I remember an afternoon from long ago, one of those tedious afternoons where all you think about is what lies ahead for the rest of your life. Since childhood, I have hoped that when I grow up, I will do something for the good of my country. I grew up with my father’s stories about the war. He said he served the country by gathering information about the current situation in my village to broadcast to other areas. To do this, he walked 30 minutes into the mountains to find a radio signal.

As a child, it was difficult to understand that with information, you can help to improve any situation. As I grew up, I started to understand the value of being a journalist and the impact of information. People who know me understand how complicated I found journalism and what a difficult decision it was for me to choose to study it. Before making the decision, I realized that the role of the journalist is necessary because when people are correctly informed, they have a better overview of what needs to be changed and more opportunities to positively influence the country where they live.

But the beginning of my studies wasn’t all smooth sailing. 

Every first-year student, I believe, has moments of despair and faces the new and unknown. Moving to the capital city for studies, especially when you come from a quiet village or town, makes you afraid of new things and what might follow. It often makes you feel lonely and insecure — will I succeed?

That year, I started reading more. When I say reading, I mean reflective reading. The thoughts of how I would fulfill the mission deeply embedded in my mind constantly occupied me. Enrolling in the faculty of journalism was not enough. After settling into my studies, specifically during the second year, I started to return to where I began, to my goals. I remember by heart a professor’s announcement about a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) project. He told us that through this project, journalism students could win a one-year contract with one of the media outlets in Kosovo.

Those interested were required to send a short biography, and the selection would be made by a committee consisting of the parties involved in the project — the journalism department at the University of Prishtina and the UNDP team. At first, I thought of it as unattainable. There was huge competition, as only seven students would be selected from the three years of students who were already studying.

My friends kept telling me that I was lucky, and the day I sent my resume, I prayed that luck would guide me through this situation. A few days after I wrote and sent my resume, I was interviewed by the commission. I remember the emotions that gripped me that day as I waited in line until my name was called. I have very few memories of the interview, but when I left, I was almost sure that I would not be rejected.

I felt as if I was already part of this project, but I couldn’t be happy until I got the news that I had indeed been accepted. After almost two weeks, I got the long-awaited news and the answer was positive.

That day I forgot everything I had and found time to experience joy. I was equally happy when I found out that I had been selected to work for Kosovo 2.0.

Here, I had the opportunity to write about negative phenomena that I saw every day and that disturbed me — sexism in sports, inequality in ads — to write about topics that are widely discussed and even those that are considered taboo. I have always believed that the more we discuss things that are not good for the country, the more they begin to fade. And there was no way this could happen otherwise.

‘Time-out’ 

They don’t say for nothing that chance is king of the world. In the same year that I was selected to work for K2.0, a gender-based division of professions was taking place in the faculty, driven by the students themselves. We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to choose a course on sports journalism. This course aimed to provide students with basic knowledge of this field of journalism, to enable them to gather sports information and write news related to sports. However, according to some male colleagues, this course belonged only to them. I heard comments like, “What do you know about sports?” and “This course is not for you!” These conversations became normalized day by day.

Personally, I constantly raise my voice when people around me are being sexist. Fortunately, this time through journalism, I had the opportunity to raise my voice publicly. In the K2.0 office, I had the space to discuss and propose the topics I wanted to address within the project. The topic I proposed was about women’s involvement in sports journalism and the sexist language directed towards female sports journalists.

When I started writing the article, I realized that every profession has its own advantages and disadvantages. In the faculty, we constantly discussed interviews, what we should and shouldn’t do, but I never thought that the conversation with characters could be the soul of the article and a not-so-simple process. We discussed presentation, ideal approach and the preparation of questions.

The first time I was going to interview someone, I felt nervous. I love talking to people, but interviewing someone was more challenging. I have learned that before arranging the meeting, approaching and preparing questions, it is also very important to prepare mentally.

To better prepare for the interviews, I found support from the editorial team of K2.0, who approached their work with a lot of enthusiasm, dedication and love. K2.0 served as my school — a second school of journalism. There, I realized how important it is for young journalists to grow in a supportive environment.

In Kosovo, there hasn’t been much research on the topic I chose. When women in sports have been discussed, the focus has mainly been on players rather than journalists. Through this article, I aimed to explore gender representation in sports journalism and how sexist attitudes towards women in media and beyond discourage young journalists from entering this field. I sought to shed light on this often overlooked issue within sports journalism.

In the article, I examined the stories of sports journalists Elvira Dushku and Qendresa Krelani, exploring their emotional accounts of challenges and achievements in the field. My goal was to amplify the voices of women journalists in sports who face prejudice simply because of their gender, whether within newsrooms or beyond.

‘Advertising inequality’

Ads boost business development, yet they often reinforce traditional gender roles, particularly those ascribed to women. Daily, we encounter numerous ads featuring women promoting flour, oil, tea and other products that confine them to the domestic sphere. Some issues, I believe, are overlooked or not deeply explored in our reporting. Reflecting on this and recognizing the harm of sexist advertising, I decided to challenge this narrative through journalism.

Through analyzing the profound impact of these advertisements, I’ve learned that as journalists, it’s crucial to remain vigilant and to critique even what may seem obscured. This experience has truly heightened my awareness of the attention we must give and the responsibility we bear in our work.

Today, when I reflect on myself before this experience, I realize how much my views have changed. I’ve come to understand that journalism plays a crucial role in society, one that will endure for a long time. It’s no wonder journalism is often referred to as the “fourth estate,” serving as a watchdog over those in power. In my current perspective, I find reassurance knowing that here in Kosovo, there are journalists who risk everything for justice, who challenge their own lives to uncover truths beyond what is presented to us.

Journalism goes beyond mere reporting; it is a platform to amplify the voices of the silenced, the discriminated, and the excluded. It serves as a gateway for citizens when institutional doors are closed. Journalists will be there, reporting, investigating, criticizing and analyzing, correctly and accurately. Today and forever.

Feature Image: K2.0