Tasnim Nazeer, 34, made history and broke the glass ceiling for STV news last month
(THE NATIONAL NEWS) In the UK, the media is often criticised for lacking inclusion and diversity, but Tasnim Nazeer is hoping to change that.
On July 16, just days before the London-born journalist turned 34, she made history, becoming the first hijab-wearing TV reporter in Scotland, after moving to Glasgow with her husband five years ago.
As a broadcast journalist for STV news, she broke barriers and has since used her success as a platform for promoting better diversity and inclusion in the media.
Really pleased to have done my first TV report as a freelance journo for @STVNews at Six highlighting the need for more bereavement support in Scotland. I don’t think a woman in hijab has ever anchored a news report in Scotland before. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/7hxqfniTEk
— Tasnim Nazeer (@TasnimNazeer1) July 30, 2020
Nazeer, from a family with Sri Lankan heritage, was only 15 when she reported on those worst-hit by the tsunami in 2004 for NewsLanka, a UK-based paper covering the South Asian country.
After building her portfolio writing for several community papers, including Muslim News,
she went on to work freelance radio shifts for BBC Radio 2.
She later moved on to working as a television guest panellist on BBC Scotland and has written for news organisations including The Guardian, Forbes and The Independent, focusing on humanitarian issues and social justice.
