighting the dual use of chemicals in both drugs and legitimate medications.
What is Maria's outlook on the future of journalism in the digital age?
-Maria is cautiously optimistic about the future of journalism, recognizing the potential of new technologies like podcasts and newsletters for quality journalism, while also acknowledging the challenges posed by misinformation and the need for regulation.
What role does Maria see for journalism in empowering women, and how can more women be encouraged to join the industry?
-Maria believes that women bring valuable qualities to journalism, such as critical thinking and curiosity. She suggests that women's solidarity and sharing experiences can help build confidence and encourage more women to participate in the industry.
Outlines
🌐 Introduction to Maria Winva's Journey in Journalism
The video begins with a warm welcome to Maria Winva, an accomplished journalist and analyst with expertise in European Affairs and international relations. Maria is currently with the Polish Press Agency, covering international affairs and has previously contributed to Polish media on China and Taiwan. She also has experience in migration work in Beijing and holds a strong academic background in EU-Asia relations and Chinese studies from a prestigious university. The conversation sets the stage to explore Maria's career journey, the challenges she faced as a female journalist, and her insights on journalism's role in women's empowerment.
📰 Starting a Career in Journalism and Overcoming Challenges
Maria shares her unconventional path into journalism, which began with an interest in international affairs and Chinese studies. Her career took shape through various internships, including one at the UN Migration in Beijing, which led her to start writing about her experiences during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. This marked the beginning of her journalistic portfolio. Maria advises aspiring journalists to build their portfolio gradually, even during studies, to increase their chances of securing a job in the field. She also addresses the challenges faced by female journalists, such as being underestimated due to their appearance or age, and encourages perseverance despite such biases.
🚹🚺 Gender Dynamics in News Coverage and Journalistic Confidence
Maria discusses the differences in how men and women journalists cover news, highlighting that while her male colleagues were more confident, her female colleagues were more hesitant. She posits that this hesitancy can lead to a more critical and curious approach, which is beneficial in journalism. Maria emphasizes the importance of building confidence but also maintaining a level of openness to questioning and exploration. She reflects on the need for journalists to be aware of their own biases and to approach stories with a more nuanced perspective.
🔍 The Impact of Clickbait on Journalism and Media Integrity
The conversation delves into the effects of clickbait on the quality and trust in journalism. Maria acknowledges that while clickbait can be a distraction, it is not entirely new and serves a purpose in capturing audience attention. She suggests that instead of fighting clickbait, it's more productive to promote quality journalism through alternative platforms like fact-checking websites, long-form articles, and podcasts. Maria points out that there is a growing demand for in-depth and accurate reporting, which presents opportunities for journalists to provide more substantial content.
🌟 Navigating Controversial Topics with Integrity
Maria shares her experience of being tasked to write about China's role in the fentanyl crisis in the United States. She expresses initial hesitation due to the sensationalized narrative often presented in the media. Through her research, she discovers a more complex reality and chooses to present a nuanced view that maintains journalistic integrity. Maria's approach to handling controversial topics serves as an example for other journalists on how to balance attention-grabbing headlines with factual and fair reporting.
🌐 The Future of Journalism and the Role of Women in the Industry
Maria offers a balanced view on the future of journalism in the digital age, acknowledging the challenges posed by clickbait and the need for more regulation in the rapidly evolving media landscape. She is optimistic about the potential of technology to enhance journalism, citing podcasts and newsletters as examples of quality media formats. Maria also stresses the importance of women's solidarity in the industry, encouraging women to share their experiences and support each other to build confidence and overcome the underrepresentation of women experts in media.
