To accurately, fairly and, most of all, compassionately cover global events, newsrooms need diverse staff with deep-rooted connections and unique perspectives. With diversity initiatives under fire, perhaps more than ever before, CNN Correspondent Salma Abdelaziz sits down with Journalist Negin Shiraghaei and Tech & Human Rights Expert Mahsa Alimardani to break down news coverage of Iran’s women, life, freedom movement as a case study into how insiders can draw-in and amplify unheard voices on mainstream media platforms. View More

In September of 2022, Mahsa Amini died while in the custody of Iran’s notorious morality police. Her death sparked nationwide demonstrations that defied mandatory hijab laws and threatened the decades-long rule of the Islamic Republic. To reach those resisting one of the most repressive governments in the world, news organizations leaned on staff, both on and off-camera, with meaningful connections to the events on the ground. CNN Correspondent Salma Abdelaziz is joined on stage by Journalist Negin Shiraghaei and Tech & Human Rights Expert Mahsa Alimardani to breakdown the challenges, both inside and outside mainstream newsrooms, of reporting on the protest movement. From the verification of digital video, to how journalist protect vulnerable sources, to finding and amplifying the very voices Iran sought to silence- this is a 101 on how news is produced from pitch to publication and why telling the tough stories, especially as news apathy grows, matters. View Less