May 20

S02E06: Unpacking 'Terrorism' - Who gets called a 'terrorist' and why Ft. Meenakshi Ravi

In the sixth and final episode of What’s the Word? Season 2, we take a look at a set of words: Terrorism. Terrorist. Militant. Insurgent. Who gets called what? Who escapes these labels? And what happens when these words are used to delegitimise struggles or flatten complex histories into good versus evil? To unpack this, host Shriya Roy is joined by Meenakshi Ravi. Meenakshi is a senior journalist and executive producer at Al Jazeera English, where she works on The Listening Post—a programme deeply invested in media critique and narrative analysis. In addition, she works on All Hail - a series dedicated to explaining the social, economic, and political forces that hold power in our everyday lives. She has been a journalist for close to 20 years. Important links: Producer: Shriya Roy Host: Shriya Roy Concept: Shriya Roy

May 6

S02E05: Unpacking the politics behind a ‘Ceasefire’ Ft. Hager Hesham Mustafa

In the fifth episode of What’s the Word? Season 2, we’re unpacking a word that often sounds neutral - Ceasefire. Words like ceasefire, truce, humanitarian pause, and de-escalation sound neutral, even hopeful. They suggest restraint. Relief. A step toward peace. But in many conflicts, these words don’t actually mean safety. They don’t mean justice. They don’t even always mean that violence has stopped. Instead, they often signal something narrower — a temporary slowing of visible violence, while structural violence continues: siege, displacement, occupation, starvation, surveillance, restricted movement. So today we’re asking: Who benefits when violence is described as “paused”? What realities disappear when diplomacy sets the vocabulary? And how does language lower — or raise — the bar for accountability? To unpack this, host Shriya Roy speaks with Hager Hesham Mustafa. Hager is an award-winning data journalist based in Cairo. She is the founder of Anmat, an independent research and journalism initiative working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, media accountability, and social justice in the MENA region. With her expertise spanning investigative reporting, data analysis, and applied AI, Hager specializes in uncovering hidden narratives, bias, and power dynamics within social and economic systems. Her work at Amat combines explainable AI methods with community-centered approaches to build open, reusable data infrastructures that support journalists, researchers, and civil society organizations. Important links: Anmat media website: https://www.anmat.media/ Framing Gaza project: https://www.anmat.media/framing-gaza Producer: Shriya Roy Host: Shriya Roy Concept: Shriya Roy

Apr 23

S02E04: Unpacking 'Unrest' - the language that shapes dissent Ft. Muda Tariq

In the fourth episode of What’s the Word? Season 2, we’re unpacking a word that we hear so often that it barely registers anymore: Unrest. It appears in headlines, government statements, and international reports. It sounds factual, even restrained. But restraint in language often hides a great deal. The word unrest has a way of flattening political struggle. It removes cause, blurs responsibility, and makes resistance seem like a spontaneous disruption rather than a response to something deeper. To unpack this, host Shriya Roy speaks with Muda Tariq. Muda covers South Asia for the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), where her mandate covers civic space. As a researcher, she is also interested in the intersection of language, narratives, and civic space, particularly how governments weaponise terminology to criminalise dissent; how journalism, international bodies, and big tech often reinforce or reproduce these narratives; and how this shapes international response, advocacy, and documentation. Producer: Shriya Roy Host: Shriya Roy Concept: Shriya Roy

Apr 8

S02E03: Unpacking the labels of Migrant and Refugee Ft. Marianne Perez-Fransius

In the third episode of What’s the Word? Season 2, we’re unpacking a set of terms that are often used interchangeably but shouldn’t be: Migrant. Refugee. Displaced person. Asylum seeker. When does someone stop being a migrant and become a refugee? What happens when people who are often fleeing political and ethnic violence are reduced to “illegal immigrants”? And what’s really at stake when language decides who belongs and who doesn’t? To unpack this, host Shriya Roy speaks with Marianne Perez-Fransius. Marianne is a peace journalist, facilitator, and storyteller passionate about bridging divides through inclusive communication. She has over two decades of experience training diverse communities and professionals in conflict-sensitive journalism, strategic communication, and peacebuilding. Based in the French Pyrenees, Marianne has worked across continents, from Mozambique to Turkey to Bolivia, designing curricula and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues that inspire empathy and collaboration. As a published author and communications expert, her work focuses on inclusive communication, narrative ethics, and amplifying marginalised voices. Important links: Au Coeur du Possible podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2nQntKFkKbwbXMMscryz6M Au Coeur du Possible podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AuCoeurduPossiblePodcast Producer: Shriya Roy Host: Shriya Roy Concept: Shriya Roy