📖 Closing Thoughts on Women Empowerment and Journalism
The discussion concludes with a reflection on the significance of journalism in empowering women and the importance of women's solidarity. Maria emphasizes the value of women's unique qualities in journalism and the need for more women to be involved in the industry. The host expresses gratitude for Maria's insights and encourages the audience to seek authentic and trustworthy information, highlighting the role of media in shaping our understanding of the world.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Journalism
💡Integrity
💡Clickbait
💡International Relations
💡Women Empowerment
💡Portfolio
💡COVID-19
💡Fentanyl Crisis
💡Media Landscape
💡Regulation
💡Solidarity
Highlights
Maria Winva, an accomplished journalist and analyst with a focus on European Affairs and international relations, shares her insights on journalism.
Maria discusses her journey into journalism, starting with an interest in international affairs and Chinese studies.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maria began her journalistic career by writing about everyday life in China, which led to her first published article.
Maria advises aspiring journalists to build their portfolio slowly to increase their chances of securing a regular job in journalism.
Challenges faced by female journalists, such as being perceived as less serious due to their appearance or age, are highlighted.
Maria emphasizes the importance of hesitation and curiosity in journalism, as opposed to overconfidence which can limit perspectives.
Clickbait is acknowledged as a part of the media landscape, but Maria suggests focusing on expanding quality journalism instead of fighting clickbait.
The demand for fact-checking websites and longer pieces indicates a desire for quality journalism amidst the rise of clickbait.
Maria's experience working with different cultures has taught her the importance of understanding and accurately conveying the perspectives of others.
Imposing one's own values on other cultures can lead to misrepresentation, a pitfall Maria learned to avoid in her journalism.
Maria shares an example of maintaining journalistic integrity while covering the controversial topic of China's role in the US fentanyl crisis.
She believes in the future of journalism in the digital age, citing the rise of podcasts and newsletters as examples of quality media.
The need for more regulations to keep up with technological advancements in media is discussed as a challenge for the industry.
Maria sees a significant role for women in journalism, emphasizing qualities like critical thinking and questioning as essential.
The importance of women's solidarity and sharing experiences to build confidence and empower women in journalism is highlighted.
The podcast concludes with a call to seek authentic and trustworthy information and to cultivate women's solidarity in the field of journalism.
Transcripts
[Music]
women
[Music]
walum and good day
everyone welcome to another inspiring
episode of human
ways today we have a very special guest
with us Maria
winva Maria is an accomplished
journalist and analyst with a rich
background of European Affairs and
international
relations she is currently working at
poish press agency the Poland's national
news agency where she covers
International Affairs Maria has also
worked as freelance journalists
contributing articles on China and
Taiwan to the poish dailies and
magazines in addition to her
journalistic Endeavors she has
experienced working with the and
migration in Beijing and holds an
impressive academic background in calog
EU Asia relations and Chinese studies
from cous prestigious
University today we will delve into
Maria's journey in journalism discuss
the challenges of maintaining Integrity
in the age of clickbait and explore the
vital role of Journalism in women
empowerment so without any further Ado
let's welcome Maria winva
[Music]
hi Maria it's a pleasure to have you
with us today how are you doing hello F
it's very nice to see you we met in
Taiwan and I am glad that we can stay in
touch while you're back to
Indonesia I have to say it's a perfect
day for recording because we have a
typhoon right now in Taiwan and the
government gave everyone one day off so
apart from staying at home we have not
much uh things to do not many things to
do so uh I'm glad to be to be here with
you oh nice to hear that I hope you and
the other fellows from MOA Taiwan
Fellowship are doing good and safe in
Taiwan okay let's get Dive Right In can
you tell us about your journey in
starting a career in
journalism what were the biggest
challenges you faced as the female
journalist I would say that the path
that led me to journalism wasn't that
straight from the very beginning from my
childhood some people know from the very
beginning they want to be an astronaut
they want to be a a cook I didn't have
this very clear idea from until later in
my life sure I really liked to spend
time with the adults when I was a kid
and other kids were playing
uh and listen to the political and uh
