Somalia’s First Women-Led Newsroom Brings Change

Up until recently, Fariho Mohamed Hussein — with a decade-long career in journalism — would have been overlooked for opportunities to report on major stories or for newsroom leadership roles. In Somalia, one of the most dangerous environments for journalists, female journalists face significant safety risks as well as workplace inequality and discrimination.

Threats Facing Somali Journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported a sharp rise in attacks on members of the media in Somalia, with at least 41 cases of journalists arrested, assaulted, or harassed last year. Many of these cases were linked to reporting on national security and the conflict between government forces and the militant group Al-Shabaab.

For female journalists, the risks extend further. The Somali Media Women Association (SOMWA) describes 2025 as one of the most dangerous years for female journalists in the country, recording more than 60 violations. These include arbitrary arrests, physical assaults, and digital censorship targeting women. Nearly 40% of female journalists surveyed reported gendered online abuse, including doxxing and coordinated smear campaigns. Beyond physical and online threats, women also point to systemic inequality, including pay gaps of around 50% to 60% compared to men in similar roles, limited access to leadership positions, and being sidelined from covering politics, governance, and security.

“Media in Somalia is male-dominated,” Hussein explains, reinforcing the report’s findings. “Sometimes, when people see a woman with a camera, they try to stop her or take the camera away,” she says. The journalists also face societal and family pressure. “They say, ‘Why did you come on radio or television? Why are you talking? Go home, your [place] is at home.’” she says.

An All-Women Newsroom

For Hussein, her career trajectory changed last year when she was appointed editor-in-chief of Bilan Media, Somalia’s first and only women-led newsroom.

Established in 2022 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bilan Media gives Somali women journalists a safe, equitable newsroom and the editorial independence to decide what stories they report. The newsroom began with a team of six women, including reporters, editors, photographers, and videographers, and has since grown to a staff of 10.

Having previously worked in three media companies, Hussein came onboard in late 2025. Through Bilan, she has received technical training, editorial mentorship, and opportunities that had previously been out of reach.

Since its launch, Bilan has produced hundreds of stories focusing on issues often overlooked by mainstream Somali media. While much of the country’s news coverage centers on security, politics, and conflict, Bilan’s reporting focuses on the everyday realities affecting women and girls. The newsroom has reported extensively on female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, education, food insecurity, and opioid addiction among young women. Their stories are published through Dalsan Media Group (one of Somalia’s largest media organizations) platforms and in international outlets including The Guardian, BBC, and the Australian platform Missing Perspectives.

Many of these stories are difficult to report, with sources often reluctant to speak.

Tackling Sensitive and Taboo Topics

One investigation examined the challenges faced by divorced women who are left to raise children alone after separation. Another looked at why FGM remains widespread despite growing awareness of its harms. In one particularly difficult story, Hussein narrates how a young girl underwent FGM, was married at an early age, and later died from complications during childbirth.

When the newsroom reports on taboo subjects, journalists often face backlash online and in person. “People [accuse] us of taking foreign money or that we are going against religion,” she explains.

Hussein believes these conversations are necessary because they affect many women and girls, and that the newsroom can help bring these issues to light. She adds that attitudes are also changing, albeit gradually. Through repeated reporting on issues such as child marriage and FGM, communities are beginning to engage in conversations that they previously avoided.

The newsroom’s impact also extends beyond the stories it publishes.

Expanding Opportunities for Women Journalists in Somalia

Bilan has become a training ground for the next generation of Somali women journalists. The organization runs internship programs, provides mentorship, and works with freelance reporters across Somalia by commissioning stories and providing financial support for their reporting. For many participants, it is their first opportunity to work in journalism professionally.

The growing visibility of female reporters has also begun to challenge assumptions about who can work in media. “Before Bilan, many people didn’t believe women could do this work,” Hussein says. “Now they can see what women are doing.”

In a country where women journalists continue to face threats from militant groups, government authorities, employers, and even their own communities, Bilan Media represents more than a newsroom. It’s evidence of what journalism can look like when women are given the resources, training, and authority to tell their own stories.

For Hussein, that progress is measured not only by audience numbers or international recognition, but by the opportunities now available to women who once saw no future in the profession. “We have many girls who want to become journalists,” she says. “Now they can see there is a place [and it is possible] for them.”

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