Locations South Africa
Video

Interview with Sumaiya Omar

2019



Here Sumaiya Omar talks about the changing dynamics of media organizations. She explores the idea of a reporter just collecting information, and the role of the journalist to add objectivity, facts and context to a story. Additionally, she talks about how the role of audiences has changed, and the impact that has had on the ways news is now consumed.

Sumaiya Omar, a former banker, is the co-founder of Hashtag Our Stories, a media company that mentors citizen journalists globally to help tell their stories in video using a smartphone. Omar is also a contributor for the International News Media Association and Thomson Foundation. She spent five years experimenting with emerging news platforms like Snapchat and Instagram in South Africa, India and the UK and has conducted mobile journalism workshops with broadcasters across Europe.