Welcome, I'm Amina Zaidi!
I’m a senior Northwestern University in Qatar’s Medill School of Journalism, minoring in Media and Politics. My work spans journalism, digital communications, research, and multimedia storytelling, with a particular interest in politics, identity, and the ways media shapes public life.
My experience has taken me from press freedom communications at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and digital campaigns at UNICEF Pakistan to newsroom reporting at DAWN and research on the QNRF-funded Data Citizenships project. Across these roles, I’ve worked with written, visual, and digital storytelling to make complex issues accessible to wider audiences.
Born and raised in Pakistan and now based in Qatar, I’m especially interested in stories that cross borders and connect local experiences to larger political and social questions.
Written Work
My writing spans journalism, research, and analysis, with a focus on media, politics, identity, human rights, and culture.
World Refugee Day 2026: CPJ
Explores how journalists forced into exile continue to face transnational repression across borders, and the challenges of maintaining their safety and freedom while reporting abroad.
Research Project
Is English the only path to academic prestige? This research investigates how Pakistani university students navigate identity, class, and power through their preferences for Urdu and English in the classroom.
Profile Piece
When Gen-Z meets grassroots journalism in Pakistan, resistance takes the form of Instagram posts. This profile captures the rise of Irteqaa, a student-led media platform fighting censorship with courage.
Trend Story
TikTok made it viral, but is it cultural appreciation or appropriation? This trend story looks at how the “Latina makeup” aesthetic sparks a global conversation on beauty, identity, and representation.
Beat Story
From cricket fields to Parliament halls, Pakistan’s celebrity politicians are rewriting the rules of political engagement. This beat story explores how charisma often trumps competence in today’s democracy.
Content Analysis
Is K-pop pushing gender boundaries or reinforcing them? This pilot content analysis dives into the styling, body language, and visual framing that shape how male and female idols are sexualized on screen.
Academic Analysis
What happens when good intentions fuel a harmful industry? This research uncovers how orphanage voluntourism in Nepal boosts GDP but leaves behind deep ethical and social scars.
International Women’s Day 2026: CPJ
Examines the gendered threats facing women journalists worldwide, from online harassment and surveillance to violence, detention, and displacement, and their broader impact on press freedom.
Video Projects
My multimedia work combines reporting, filming, editing, and visual storytelling across documentary, explanatory, and feature formats.
Profile Package
Before he was a journalism professor, Eddy Rey-Borges was chasing melodies, not deadlines. This profile explores his musical roots and how they shaped his storytelling style.
Produced by Mohammad Shayan Ahmad, Amina Zaidi, and Rishal Liam Chowdhary.
Explainer Video
What’s in a language? In this piece, we unpack the historical and cultural tensions between Hindi and Urdu, tracing how a linguistic divide became a symbol of identity and power in South Asia.
Reported and edited by Amina Zaidi & Ayushi Jha.
Short Film
Amongst Us is a thrilling comedy inspired by the game Among Us, blending suspense with satire in a playful take on trust and betrayal. Created as a class project, the film brings together humor, tension, and teamwork in every frame.
Sound and lighting by Amina Zaidi.
Profile Feature
Sabaan Ali Jassil isn’t just an antique shop owner in Souq Waqif — he’s a former national footballer, a pearl diver, and a living archive of Qatar’s cultural memory. This feature captures his incredible journey from the pitch to a storefront visited by royalty, where every item has a story waiting to be told.
Reported, filmed, and edited by Amina Zaidi.
Media Coverage
I love my work for the connections I make and the stories it allows me to bring to life.
✂️ NUQ Views – Video Editing
Edited short-form videos for NUQ Views, shaping interviews, campus coverage, and student-focused content for social media through pacing, structure, and visual storytelling.
Edited by Amina Zaidi.
🎤 NUQ Views Segments
Reported and presented short-form segments highlighting student voices and campus culture through interviews, community polls, and event coverage.
Reported by Amina Zaidi.
Photography
Framing narratives, one shot at a time.