societal
discussions but I didn't know that it
can change into a career so uh I was
interested in international Affairs so I
decided that I can study Chinese studies
it will immerse me in a whole new world
uh a new culture a new language a new
tastes a new
behaviors um but at the time when I
finished the studies I still didn't know
what I want to do with that um I did
many things after studies I searched for
many internship opportunities connected
to diplomacy so I did an internship at
the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
at un migration in Beijing and this is
when it start started to lead me to
journalism so I had uh uh this
internship at un migration in Beijing uh
in 2019
2020 and this is when it
happened uh Co
came uh and uh we couldn't go to the
office and because I was just an intern
they didn't give me any work to do at
home so basically I was uh alone in the
city not really be able to hang out with
friends because it's the epidemic and um
I was thinking what I can do with this
free time and at the same time many
people were asking me oh you're in China
um how how is it going because the covid
still have hasn't spread to the whole uh
world uh and I decided that maybe it's a
good opportunity to write an article
about how everyday life is in China
during
covid I know that right now it sounds
cliche and not very interesting because
we all the whole world went through that
so uh that's not something new to us but
at the at this time it was quite um
interesting for people
outside and I decided to propose to a
magazine that I like in Poland
uh an article that I can write an
article about different people and their
experience during Co so I just called my
friends and asked them some simple
questions and it worked this how I
published my first article and because I
had already one article published uh in
one uh good magazine I could publish a
second one and then I could publish a
third one and and that is how I slowly
built up my my
portfolio so for anyone who would like
to start a career in journalism what I
would advise is to build slowly your
portfolio you will not get a whole job
in journalism straight away um you need
to build your portfolio you need to
build experience you need to build your
uh na uh otherwise you don't really have
chances uh to to get a whole job uh a
normal regular job in journalism but if
you slowly build up your portfolio and
it's possible to do even during studies
uh your position to get into the market
and get a regular job in the field is
much uh
stronger and regarding the second part
of your question about the challenges of
being a female in journalism I think
they're very similar to being a female
and anywhere in the job market uh so
even though I already I've been already
working in journalism for a few years
and I am 29 years old many people see
see me as a student uh when they see me
oh you look very young oh you're still
studying and these are not uh I would
say these are not um
questions meant to be evil but I know
that uh if I look like that to them they
don't treat me as seriously as they
would uh treat probably my uh male
colleague uh but I would say it's fine
uh don't get discouraged by that because
uh during work it it your your looks uh
don't matter that much anymore and if
they do then seriously it's their
problem not
yours okay thank you that is such an
inspiring story Maria I think you face
uh your challenge in the Life uh very
creatively very thoughtful it's just
like what people say about the if life
gives you lemon then you can make a
lemonade and then I think your career as
a journalist is your lonate right in
your opinion Maria how does gender
influence the way a journalist covers
the news have you ever experienced bias
or discrimination in your work I would
say there is quite a big difference
between how men and women cover news at
my previous office we had daily meetings
where we were discussing what articles
we are going to write that day and my
male colleagues were very much confident
about the importance of their own
subjects and female were my female
colleagues were much more
hesitant uh but I would say that being
hesitant and being a questioning
person um gives you more
critical insight into your subject and
um makes you a curious person makes you
a person that wants to ask questions and
that is what journalism is about um
while being always very
confident uh it can close your mind and
close you in one narrative that might be
wrong as well so I would say
that confidence is of course important
and you have to build it but uh but I
would say it comes with
age but being uh leaving some room for
hesitation is very good if you're your a
journalist wow I love your point of view
Maria and I think it's the same uh with
what I face as a lecturer here I'm very
glad that I get such an opportunity and
um I can explore my potential and I also
get some um permission to do the Taiwan
Fellowship uh this recently and mat you
so we kind of face the same thing and
yeah to be hesitant and also what you're
