From the Nominator

This story is about Saleha Soadat, a journalist who fled her native Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Soadat is now earning a master’s in communication from Texas Tech. This caliber of student is rare, and by telling her story, Texas Tech can be seen as a research destination for other individuals in similar situations. I interviewed Soadat for a full day, covering her memories of fleeing Afghanistan and the work she is doing now. She is writing a book about other persecuted female journalists throughout the Middle East. It is crucial these accounts and perspectives are recorded historically, as seen in the article excerpt below:  “The Taliban wants to erase women. And in many ways, they’ve been successful....The Taliban went around Kabul in 2021, painting over any public photos or depictions of women....The Taliban hates journalists almost as much as they hate women, and they are merciless if they find the two combined. This innate sense of justice drives many journalists forward in corrupt corners of the world....Saleha understands the relationship between journalism and history. In many ways, journalists write history.” The Texas Tech president selected this story to include in his annual state-of-the-university speech. Four stories are elevated to this level each year. Another outcome was that our office was invited to collaborate on a book coming out later this year on this topic.

From the Judges

A powerful subject and compelling story. This is an outstanding study of a subject, with a terrific Q&A included as well. Well done!