Other women included author Arundhati Roy, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and pop musicians Taylor Swift and Charli XCX.
Images Staff
07 Dec, 2024
DAWN
Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda was named among the Financial Times most influential women of 2024 list for “vividly documenting their plight under Israel’s offensive”.
The list honoured women who exerted influence through political acts, creative endeavours, technological breakthroughs and community building.
Owda, 27, was named for highlighting “every aspect of the catastrophe, reaching millions around the world on social media, filming displacement camps, hungry children and shattered towns. She rages against Israel’s ‘genocide’ and does not hide her tears.”
In September, the journalist’s documentary It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive detailing her life in Gaza won the Outstanding Hard News Feature Story — Short Form Award at the News Emmys.
Owda’s victory came despite calls to rescind the nomination by Creative Community for Peace, an entertainment industry nonprofit that stands against antisemitism and cultural boycotts of Israel.
The group alleged that Owda had connections to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which the United States and European Union have declared a terrorist group.
However, the News Emmys defended Owda’s nomination, stating that they could not find a link between Owda and the PFLP.
Owda was also named among the publication’s most influential women for winning a Peabody. She received the award “for showing bravery and persistence amid imminent danger, and for carrying a heavy journalistic burden as the entire world looks on,” the Peabody Academy said.
Furthermore, the Financial Times listed Indian author Arundhati Roy for her “tremendous gifts as a writer” and because “like the best public intellectuals, she helps us understand our moment in history”.
“In June, reports came that she could face charges under India’s draconian anti-terrorism laws. It’s a reminder that we cannot take any writer’s freedom or safety for granted, no matter how renowned.”
Other honourees included Gisele Pelicot, whose husband drugged her and raped her, recruiting other men to rape her as well. However, by waiving her right to anonymity, Pelicot became “a heroine, an icon of feminism”.
“She could have had a closed trial but she chose to relive her suffering in public in the name of all victims of sexual violence, everywhere.”
US Vice President Kamala Harris who lost the presidential election to Republican candidate Donald Trump was named on the list because the result “doesn’t negate her efforts”.
“Harris’s candidacy changed the election, and the political debate, in 2024 and beyond.”
Pop icons Taylor Swift and Charli XCX were also mentioned on the list for their contributions to music and immense success in 2024.
Moreover, Irish author Sally Rooney was named for being “the humane voice of a century”.
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