Looks to me like Octavia Nasr got a raw deal. She was fired as CNN's senior editor for Middle Eastern affairs after she sent out a Twitter message praising Ayatollah Fadlallah, who died recently, as "one of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot.” This even though the militant cleric had, among other things, supported suicide bombings of Israeli civilians.

But Nasr later said she was misunderstood ... that she praised the Ayatollah because he had taken an unusual position for women's rights, telling Muslim men that abuse of women was against the spirit of Islam. She also said “this does not mean I respected him for what else he did or said. Far from it.”

Nasr put 20 years in with CNN. How about giving her the benefit of the doubt while realizing that many Tweets by their very nature are written in haste, and you can't get too complex and explanatory in 140 characters. Shame on CNN for not standing behind her when it counts.

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

Halimah Abdullah Kisule is a journalist from Uganda who has had experience in both print and broadcast. She talks to Ourblook about her involvement in Uganda's media industry. Although she experienced gender bias in her early career, she did not let it stop her. She currently writes many articles on topics that are typically expected from men in her country. Kisule hopes to use journalism as a tool to inform the public on subjects like poverty, environmental issues and human rights.

Read the Halimah Abdullah Kisule interview.

This is a part of the Women in International Communications interview series conducted by the Univ. of Iowa.

Kavita Bedford is freelance writer who has taken advantage of international experiences to further her career. Originally from Australia, Bedford recently moved to Chile where she has worked for the Santiago Times and the online Revolver guide. In regards to her work as a freelance writer, Bedford explains that it is an occupation that requires self-discipline and responsibility. In the future, she hopes to study humanitarian law, anthrolpology and Latin American history.  Bedford also wants to play a role in political discussions, Australian perspectives and global issues.

Read the Kavita Bedford interview.   

This is a part of the Women in International Communication interview series conducted by the  Univ. of Iowa.

Frieda Werden is the co-founder of WINGS: Women's International News Gathering Service. Werden discusses her encounters with gender bias in media. She states, "When I first started in radio I was told that microphones didn't like women's voices!" Werden also explains the differences between media in the U.S and Canada. She says the industry in Canada has more coverage on women's issues. Werden encourages aspiring female journalists to cover what they love and inform society on women's issues.

Read the Frieda Werden interview. 

This is a part of the Women in International Communication interview series conducted by the   Univ. of Iowa.

Aralena Malone-Leroy is a French news editor for the Women's International Perspective. She discusses why she decided to become a journalist and if she has experienced any gender bias in her field. Malone-Leroy compares the differences in journalism between the United States and France. She also believes that living abroad is necessary in order to find a job in international journalism.

Read the Aralena Malone-Leroy interview.

This is a part of the Women in International Communications interview series conducted by the Univ. of Iowa.

Deb Newberry is the director of the nanoscience technology program at Dakota County Technical College. She discusses what nanoscience is and how she uses technology to teach it to her students. According to Newberry, students tend to learn better when the information is presented in different ways. However, she thinks that there can be some disadvantages to technology in education. Newberry states, "Sometimes technology makes the process so easy that students lose the aspect of critical thinking or the ability to determine whether an answer makes sense or not."

Read the Deb Newberry interview. 

One of our University Partnership Program projects was featured in the Online Journalism Review. Under UPP, we offer university professors free web, research, and technology assistance in the hopes of helping them create more interactive classroom. This year the Gender and Mass Media class at the University of Iowa, interviewed women journalist, bloggers and editors from 17 countries.

View the OJR post and learn more about the UPP project.

Sarah McGowan is the founding features and photo editor of the Women's International Perspective. She discusses the work she has done and her involvement with the WIP. According to McGowan, there is a big advantage to using the internet as a source. She states, "Where we once relied on seasoned, trained journalists to provide the story, we're now able to get it from "average" people on the street – which can often be far more authentic than a foreign correspondent going into another country with his/her own biases, or maybe s/he doesn't even speak the language."

Read the Sarah McGowan interview.

This is a part of the Women in International Communication interview series conducted by the Univ. of Iowa.

Viktorija Plavcak is a freelance journalist from Slovenia who discusses the experiences she has had in her field. She also compares the differences in journalism between the United States and Slovenia. According to Plavcak, journalism in Slovenia suffers due to a mostly government controlled media and few independent newspapers. Despite the challenges, she believes that all journalists should follow their hearts and not be intimidated by powerful people. 

Read the Viktorija Plavcak interview.

This is a part of the Women in International Communications interview series conducted by the Univ. of Iowa.

The Buffalo News deserves praise for beginning to require online commenters responding to articles to provide their real names and the real town they live in.

Like most other papers, the News tried to embrace the freewheeling culture of the Internet on its website only to get burned with repeated "outrageous, intolerant and hateful" remarks from readers using pseudonyms, according to editor Margaret Sullivan. She hopes doing away with anonymity will "raise the level of discussion."

She also noted that a self-policing tactic that many other papers also use ... if enough readers "flag" a comment as offensive, it would be removed ... had failed.

I don't know if this new policy will clean up the Buffalonians' act but it certainly seems like a step forward. My only question is, what took so long?

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

Philo Ikonya is a self made freelance journalist from Kenya. She believes that the transition to online journalism has allowed her to expand her writing. Aside from writing articles for publications, she is now able to post articles for pleasure. Ikonya states, "The girls, if I may put it this way, no longer have to wait for the boss... the man, usually in many parts of the world... to get their word out there!" She believes that the web has helped diminish gender bias in the media, a problem she feels is prevalent. Ikonya is also a human rights and political activist. She uses journalism as a tool to send empowering messages to the public.

Read the Philo Ikonya interview.

This is a part of the Women in International Communication interview series conducted by the Univ. of Iowa.

Enzo Dal Verme, photographer and writer, comments on the future of mass media. He sees photgraphers and journalists steering away from the traditional form. Dal Verme thinks that individuals will begin independently funding their work. As a result, advertisers will no longer manipulate information. He also believes that all journalists will be expected to have multimedia skills. Individuals will have to alter the way information gets to the public. Dal Verme remains optimistic on the future. He states, "I like to think that the mess we are in has the potential to lead us to a totally different balance."

Read the Enzo Dal Verme article.