Today I’m joined by journalist Tina Lee. Originally from the USA, Tina is based in Berlin and specialises in migration, human rights, politics and the far right. Tina has previously worked for Human Rights Watch and The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. Nowadays Tina is editor-in-chief of Unbias The News which is a space for journalists who experience structural barriers in the field. Tina offers training in cross-border and collaborative journalism and was editor-in-chief of the 2019 Unbias The News book.
I’ve been following Tina on Twitter for a while after I noticed her talent for sharing some excellent media platforms from around the world, and I also had a keen interest in her work with Hostwriter which is an award winning network that supports international collaborative journalism. I knew Tina would be a perfect guest for this podcast, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.
We kicked off our chat with a discussion on the merits of Twitter and how it is still a good source for finding interesting people (01:38) before discovering how Tina went from studying law to working as a journalist in Berlin (02:40). Our next topic was the Hostwriter network and how it was initiated (04:40). Developing on from that, we talked about fixers in journalism and how important they are when trying to find the truth in a story at a local level (07:55).
I raised a topic which is a growing issue with media in that some photo journalists are taking liberties with regards to consent (12:50), before moving on to discover more about Tina’s other organisation, Unbias The News, which is a network that promotes cross-border collaboration, in particular for female journalists (15:20). I then asked Tina about the similarities and differences between US and European media, in particular, the topic of public funding and how it works in Europe (27:25). Alongside that, we briefly touched on the US’ relationship with left wing politics (33:05). Towards the end of the episode we chatted about podcasting and if it is a viable competitor to radio (33:53).
Show notes
- Find Tina on Twitter @tinaleeinberlin
- Unbias The News website
- Hostwriter website
If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe, review and rate: Spotify and Apple Podcasts
The Comfortable Spot Podcast 
Enjoyed that cast too ! Have circled through Maddow, Chris Wallace, Bill Maher, Jimmy Dore, TFT, etc… Sometimes strain my ears to listen to what Bill O’Reilly, Hannity and Tucker Carlson are on about – just for “balance” !! Always struck by how, in the US, they talk about “Left” and “Right”, when, from our perspective – they are ALL different flavours of the “Right”. What they’d think if they were dropped into the middle of Ireland – even those who calls themselves “Irish”. It’d be an eye opener for them !! Anyway, Have listened too all of your casts now – though gotta listen to Fergal Linehan again – I was a bit distracted that day ! Can’t see where to rate an individual podcast on Apple Podcasts – It may be different on the laptop. Anyway – a great listen, Ken, enjoy your style!
LikeLiked by 1 person