meet the members

Amélie Baasner is a plurilingual journalist and researcher who has contributed to leading European outlets including Germany’s Der Tagesspiegel, Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza, Italy’s L’Espresso, and France’s La Croix. Her work focuses on reshaping narratives around gender, migration, and polarisation. She is currently a researcher at Humboldt University in Berlin, where she examines the origins of gender-based discourse in European culture.

Lina Odeh is a Palestinian  journalist, TV presenter, and reporter with over ten years of experience at Roya TV, where she has specialised in news and social programming. She holds a master’s degree in European Studies and has focused her reporting on key regional issues, particularly women’s empowerment and environmental challenges. Through her work, she has sought to inform, engage, and inspire action, driven by a belief in the power of media to foster meaningful change.

Ihssane Benbel is the main anchor of the French-language Evening News on Morocco's 2M, where she also serves as editor-in-chief. With 20 years of experience in the media, she has interviewed leading figures and covered major events in Morocco and abroad.

A recognised figure in the audiovisual landscape, she stands out for her social engagement and strong interest in societal issues, which she highlights with both rigour and humanity.

Zeineb Haj Slimane is the CEO of Zinovation Consulting. Trained as an industrial biology engineer (INSAT) with a PhD in cellular and molecular pathophysiology from Paris XI University, she later shifted her career toward cultural and corporate project management.

She has coordinated initiatives such as the Tunisia Podcast Festival (2023), the video podcast “40Fied” (2024), and wellness and corporate events including WellNess Day and Build Your Day with Well’Com. Her experience also includes artistic management and the direction of cultural organisations. At Zinovation Consulting, she combines scientific training with expertise in agile project management, design thinking, and growth strategies to deliver innovative and sustainable projects.

Zeineb is co-coordinator of the Euro-Mediterranean Network of Women Journalists, supported by the Union for the Mediterranean.

Fatma Kheir is the founder of the Women for Media Network (WMN) and has over 30 years of experience in print, digital journalism, radio, and television. A certified leadership and career coach (ICF), she has worked for 14 years as a media trainer and mentor with a strong focus on empowering women in media. She has authored five books and serves as the lead MENA coach for Women in News – WAN/IFRA, where she conducts workshops on time management, career planning, and self-discovery. She has held editor-in-chief roles for several television programmes and is active in NGOs supporting women and cultural development. She holds a law degree, a diploma in political and diplomatic communication, and is preparing to pursue a master’s degree in the same field.

Cristina Mas is a foreign affairs journalist at Barcelona’s ARA newspaper who focuses mainly on the Mediterranean region. She has reported in Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Algeria, Turkey, Greece, the Balkans and Ukraine, among others. Cristina Mas has conducted in-depth reporting on various issues including gender-based violence in the Central African Republic and migration in the Mediterranean.

Inés Azagra Prego is a journalist and cultural manager who is in charge of Radio Exterior de España’s French-language broadcasts. She is a regular contributor on Kantara, COPEAM’s weekly programme co-produced by Mediterranean public radio broadcasters. She presents Lo Mejor de la Semana on Radio Exterior in addition to being the president of Madrid’s Espacio Loseta cultural association.

Saja Mortada is a Lebanese investigative and data journalist, and the manager of the Arab Fact-Checkers Network (AFCN) led by ARIJ. She holds a master’s degree in media from Antonine University in Lebanon and the University of Toulon in France. She has produced investigative reports on human rights issues in Lebanon and contributed to the FinCEN Files (2020) and Pandora Papers (2021) investigations with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Previously, she worked as an editor and presenter at Al Mayadeen TV, Raseef22, and Assafir newspaper. In recent years, she has deepened her expertise in fact-checking and artificial intelligence, becoming a trainer in these fields.

Martina Castigliani is a social affairs reporter for Il Fatto Quotidiano whose work focuses on politics, human rights, and gender equality. She is the author of two books: “Looking for the end of the sea. Migrant stories through children’s drawings” (2019), an inquiry into the living conditions of refugee camps in Greece, and “Free. Our no to forced marriages” (2022), an investigation into girls fleeing forced marriages in Italy.

Nimat Almatari has over 25 years of experience as a radio host for Monte Carlo Doualiya, a public Arabic-language station that broadcasts from France. She has presented talk shows and socio-political programmes on issues including women’s rights.