Mar 25

S02E02: Unpacking the politics of control in ‘Occupation’ Ft. Padma Priya

In the second episode of What’s the Word? Season 2, we’re talking about a word that is often missing in newsrooms—sometimes quietly, sometimes deliberately: Occupation. Why do so many media outlets avoid using it? What are the politics behind this silence? And what happens to truth, justice, and historical memory when we replace it with softer, sanitising alternatives like ‘conflict’, ‘dispute’, or ‘security operations’? To unpack this, host Shriya Roy speaks with DVL Padma Priya. Priya is a multilingual communications and advocacy leader who’s worked across Australia, South Asia, and beyond. She previously led media communications and advocacy at Médecins Sans Frontières Australia, working closely with senior leadership on press and parliamentary engagement. As part of her work, she led external comms and media work across some of the most politically sensitive and humanitarian contexts, including the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh, the Ebola outbreak in 2014, and the ongoing emergencies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Priya is also the co-founder and former Editorial Director of Suno India, an award-winning podcast platform, where she helped shape over a thousand episodes and trained hundreds of journalists and creators. At the heart of her work is a focus on people-centred storytelling, strong partnerships, and making complex issues accessible. Important links: Speaking Out Case studies by Médecins Sans Frontières: https://www.msf.org/speakingout Producer: Shriya Roy Host: Shriya Roy Concept: Shriya Roy

Mar 11

S02E01: Unpacking the rhetoric of War vs Genocide Ft. Rawan Damen

When we see images of neighborhoods destroyed by airstrikes and families forced to flee their homes, the word most often used in the news is war. It’s a term that suggests two sides, a battlefield, and a set of rules. But what happens when that word no longer captures the scale of the violence? What happens when war is used, where others argue genocide may be the more accurate term? In the first episode of What’s the Word? Season 2, we explore how this debate around language has played out across conflicts around the world—and how it is unfolding today in coverage of Gaza. While many scholars, legal experts, activists, and human rights organisations have described the situation as genocide, many governments and news outlets continue to frame it primarily as war or conflict. Host Shriya Roy speaks with Rawan Damen, Director-General of the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism, veteran documentary filmmaker, and former senior commissioning producer at Al Jazeera. Drawing on decades of experience in investigative and documentary storytelling—as well as her perspective as a Palestinian media leader—Damen reflects on how narratives of conflict are shaped, contested, and understood. Important links: The Palestine Remix Project: https://remix.aljazeera.com/aje/PalestineRemix/ The Gaza Project: https://arij.net/investigations/gaza-project/en.html Producer: Shriya Roy Host: Shriya Roy Concept: Shriya Roy

Season 2 Trailer

What's The Word? Season 2: Trailer

Words shape the world. They decide whose stories are told — and whose are erased. In Season Two of What’s The Word, we turn our attention to the language of conflict, and ask what happens when the words used to report violence begin to shape how it’s remembered, understood, and justified. Each episode unpacks a single word — from ceasefire to security, terror to resistance — and examines how language can humanise, obscure, or legitimise power. Through conversations with journalists, editors, academics, and activists from across the world, we explore who gets to name conflict — and what’s at stake when they do. In this season, we’re asking not just what happened, but how the words used to describe it shape everything that follows. What’s The Word: Season Two is a podcast by aidóni. Streaming soon on all platforms. Host: Shriya Roy Producer: Shriya Roy

12/06/2023

S01E04: Language and Journalism in West Asia Ft. Hussam Hammoud

In this season of the podcast, we will be focusing on different regions of the world and explore how language, and usage of certain words, in media reportage by journalists have a much deeper impact on the narrative formation and shaping of the sensibilities of the public. We will be delving deeper into journalism cultures in different parts of the world and how they function. In the fourth and final episode of our podcast we are talking about West Asia. which mainstream media refers to as the Middle East. The term “Middle East” was used and brought into everyday vocabulary by the british colonialist, look at the world, the map, the geography from where they stand. This term has hence found its way into our everyday language, journalism, and reportage. Through the course of this episode, we try and look at the larger narrative of islamophobia that has been wrongly perpetrated not just by the media but through different aspects of language and power. We dig deeper into several islamophobic stereotypes in media and how that has affected what gets reported and how, especially given the current sociopolitical situation and the war on the Palestinian people. is a journalist originally from Raqqa, in Syria, and is currently based in France. His career as a journalist-activist began at the time of the Syrian revolution in 2011. He mainly covers investigative topics related to the violations committed by the Assad regime and the armed militias in Syria as writes and reports for various international media organisations, including Mediapart, Arte, and BBC. Producer: Shriya Roy Host: Shriya Roy Concept: Shriya Roy

11/22/2023

S01E03: Language and Journalism in Africa Ft. Caleb Okereke

In this season of the podcast, we will be focusing on different regions of the world and explore how language, and usage of certain words, in media reportage by journalists have a much deeper impact on the narrative formation and shaping of the sensibilities of the public. We will be delving deeper into journalism cultures in different parts of the world and how they function. In our third episode, our focus is on Africa. Through the course of this episode, we try to explore the stereotypes and the constant western gaze that is often seen in mainstream media’s reportage of the region and problems with homogenisation of an entire continent in the language of reportage. Caleb Okereke. Caleb is the Co-founder and Managing Editor of Minority Africa, a digital publication using data-driven multimedia journalism to tell minority stories from across Africa. He is a Nigerian journalist and filmmaker working out of Kampala, Uganda, and has written and produced features for the BBC, CNN, Aljazeera, NPR, and Deutsche Welle. As a journalist, he has extensively reported from eastern and western Africa. He is a 2019 Media Challenge Fellow, One World Media fellow, and a Solutions Journalism Network, LEDE fellow as well. Producer: Shriya Roy Host: Shriya Roy Concept: Shriya Roy

