Kelly Golnoush Niknejad – Tehran Bureau: Independent Media Coverage about Iran
Iran is one of the most fascinating and at the same time controversial countries in the world. Amazing, shocking, intriguing. However the coverage of the news from the country in the global press is many times fragmented. This inspired Kelly Golnoush Nikenejad – an American journalist with Iranian roots to create an independent source for Iranian news coverage in the form of the site TehranBureau.com.
W-WomenGlobally: What is Tehran Bureau?
Kelly Golnoush Niknejad, journalist, lawyer, founder of Tehran Bureau: Tehran Bureau is an online news magazine. We hope to launch an arts and lifestyle section soon. Each phase will be launched as funding and staffing permit.
KGN: A business. We don’t accept funding from any government, religious organization, or interest group. It’s very difficult to raise money in this economy. But rather than wait for the money to fall into my lap, I decided to launch Tehran Bureau on the advice of a family friend. He encouraged me to use free tools available on the internet. We started TehranBureau using a very simple blog format, even though we weren’t blogging. But it’s taken off and our Web site, tehranbureau.com was launched just launched this weekend. I’d still be nowhere if I were waiting for the funds to do everything perfectly.
W-WG: When did you get the idea of creating Tehran Bureau, how it all started? why?
KGN: Iran is a fascinating beat. When I was in journalism school and had time to do some in-depth research, I discovered many things at odds with what had been and what was being reported by the media. To cover Iran, I had to do it differently, and the internet provided some great opportunities.
KGN: I grew up both in Iran and the United States. By the time I started college, my family was based in California. I went to college there. I majored in political science and then went straight to law school. I got my first news job on account of my legal background. It was a happy accident. I was researching a book and needed a part-time job, but I fell in love with this profession and decided to devote myself to it wholeheartedly.
For the first two years, I covered criminal courts. I then branched out as a general assignment reporter for a small newspaper in Massachusetts. As good newspaper jobs started to fade away, I decided to go back to school to get the kind of training I was craving. I got my first master’s degree in journalism in print, the second with a specialization in politics, both from Columbia Journalism School.
I’ve reported for the Los Angeles Times, the San Diego Union-Tribune, TIME Magazine, California Lawyer and PBS/Frontline. Before starting TehranBureau, I was a staff reporter at The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. My columns for Tehran Bureau are syndicated by Agence Global, and I am also a consultant on Iran to ABC News.
W-WG: Who stands behind Teheran Bureau, who are the writers/journalists?
KGN: We are independent; we have no organizational support. I devote myself to Tehran Bureau on a full-time basis. Some of the others involved with Tehran Bureau are profiled here.
W-WG: What is your vision/mission? where do you think you will be in 5 years from now? and where will Tehran Bureau be?
KGN: I would like Tehran Bureau to become the news source of record on Iran. We need major resources for such an undertaking and we’re severely under budgeted and staffed to be anywhere close to achieving that goal now.
But we believe it’s possible. We’re optimistic and we’re moving in that direction an article at a time. As soon as it’s feasible, Tehran Bureau will also feature video and audio programs. Further the down the road, I hope Tehran Bureau will air television programs, documentaries and even venture into book publishing.
W-WG: Who are your readers?
KGN: We have a very sophisticated readership so far and they’re from all over. I believe most our hits come from the United States, Canada, the UK, Iran, and the UAE.
Other journalists and news organizations follow Tehran Bureau. They sometimes ask for our help when there is a big story. Professors, think tanks, bloggers with an interest in Iran follow Tehran Bureau.
KGN: I don’t live in Iran, but as well documented 65 percent of university graduates there are women. They’re dynamic and fascinating. You can get a glimpse into that world through an excellent book review by Kamin Mohammadi on our Web site.
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