saying are really really good and I
agree with that based on my observation
clickbait has become a part of the
modern media landscape uh how do you
think clickbait affects the quality and
Trust in
journalism of course clickbait articles
uh are a nightmare for anyone who wants
to understand uh the world in all its
subtility
and all its
Shades but I would also say that it has
its role in the media
landscape media was always also about uh
grabbing the attention of the reader uh
of the audience and click Bay journalism
is not really something
new so I wouldn't really fight that uh
what I would do is
to propose an alternative to enlarge the
space of quality
journalism I think there is a very big
demand in the last few years for
factchecking websites also because of
the rise of clickbait Journalism people
want to know what is the truth what is
not there is definitely demand for
longer
pieces um even I saw some statistics
like last year that the uh the that the
number of books read yearly by Polish
people is on the rise so it goes
counterintuitively we think that the
world is uh much faster and we only want
to uh read faster news and to some
extent it's true but to some extent it
leaves
space
uh it gives it it creates a demand for
longer
forms uh and I think this is what anyone
interested in promoting
quality um journalism can do there is no
point of uh fighting clickbait uh what
is important to enlarge the space for
Quality okay enlarge the space of
quality right you're amazing that's
amazing
statement um according to you you how
has your experience working in different
countries and international
organizations shaped your perspective on
journalism and News
integrity uh working in different
countries and different cultural
environments has definitely widened my
horizons uh and I think it's especially
important to uh
journalists uh because we explain in a
way their reality so we should be more
um accurate more empathetic in uh
describing the world uh but people often
use their own perspective their own
values their own
priorities and impose it on other people
so I have a I have a good example that
illustrates that uh how imposing that
can be a cognitive
Trum um in
2022 or 23 there were big protests in
China against the
restrictive um covid lockdowns much more
restrictive than in other parts of the
world uh they happened in many cities
and governed people from different
backgrounds and um the reaction to that
in Western media was that it is going to
be the next Revolution it is going to
change the systematic trajectory of
China uh and this kind of uh hopeful uh
headlines for plenty in
media um but of course as we know it
didn't really change much uh and even
though we don't know maybe it planted
some seed of rebellion that will um grow
in the future for now we don't have any
proof for that uh so living abroad has
definitely uh taught me that in order to
accurately convey the uh situation in
other countries um you have to kind of
get in the mind of of people who live
there and not impose our own uh beliefs
on that because this is um just bad
journalist
may I ask further can you share an
example of an experience where you had
to face pressure to create attention
grabbing use versus maintaining truth
and
integrity yes I have a good example of
uh how you can do something that's
equally attention grabbing but also uh
preserves uh the quality of
Journalism uh so I was asked by my
editor to write about the China's role
in the Fantan crisis in the United
States uh you know fentel is this very
powerful drug uh and
opioid um that is the main cause of the
death of young people in the USA so it's
a very very big societal problem and
there have been some reports that um
China plays a big role in that because
it produces the chemical uh that are
used in uh in producing the
drug some even say that China does that
on purpose that it uses fentel as a tool
to undermine the United
States some publicists even say that it
is a revenge for the Opium wors in China
in the 19th century
so I had big hesitations about whether I
should write a piece about it or not
because I didn't want to just repeat a
narrative present in Western media while
I wasn't sure if that's really the
case so when I was writing the piece I
discovered that yes China does produce
the chemicals used uh in synthesizing
the
drugs but those
um chemicals are also used to produce
such simple uh medicaments as um pills
for allergy or pills for
diarrhea so the narrative that China
produces chemicals for fentel is much
more blurry and uh and much more nuanced
uh than what I previously read in uh in
media
so what I learned from that is that you
shouldn't really Escape controversial
topics because anyway people will read
about them uh and they maybe the topic
might seem as uh attention grubbing and
a cheap topic but uh when writing a
piece you can disc cover um that the
reality is much more um nuan and much
more complicated and that's fine you can
also write about this um so I would say
don't avoid attention grabbing
headlines uh just um
