Safe World for Women

Katerva Awards

Eimear

Eimear Clabby

I have just completed my BA in Contemporary Culture and Society (in Ireland) a broad based degree which allowed me to sample certain modules based on journalism and media, women’s rights and other societal issues along with literature and some aspects of law. 

I have applied for a MA in journalism for next year.  I have a keen interest in journalism and strive to make a difference.  I cannot wait to become part of the buzz that surrounds journalism and feel the sense of achievement when I break my first story.

My Interests are broad, covering all aspects of journalism, crime and current affairs, fashion, travel, food and literature, all of which women are a part of.  The treatment and sexualisation of women in the fashion industry is always something that shocks me and the problems that arise from fashion and beauty advertising.

'My Hopes, My Future'

Women’s rights have remained a hot topic among society, especially in recent years.  Equality and respect remain two of the most important components of a woman's career aspirations.

I am on the verge of completing my undergraduate dissertation, for which I carried out a significant study into crime reporting in Ireland; with this in mind I interviewed all of the leading crime reporters --  all of whom were male.  I was slightly discouraged by the lack of female presence among the array of crime reporters in Ireland, for reasons I will discuss.

I have a passion for journalism.  I want to explore and investigate the world around me and write to make a difference.  Veronica Guerin remains one of the most influential crime reporters in Ireland.  She strived to make a difference; she recognised the depletion of Dublin’s inner city slums and its fall under the peril of inhumane drug barons.  Veronica wrote for The Sunday Independent at the time, and reiterated her concerns through her columns.  Veronica put her life on the line on many occasions in order to attain the truth, in order to make a difference.  Tragically Veronica was shot dead on the 26th of June 1996, because she tried to make a difference.

Veronica, even after her death, is my icon [in journalism].  She fought for what she believed was right, and she wrote about it to express her concern to society.  She sums up what true journalism stands for: passion, fierceness, and determination.

With this in mind, I wish to make a difference in society.  I want to become a leading female crime reporter in Ireland and stand out from the male crowd.  Crime journalism in Ireland lacks a female component, a position I wish to fill most graciously.  In tribute to Veronica’s memory, never ask a man to do a woman’s job.

Interviews by Eimear