Interview with Daisy Miles Global Girl Media UK Summer Academy alumna and journalist.
Written by: Tasnim Noam.
Edited by : Dila su Yaman.
Daisy Miles Global Girl Media UK Summer Academy alumna and journalist. Daisy Miles is an aspiring political journalist In this interview I delve into what her impressions were of the IWD event at News UK and her vision for women and underrepresented communities in the UK media landscape and gain insight on her upbringing and the experiences that shaped her professional endeavours.
Born and brought up in London, Miles says she didn’t grow up having particular passions unless she counts watching television. She recalls her fondest memories were where she would play with her friends’ cousins and grandfather. She would enjoy playing games where a lot of imagination was involved which got her the nickname “Dolly Daydream”.
-“Daisy where are you in your career path?”
I am at the very beginning, it feels like. I feel like I am attempting to climb over a brick wall to try and get a job in journalism. I’ve spent most of my life studying, and now I would like to start work.
Daisy runs a blog where she writes articles ranging from opinion pieces to political analysis.
On the 7th of March Daisy was invited to the IWD News UK event. I interviewed her regarding her analysis of IWD and the symbolism behind it.
After attending this event has your understanding of IWD changed and what does IWD mean to you?
Initially, International Women’s Day didn’t mean much to me. I wrote about this a couple of years ago, and I don’t think International Women’s Day started to be celebrated in the UK until very recently. Even attending a conference celebrating the occasion felt strange to me!
However, now is probably the best time to start, especially here in the UK. Of course it’s important to celebrate the progress women have made in being recognised as equal to men. However, there is a long way to go. There are still vast inequalities across public and private spheres, especially for transgender women who currently appear to be on the front line of political warfare here. Meanwhile, trailblazers like Diane Abbot, the first black female MP in the UK, are faced with violent threats regularly. It’ll be great to celebrate how far we have come, but I also wish we could focus on how we can make the world better for our future generations of women.
-As IWD’s theme was Inspiring Inclusion, what do you make of this theme ?
“Inspiring inclusion” I believe is a strange theme, as if mainstream feminism has finally caught onto what intersectional feminists have been campaigning for all along, but even more watered down. Maybe that is a bit cynical, though.
I understand that the absence of inclusion is a consequence of centuries of systemic sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia and ableism. It cannot be unlearned in an instant, but I hope this year’s theme does inspire people to educate themselves on the ways they are complicit in excluding marginalised groups so they become more conscious of those behaviours.
-Based on the talks you’ve attended at the event on the future of the UK’s media landscape, what is your vision after attending the news UK event? What is your prediction for the UK’s media landscape ?
I guess I am still concerned by a lot of external factors threatening the media industry that don’t just affect women, but creatives as a whole.
As a journalist, I am quite scared of the impact that AI is having on the industry. When we were luckily given a tour of the News UK building, we got to see instances of AI being implemented into reporting, so I am not quite sure it reassured me about my dream job disappearing.
-What were your impressions of the News UK event?
I found the event comforting in a way. Journalism can be quite lonely for women, I remember on the first day of my journalism course I was stunned by how few women were in my cohort. I can hold my own in a conversation about football, but I would also like to talk about other things!
I think hearing the experiences of other women in news and broadcast made me feel less lonely, and it reminded me that I do belong in the industry and that I have worked hard enough.
-Could you share with us what your favourite moment/speaker/quote was ?
I did enjoy hearing Leanne Sanderson discuss her experiences as a queer person of colour, both in sport and in broadcast. I would also love to hear more voices like hers at future events celebrating women! She was an incredibly compelling speaker, I wish I could ask her to commentate on all West Ham matches.
-Finally what are your dreams and hopes for the future ?
Hopefully there will be a time where we don’t need one day to celebrate women in our society. I hope that the hard work our mothers and grandmothers have endured are celebrated more often, and are seen as bigger achievements compared to their male counterparts after the obstacles they have passed through.
-Thank you Daisy Miles for sharing this insightful take on IWD and its global implications.
My pleasure.
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