write so that you feel you can feel
Integrity when you finish the article
wow amazing I really like um how you
deal with the controversial topic Maria
I think it could be an example good
example or maybe tips for the other
journalists in Indonesia not only for
women but also for men in general thank
you very much for uh sharing that
experience okay Maria next one how do
you see the future of Journal ISM in
this digital age are you optimistic
about the industry's ability to overcome
the challenges of clickbait for me
myself as a lecturer and also the former
journalist I think I am more critical
than optimistic actually because uh I
can still see the bright future of the
journalism in the digital age but I
still need to criticize how the
journalist try to lure the audience or
the readers to read by making such
clickbait for their
news I am not a pessimist and I would
say that the future of uh media is
bright uh maybe I'm not an optimistic
either but I wouldn't uh I am definitely
not a person who sees um um the future
in very dark colors because we have
proof that the modern technology really
allowed uh media to to flourish one
example is podcast where you can have
in-depth uh discussion invite experts
and this is a very good example of of of
of uh qu of quality journalism uh a
second example is uh newsletters um many
people who are doing podcasts are also
doing newsletters and it allows you to
have uh
customized um emails about the top that
interests you um I myself am an a it
redit Reader this is a confession and I
think it's really great uh when I
entered Reddit I at first I thought it's
going to be this aggressive Anonymous
environment but uh I really actually
recommend it to everyone uh you can have
very nerdy questions and connect with
other nerds uh and it is fantastic it is
also a form of media a media where that
people participate in creating it's
really really cool um so but of course
there are dangers of of of technology
and we can see it on Twitter where where
AI pictures looks look almost uh real to
us and we are young and still it's
difficult for us to discern a an AI
picture from a real picture so you can
imagine imagine how an old person is uh
lost in this landscape uh but this is an
area for regulators and we definitely
need a lot a lot a lot more regulations
and this will be a problem of course
because um technology makes progression
uh much faster than than Regulators do
uh so this is a thing a big challenge
for the years ahead
yeah I agree that it is challenging and
we need more regulation anyways I was
not really related to the redit reading
thing because I think it is forbidden in
Indonesia so yeah I'm curious actually
though okay next one I think it is also
the last question from me um what is the
significant role of Journalism in
empowering women and how can we Ure more
women are involved in this
industry as I said before I think women
have a lot of qualities that are very
important in journalism like um having a
critical mind and um uh and being a
person who is questioning the world uh
so I think that women have a big big
role to play in journalism I don't know
how it is in Indonesia but I know for
example in Poland there is a problem of
inviting uh women experts to radio shows
or TV programs that if a host invites a
woman um a high chance is that she will
reject the invitation because she will
fear that she's not good enough for this
program while from what I hear it
doesn't uh happen often uh to men who
who are invited to the programs so they
just jump at the first occasion to uh to
be in the
media uh so there is a big confidence
problem among women and um I plad guilty
as well uh I think I need uh to work on
my confidence uh a lot um and I think
what always helps me to build it up is
to speak with other women who are uh
more experienced than me and who tell me
about their own struggles uh with um
with their careers and how they uh how
was the path that led them to being to
be such a beautiful accomplished person
that it wasn't always like that um that
it you they weren't always is confident
um and good speakers that this is
something uh they they buildt up so I
think that uh women solidarity and women
sharing experience between each other is
very important to encourage um young
people uh especially uh young women wow
thank you I think woman solidarity
that's the key wordss right Maria
okay thank you so much Maria for sharing
your insights and your experience with
us today it's been truly
enlightening and I hope we can have
another discussion with you in the
future thank you so
much to our audiences we hope you find
this uh podcast as insightful as we do
and remember that media shape our
understanding of of the world so please
seek out the authentic and trustworthy
information only and don't forget to
cultivate the women's solidarity just as
what Maria has said
[Music]
before don't forget to subscribe to our
Channel and stay tuned to the other
episode of woman ways wasalamu alaykum
and goodbye
[Music]
m
[Music]
oh
[Music]
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