Khushbu Shah

CV in brief

Current Role: Editor-in-Chief of The Fuller Project

Previous Roles: Managing Editor with GPB (PBS/NPR), Field Producer with CNN, News Editor with CNN, News Editor and Producer with BBC and NBC, Supervisory Producer with MOBY group.

Education: London School of Economics (LSE) - MSc in Comparative Politics, Conflict Studies. University of California, Berekely - B.A. Political Science and Spanish.

Languages: English, Gujarati, Spanish, Hindi and Arabic.

Exclusive Interview by Saira Dudhia

DATE OF INTERVIEW: 3rd december 2020

Three pieces of advice:

1) Be relentless in your pursuance of the truth.

2) Don’t be shy in asking people to mentor you.

3) Developing sources and building trust leads to the best journalism.

Could you describe what your role as editor-in-chief of The Fuller Project entails?

My role includes running a small, but growing, global non-profit newsroom that aims to hear from the voices of women who are typically unheard. Often, women’s stories are side-lined into vertical columns or sections, whereas our aim is to bring those voices to mainstream and local news outlets. In 2020 in particular, our aim was to look at cross-sections of gender, race and the other ways in which people identify. Being based predominantly in the US, our main focus has been on the coronavirus, the 2020 election as well as race and identity. 

What is your favourite thing about working for The Fuller Project?

Although I have yet to meet anyone in person due to the coronavirus pandemic, my favourite thing about The Fuller Project is working with a great group of women. I have never worked in a newsroom with predominantly women and it has been impressive. 

Three big issues – Covid-19, the election and the Black Lives Matter movement have really defined journalism this year.  How have you covered the stories - and the intersectionality of these issues -differently than others?

I like to think, when reporting, about challenging our own perspectives. During this year, when covering issues affecting women, I knew the stories would largely be around childcare as this disproportionately impacts women. For example, women quitting their jobs to look after their children who were now at home, or equally, those who were having to work longer hours. But I realised we were still missing half the story. I began thinking about my own upbringing, and about other immigrant communities, and found out that large numbers of childcare centres in the U.S. are run by immigrant women. So, we took a deep dive into how those communities were being largely affected when those centres closed and what was happening to these women of colour entrepreneurs.

You said that The Fuller Project reports not on the policies that affect women, but the women affected by policies. What do you mean by that, and can you give some examples of these stories? 

I think about the way in which I would want to report. For example, I spent a month travelling with the migrant caravan, where thousands of people were making the journey from Central America to the U.S. and were requesting asylum. I spent the time walking and talking to principally one woman who was seven months pregnant and had two other children. As someone with a child, I do not know how she did it. They spent these months sleeping on the tops of trains, eating French fries, and drinking Coca-Cola to keep their adrenaline going. I think it is important to speak to the people that these policies affect on the ground, instead of looking at the policies top-down. 

As another example, one of our reporters, Louise Donovan, received a tip about domestic Kenyan workers being locked up in Saudi Arabia as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. She spoke to  women who were being held who reported that after losing their jobs, they sought help from the agency that had recruited them but were locked into a room with their passports taken and were receiving food once a day. Louise’s story was published by The New York Times and was actually on the front page of their international paper. 

What do you think mainstream outlets are missing when it comes to reporting on gender? Can you give some examples of stories that you have done that would not have otherwise been published?  

People typically think of women’s stories as lifestyle and culture and expect women to cover women’s stories. From a journalistic perspective we should all be covering women’s stories; men, women, and however else someone identifies. The main concern is this: are we representing these women, and their stories, accurately? One story that comes to mind is by Corinne Redfern, one of our reporters. She has been working on this story for two years, in  partnership with a local news outlet, and it is about the lives of transgender women in the Philippines. It is important to connect with local outlets, as well as the mainstream media. 

Whilst at CNN, you produced two stories which later went on to win the Murrow Award in 2017 and 2018. What are other career highlights for you?

Whilst I was 24 and finishing up my dissertation at the London School of Economics (LSE), I wrote to the Afghan Embassy in Washington DC and asked for a visa to go to Afghanistan so I could work there. After writing a letter on my motivations to go, I was given a six-month visa and got a job in Kabul with MOBY group, a diversified media company in the Middle East and Africa, where I worked as a research manager for two years. I felt really lucky to be able to have had that experience, and I was fortunate enough to meet my husband in Kabul too and here we are, 10 years later. 

Are there any particular stories which you have found the most interesting to work on?

I am particularly proud of my reporting on race. In the US especially, and most likely in the UK too, a lightbulb went off this year for the majority of people in terms of the reality of systemic racism. I had actually been covering this topic for many years; I had written a story for the Guardian US on a group of women in Appalachia who looked white but identified as Black. The story was about how race and racism might lead people to identify in certain ways and how the remnants of slavery and the lives of those enslaved are still affecting us in today’s society. I spent two weeks speaking to these women living in rural Ohio about their experiences, working 14-hour days with no cell phone service. I also had the opportunity to deeply research the history of Ohio. These are the kinds of stories I really enjoy telling. 

What led you to become a journalist?

As I mentioned, when I was in Kabul, I worked as a research manager, which was essentially adjacent to journalism. For example, when the MOBY group was pitching to bring Sesame Street into Afghanistan entertainment, I would complete the focus groups and surveys and speak to the local people about what they thought. When I got to go out and talk to people and learn about their lives, I found that more fascinating than what I was doing in my actual role. Instead of writing bureaucratic reports, I got to go out on the ground and speak to people. When I returned from Afghanistan, I got a job working for BBC Media Action in a similar role and then transferred to CNN working in journalism. 

What skills do you believe make a good journalist in today’s society?

Being able to connect and listen to the people whose stories you are telling. If you cannot connect and slow down, then you cannot produce the best journalism. As everything is online and so available, our instinct would be to be quick and first, but the best journalists develop sources and build trust. You should listen more than you talk, in order to create important human connections. Lastly, be relentless in your pursuance of the truth.

What would you recommend to a young woman who would like to pursue a similar career?

The most important thing is finding someone to mentor you, especially for people of colour. In the US, I can count on both hands the women in leadership roles within the industry who look like me. Only in recent years, especially after this year, is that all changing. It is difficult for women of colour to find mentors, so do not be shy and ask people to mentor you. 

What has been the biggest challenge in your career and how have you tackled it?

What I have found challenging - and it is linked to my previous answer - is finding that support system within the workspace. I have heard before that I am too aggressive, too assertive, basically too much, but I would have male colleagues who were doing the same thing but were called confident and perfectionists. My industry is taking a critical look at itself more recently and I am hoping this will change in the future. 

What are the most and least rewarding aspects of your career? 

The most rewarding aspect and what I miss the most right now is getting that human connection. The beauty of journalism is getting to understand people and it is a constant education. I wake up every morning and learn something new and I cannot imagine another profession where I would get to do that every second, every minute or every day. 

The least rewarding aspects are probably the missed moments. I missed my husband becoming a US citizen because I was not able to get the day off from work and I regret that now. Also, when my family has come to visit, and I have not been able to spend much time with them because of work commitments such as covering a protest. Finally, finding the right balance can be difficult - I would love to know if other journalists have!