Jess Search, Zoe Williams, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Seema Yasmin, Wajahat Ali | The News We Need
Speakers
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Creative Director, Affinis Labs
Wajahat Ali is a journalist, writer, lawyer, an award-winning playwright, a TV host, and a consultant for the U.S. State Department. As Creative Director of Affinis Labs, he works to create social entrepreneurship initiatives that have a positive impact for marginalized communities, and to empower social entrepreneurs, young leaders, creatives, and communities to come up with innovative solutions to tackle world problems.
Previously, Ali helped launch the Al Jazeera America network as co-host of Al Jazeera America's The Stream, a daily news show that extended the conversation to social media and beyond. He was also a National Correspondent, Political Reporter, and Social Media Expert for Al Jazeera America. He focused on stories of communities and individuals often marginalized or under-reported in mainstream media.
Ali is also the author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim Americans, post-9/11—which was published by McSweeney's and performed off-Broadway and at the Kennedy Center. Currently, with Dave Eggers, Ali is writing a television show about a Muslim American cop in the Bay Area. He was also the lead author and researcher of “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” the seminal report from the Center for American Progress.
In 2012, Ali worked with the U.S. Department of State to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs. He initiated chapters in eight countries, including Pakistan and Singapore. He was honored as a “Generation Change Leader” by Sec. of State Clinton and as an “Emerging Muslim American Artist” by the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Ali has given many presentations, from Google to the United Nations to Princeton to The Abu Dhabi Book Festival. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, Washington Post, the Guardian, and Salon.
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Reporter, The Dallas Morning News;, Professor, University of Texas at Dallas
Dr. Seema Yasmin is a staff writer at The Dallas Morning News, a professor of public health at The University of Texas at Dallas and a CNN medical analyst. Yasmin served as a disease detective in the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she investigated epidemics in maximum-security prisons, American Indian reservations and healthcare facilities. Yasmin trained in medicine at the University of Cambridge in England and in journalism at the University of Toronto. She recently traveled to Liberia to report on post-Ebola syndrome for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Scientific American.
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Columnist, Guardian, The
Zoe Williams
Zoe Williams has been a columnist on the Guardian since 2000 - previously, she wrote a column for the London Evening Standard. In her ceaseless endeavour to smash the patriarchy, she contributes to various magazines and news weeklies, including Marie Claire, Glamour, Good Housekeeping, Red and Grazia. Broadcasting includes Question Time, the Daily Politics, The Politics Show and Newsnight for the BBC; Dispatches and the Channel Four News for Channel Four; a paper review for Sky News; and appearances on the Today programme, Any Questions, Woman’s Hour, PM and the World Tonight for BBC Radio Four.
She was 2014’s Restaurant Reviewer of the Year, 2013’s Print Journalist of the Year for the Speaking Together Media Awards, 2011's Columnist of the Year at the Workworld awards and is the author of three non-fiction books, Get it Together: Why We Deserve Better Politics, The Madness of Modern Parenting and Bring It On, Baby
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Jess is a founder of Doc Society, which has funded and championed the work of independent documentary filmmakers around the world since 2005. Writing with Fire, I Am Softie, The Edge of Democracy, CITIZENFOUR, The Territory, The Square, Virunga etc Currently obsessed with Climate and Democracy narratives and protecting the space for independent storytelling.
Jess is also a trustee of MSI Reproductive Choices, the world's most effective family planning and abortion provider in 37 countries. Jess is also chair of UK think tank IPPR and a board member of crowdfunding innovator Kickstarter.
Jess is a big fan of the Skoll World Forum.
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Investigative Journalist, Tiger Eye Foundation
Anas Aremeyaw Anas is an undercover journalist, attorney and private detective working in Ghana and across the African continent. In disguise, he finds his way into asylums, brothels, prisons, orphanages and villages, where he methodically gathers evidence for hard-hitting stories -- then presents the evidence to authorities to see criminals prosecuted.
On the 6th May 2018 Anas released Number 12, so named because corruption was the "12th player on the football team". This exposé implicated almost the entire football administration in Ghana and resulted in the President of Ghana dissolving the Ghana Football Association (GFA). The then GFA president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, who was also an executive member of FIFA, was filmed by Anas accepting a bribe. He was later banned for life by FIFA.
International referees were also involved, such as Kenyan FIFA referee Marwa Range. He was filmed receiving US$600 before a previous game from Anas's investigative team posing as top Ghanaian football executives, leading to Marwa's withdrawal from the World Cup. A week before the 2018 FIFA World Cup was due to start, the BBC released the documentary. In the weeks following, other figures such as Super Eagles Coach Salisu Yusuf were found to be involved in the scandal.
Two years prior, Anas went undercover for two years to expose a total of 34 judges engaged in corruption-related activities. These judges and over 105 judicial staff were caught on camera receiving bribes to influence judgment in Ghana’s courts.
Anas currently works as a lead reporter on Africa Investigates, a documentary series on Al Jazeera, which empowers African journalists to investigate and tell their own stories. Under the Africa Investigates project, Anas has so far produced over ten (10) award-winning investigative documentaries across the continent. He is best known for his works in anti-corruption and human rights, for which he has won countless national and international awards.
