| In the series Digital Media Shakers, we highlight bold voices shaping public interest and independent media. These are individuals whose passion goes beyond the medium – they are working to create lasting change in the (digital) media industry. |
In this Digital Media Shakers edition, we speak with Zahra Nader, an Afghan-Canadian journalist and the founder and editor-in-chief of Zan Times. Launched in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power, Zan Times is a women-led investigative newsroom that documents the human rights crisis in Afghanistan. From navigating extreme surveillance to fostering a new generation of women reporters, Zahra is redefining what it means to lead a newsroom in exile while keeping feet firmly on the ground.
Setting the Scene
RNW Media: You founded Zan Times at a moment when women’s voices in Afghanistan were being pushed out of public life. What motivated you to create a digital space where they could still be heard?
Zahra Nader: “Zan Times was born out of necessity and responsibility. When the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, I watched from exile in Canada as women journalists disappeared from newsrooms across Afghanistan. According to Reporters Without Borders, four out of five women journalists had lost their jobs just in four months of the Taliban take over. As an Afghan woman journalist who lived, studied and worked in Kabul until 2017, I felt a deep obligation to act.
Although I immediately started reporting, I felt one article or one story at a time wasn’t enough. I wanted to create something lasting, a platform where Afghan women could report on their own realities, in their own voices. Too often, our stories are told by others. I wanted to build a newsroom where Afghan women were not just subjects of journalism but its authors. That responsibility, to ensure the voices of Afghan women aren’t erased, is what led me to create Zan Times.”
RNW Media: Zan Times is not just reporting about Afghan women, it’s led by them. How has this women-led approach shaped your editorial vision and the kinds of stories you tell?
Zahra Nader: “Being women-led is not symbolic; it defines how we operate. Most of our reporters are Afghan women working under extreme conditions. Because they live these experiences, they know which stories matter and how to tell them with authenticity and depth.
Freshta Ghani, Kreshma Fakhri and I were all journalists working in Afghanistan before the Taliban. In fact, we used to work in one newsroom together. Some of what we experienced—especially the experience of gender discrimination—has shaped the way we lead Zan Times. We have built it into a newsroom we always wanted to work in. Our journalism goes beyond surface-level reporting. We cover the lived experiences: the rise in forced marriages, suicides among young women, the criminalization of being in public. But we also tell stories of resistance, of women running secret schools, building solidarity, and creating spaces for hope.”
Navigating Risk and Safety
RNW Media: What does “safety” mean to you and your newsroom — both for your journalists and for the women whose stories you tell?
Zahra Nader: “Safety is central to everything we do. It means protecting the identities of not only our sources, but also our journalists. It means ensuring that no story is published without fully considering the potential consequences. All of our reporters inside Afghanistan use pseudonyms. And even if they meet each other in Afghanistan, they don’t know that they both work at Zan Times. We asked them not to tell anyone about their affiliation with Zan Times, except their emergency contacts.
Safety is also emotional and psychological. Our team carries immense trauma, reporting on the very violence they live through. We make space for care, and we bring mental health experts to our workshops and training to ensure our journalists understand trauma and are able to protect themselves and their sources.”
RNW Media: Operating under Taliban rule and from exile comes with extraordinary digital risks. How do you and your team navigate surveillance, censorship, and online threats?
Zahra Nader: “We know the Taliban are looking for our journalists. So we approach our work with the understanding that everything can be surveilled. We push our team to use encrypted communications and we have avoided issuing press cards—if they are caught with one, that will be used as proof of their ‘crime.’ Independent journalism is criminalized under the Taliban.
We make safety decisions collectively, guided by the experience of our reporters on the ground. We trust their judgment; they are the experts in telling us whether it is safe to work on a story or not.”
Digital Spaces as Solidarity
RNW Media: In environments where freedom of expression is heavily restricted, how can digital media still serve as a safe space for truth-telling?
Zahra Nader: “Social media is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it enables people to speak and feel connected. On the other, it is a powerful tool of surveillance. We’ve reported on cases where people have been detained simply for expressing criticism of the Taliban on Facebook.
Because of this, we actively advise our journalists not to engage on social media under their real names and to avoid public interaction online. We approach digital platforms with extreme caution, always prioritizing safety over visibility. For many women in Afghanistan, these platforms are their only link to the outside world. We ensure our storytelling empowers rather than endangers them by anonymizing identities, delaying stories when needed, and involving our sources in the process. No story is worth risking a life.”
Looking Ahead
RNW Media: What lessons can other media practitioners learn from Zan Times about creating inclusive digital spaces in high-risk environments?
Zahra Nader: “Start with the people most impacted. Build with them, not for them. Inclusion must be real, not performative. We also invest in the future. This year, we launched a 10-month paid fellowship for 10 Afghan women journalists. Since 2024, we have trained 70 women in online journalism, many of whom now contribute to our newsroom. This is an investment to ensure Afghan women’s voices are heard long-term.”
RNW Media: What gives you hope about the future of women-led digital journalism?
Zahra Nader: “Hope lives in action. Despite surveillance, censorship, hunger, and fear, women in Afghanistan continue to report, resist, and survive. We’ve built Zan Times with no money, no institutional backing, just belief that our voices matter. And we continue because we must. Women-led journalism is not just possible, it is necessary. Our newsroom is an act of defiance, and every story we publish is a record of resistance. That, to me, is hope.”
As Zahra Nader demonstrates, journalism in high-risk environments is more than just information sharing—it is a survival strategy and a collective shield. By centering the authors of the story as much as the subjects, Zan Times ensures that even in the deepest silence, the truth finds a way to speak.
Stay tuned for the next Digital Media Shaker in our series!