As a female journalist, is it easy just to read the statistics and see the small implications of being female in this industry from the UK. However, it is something else to see the major implications of being a female journalist in a country like India, in which there are still heavy and damaging stereotypes of the job and the people who take part in it. Writing With Fire is a painful reminder of the work that needs to be done across the world for gender equality.
This documentary focuses on the women behind news organisation Khabar Lahariya, the only women-led news organisation in the country, as they learn to adapt from print to online. This is a fascinating focal point in itself, as the women are shown how to use their mobiles phones to capture the news, and the impact that they make simply by uploading videos onto YouTube and share the news across Facebook and WhatsApp.
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We follow this entire store from the start, which helps make the story compelling. When we join the women for the first time, they are having a meeting about the decision to move from print to online. It is from then that we follow each of the women as they have their own journey into online journalism, with many struggles along the way. These struggles feel consequential to the situation and have huge impact. And that is because we are given time to familiarise ourselves with the current situation and these women.
It is clear right from the start of this film that there is a gender issue within India, and these women are fighting for their right to speak. The stories that these women speak of about female journalists being murdered on the street or questioned about their roles and legitimacy of their journalistic backgrounds is heart-breaking to hear. And yet it is sadly common where they are. The film keeps this theme running throughout, constantly reminding audiences of the struggles that the women are going through and what risks they are taking with providing this content online for everyone in the country to watch.
It could have been easy for these women to turn the transition from print to online as a competition to see who is better than the other. It is so refreshing to see that this is not the case here, as each of them look after one another and focus on the content as a team. If one of them is struggling with something, such as working the mobile phone or messaging in English, someone else will come over and spend their time helping them learn. They also make time to look after each other, taking small breaks to spend quality time together and away from the organisation.
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It is incredible to see the impact that Khabar Lahariva made simply by going online. This is reflected through the editing style of the film, in which there are sections where their footage will be shown as a YouTube layout. This is not only edited to look good, but the transition then leads to the comments that relate to that situation. Whether it is positive or negative, it becomes easy to see the impact those videos are making to the community. This is also supported by the constant text that comes on screen. Be it an update of how many views the organisation has on social media, or the big events they attend and the powerful people they get to speak to.
It is incredibly rewarding to see the journey that these women take in this documentary. They come a long way from being sat at a table, only having a few mobile phones around, to having an office set-up with staff working on desktops. It is easy to see the growth of the organisation, but also alongside the growth of the individual women. Not only are they brave, they are strong journalists who continue to provide for their country and fight for women to have their voices heard and make an impact in their community. If you have a chance to check this film out, I would highly encourage doing so.
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