Michaela Cullen
The Oscar-nominated documentary Writing With Fire follows the journalists of India’s only all-female news outlet. The documentary shines a light on the fearless pursuing of stories they undertake to challenge the misogynistic structure of India’s current news systems.
Khabar Lahariya is a news outlet that has initiated social change in a male-dominated profession. Staffed with women of India’s Dalit caste (the lowest social ranking), the reporters leave no stone unturned when it comes to news coverage. They have adapted their print newspapers to online media platforms and have utilised YouTube and Instagram to highlight specific social and political injustices in India.
This documentary recounts an important story of female empowerment.
Filmmakers Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh spent four years shadowing the Khabar Lahariya journalists. They documented the shift from print news to online media coverage and highlighted the fierceness and determination that these women bring to the journalistic team.
The documentary follows the linear timeline of the Khabar Lahariya media process, particularly following their rise on YouTube as the outlet quickly gains subscribers, allowing their global audience to become more aware of the social restraints of female journalists in India.
“The documentary shines a light on Khabar Lahariya’s remarkable achievements despite government restrictions on press freedom”
Currently, India sits at 142 on the World Press Freedom Index. The documentary shines a light on Khabar Lahariya’s remarkable achievements despite government restrictions on press freedom. The female news outlet reports on events that otherwise would be swept under the carpet by India’s negligent policing systems, which often turn a blind eye to important matters in poorer Indian societies.
Day by day, these journalists are risking their safety and their families’ safety to vocalise stories that should be platformed.
“Khabar Lahariya has provided women with the chance to change India’s society and give hope to others.”
Insight into the personal lives of the journalists further reinforces the pivotal importance of these women continuing with their investigations. Not only to give female journalists a voice and purpose, but also women from low-caste regions an opportunity to tell their stories.
Khabar Lahariya has provided women with the chance to change India’s society and give hope to others. Helping a low socio-economic town receive necessary medical supplies and pressuring police to prosecute rapists provides these women with an opportunity to defy the patriarchal system and earn a living.
Thomas and Ghosh have created a powerful feminist masterpiece that should be watched by all. The documentary has already won numerous awards, including the Audience Award, World Cinema Documentary and World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award, Impact for Change at Sundance Film Festival, and the Maysles Brothers Award for Feature Documentary at Belfast Film Festival.
So, it’s no surprise that it has been nominated for an Oscar. In a profession declining in trust, Writing With Fire reinforces belief in media and highlights the importance of journalism in bringing truth to the world.
Featured image courtesy of Parij Borgohain on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
Michaela Cullen
Michaela is currently in her third year studying Journalism at the University of Technology Sydney. She has contributed to the UTS newsroom Central News with a range of political and social justice stories. She is also the 2023 Australian Foreign Policy Fellow for Young Australians in International Affairs and Editor-in-Chief of the United Nations Youth NSW Global Advocate Magazine.