‘We cried, laughed, held hands’: 10 women journalists reclaim their stories in memoir

Calling for continued support to preserve the human essence of journalism in an increasingly AI-driven media landscape, 10 women journalists from Uttar Pradesh launched their collective memoir — ‘The Good Reporter’, translated into Hindi as ‘Badi Aayi Patrakar’ — in Delhi on Friday. “The stories from the field are our own stories, our own lived battles,” said Geeta Devi, one of the co-authors.

The book captures the experiences of a first-of-its-kind collective of women journalists as they navigate the complexities of their personal and professional lives. The memoir details their relentless battles, on and off the field, as they confront a male-dominated society and endure persistent taunts from within their own communities.

The event marked 25 years of Khabar Lahariya, a feminist media institution that began in a rocky, feudal belt where female journalists — particularly those from Dalit, OBC, and Muslim communities — were rarely seen before.

The evening opened with a “cold read” of excerpts by co-authors Lalita, Lakshmi, Shyamkali, and Ms. Geeta, who shared the vision and ideas behind the book. Publisher and author Urvashi Butalia spoke about the historical significance of the work: “A certain change has happened in society, which is why a book like yours exists. I wish I had published this myself; it is a necessity for our times.”

Another co-author, Suneeta Prajapati, described the writing process as an emotional odyssey. “We cried, we laughed, and we held hands,” she said, describing the energy of the room as they revisited their journey from local reporters to internationally recognised journalists.