11/08/2023

S01E02: Language and Journalism in South Asia Ft. Hamza Amin and Fatima Razzaq

In this season of the podcast, we will be focusing on different regions of the world and explore how language, and usage of certain words, in media reportage by journalists have a much deeper impact on the narrative formation and shaping of the sensibilities of the public. We will be delving deeper into journalism cultures in different parts of the world and how they function. In our second episode, we are talking about South Asia. Through the course of this episode, we try and unpack several existing ideas and language stereotypes. We look at the problems of language usage when talking about South Asia as a region, and the importance of local language media in the region. We also explore the lack of cross-border journalism, especially between India and Pakistan, and how that impacts the free flow of credible information. Joining us on this episode are Hamza Amin and Fatima Razzaq. Hamza is a journalist from Pakistan and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Vienna, Austria. He is researching the interchange between culture, politics, and journalistic identities. He is also the co- Founder of 9 News, which is Pakistan’s first news aggregation service. Hamza is also an active member of the Vienna Hub of the Global Shapers Community, an initiative of the World Economic Forum, which connects young leaders passionate about driving social impact. Fatima is an nvestigative journalist based in Pakistan who works at Lok Sujag, an alternate digital media platform that works for highlighting issues often ignored by mainstream media. She covers human rights with a special focus on religious minorities and gender issues. She has done extensive investigative work on forced religious conversions of Christain and Hindu girls, acid attacks in Pakistan, reporting on gender based violence. Producer: Shriya Roy Host: Shriya Roy Concept: Shriya Roy

10/25/2023

S01E01: Language and Journalism in Latin America Ft. Dánae Vílchez

In this season of the podcast, we will be focusing on different regions of the world and explore how language, and usage of certain words, in media reportage by journalists have a much deeper impact on the narrative formation and shaping of the sensibilities of the public. We will be delving deeper into journalism cultures in different parts of the world and how they function. In our first episode, we are talking about Latin America, digging deeper into the language stereotypes that mainstream Western media propagates of unstable governments, drugs, violence, and all things wrong. Joining us on this episode is Dánae Vílchez. She is a Nicaraguan multimedia journalist who has extensively covered social movements and conflicts in the region and has rallied for media democracy. She has been a fellow with the International Center for Journalists and the International Women’s Media Foundation and has written for The Washington Post, Newsweek, and Pikara Magazine, among others. She is currently working with the Committee to Protect Journalists as their Central America Correspondent and also works with Open Democracy. Producer: Shriya Roy Host: Shriya Roy Concept: Shriya Roy

10/17/2023

What's The Word: Trailer

In a world that is moving at a bullet-train pace toward globalisation, understanding the importance of journalism and the words that we use when reporting on events becomes non-negotiable. Journalistic cultures differ across borders, and often it all gets bracketed into one umbrella guided by the Western gaze. In this podcast, we try and demystify this very idea and try and get to the crux of the language debate. This first season of our podcast looks to explore how media reports about certain countries or regions around the world, and how words and terminology used to talk about those regions impact the larger understanding of the regions, and very often perpetuate misinformed stereotypes. We will be delving deeper into journalism cultures away from the West, in different parts of the world, looking at how they function and why giving equal importance to local newsrooms and journalists is significant! Producer: Shriya Roy Host: Shriya Roy Concept: Shriya Roy

What's The Word?

Episodes

S02E06: Unpacking 'Terrorism' - Who gets called a 'terrorist' and why Ft. Meenakshi Ravi

S02E05: Unpacking the politics behind a ‘Ceasefire’ Ft. Hager Hesham Mustafa

S02E04: Unpacking 'Unrest' - the language that shapes dissent Ft. Muda Tariq

S02E03: Unpacking the labels of Migrant and Refugee Ft. Marianne Perez-Fransius

S02E02: Unpacking the politics of control in ‘Occupation’ Ft. Padma Priya

S02E01: Unpacking the rhetoric of War vs Genocide Ft. Rawan Damen

What's The Word? Season 2: Trailer

S01E04: Language and Journalism in West Asia Ft. Hussam Hammoud

S01E03: Language and Journalism in Africa Ft. Caleb Okereke

S01E02: Language and Journalism in South Asia Ft. Hamza Amin and Fatima Razzaq

S01E01: Language and Journalism in Latin America Ft. Dánae Vílchez

What's The Word: Trailer

Trailer

What's The Word? Season 2: Trailer

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