What a week it has been!

TMJ News had to move over to my home with a makeshift studio space because I went and got my ankle broken. Can’t walk for a couple more weeks, doctor's orders. Since our work is endless and news is 24/7, there was no room for slowing down, and that meant making some adjustments to our shared spaces, filming operations and maintaining workflow.

The new temporary environment has really helped me reflect on the bigger picture, especially for TMJ News, our goals for the year and the kind of content we should be creating. For example, I’ve thought about bringing in more journalists that can create breaking news videos with narrated storytelling, or getting into documentaries that we can eventually submit to film festivals. I’ve also thought about how TMJ’s purpose was to one day serve as a data center where we are able to conduct studies about topics important to us, such as hate crimes against Muslims in North America.

In the hustle of it all, from chasing stories, to creating daily content, all these bigger goals seemed like a distant reality. It’s only in the last few days have I gotten the opportunity to chart out TMJ’s direction. Like they say, sometimes you need to take a step back in order to move ten steps forward.

My current situation has also given me perspective into the resiliency of human beings. No matter how difficult a situation, humans have a unique ability to adapt to their situation, survive and keep moving forward. A lot of times we don’t really know how we would react to a situation until we are thrown into the thick of it, and then we have no choice but to deal with it.

It’s quite remarkable, really, to see how human beings continue to triumph against all odds, from the streets of Occupied Palestine where another intifada seems to be brewing, to injured victims being pulled out of earthquake rubble, to families burying their dead in Yemen and Syria in mass graves. To most of us, we are left with our gaping mouths that seem to be asking “How?” And yet, they keep going.

For us in the West, perhaps what is most worrisome is how our people would fare if such disasters were to strike here at home. We, who once quarreled over toilet paper in the pandemic or fought over TV’s on Black Friday, would faint at the mere sight of mass injury, let alone death. In an upcoming op-ed, the writer mentions how our differing worldviews and individualistic nature would contribute to our demise in a hypothetical disaster such as an earthquake. This is in comparison to our brethren in the East who already have a deep sense of “we-based thinking” that brings them even closer together in incredibly difficult times.

While this week has been unusual in the back-end as we are figuring out how to film with guests in my home office with the ugliest cast on my leg (well, okay, not that ugly), most people who follow our work on social media wouldn’t think we’ve missed a beat. Our monster of an investigation, on the Politicization of the Hijab, just posted on Patreon as First Look and will be available tomorrow on YouTube. I find this episode of For God and Country particularly interesting because the issue of Hijab has never been broken down so thoughtfully, logically and with such compelling arguments. I have my investigative researcher Fiza to thank for that, and TMJ’s very own producer Fatima spent days putting the multimedia together to show evidence for all claims made. As I like to say, it is extremely ‘airtight’.

As editor, my role gives me unique insight to manage the month’s storyboard with an eagle eye, work with talented writers and storytellers and fill in the missing pieces with exciting new events happening on the daily. But if there’s anything that my injury has taught me, it's that sometimes, taking a step back is not a bad thing, that slowing down can help you see the bigger picture. Often, that’s all you really need to decide what your next move will be.

Your Editor,

Zainabrights

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Our mission at TMJ is to fill gaps in media when it comes to untold stories, elevating minority voices and covering news and its impact holistically. We seek to uphold high journalistic values with utmost editorial independence, which means we rely on our readers to support our work.We are 100% reader funded and supported. If you value what we publish and agree that our world needs alternative voices in media, please consider donating to our GoFundMe campaign or becoming a Patron. Check out our Patreon’s details below News Round-up 👇

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As mentioned above, in the 6th Episode of ‘For God and Country’ Zainabrights investigates the political nature of the hijab, why media is obsessed with it, and the impact its fear-mongering is having globally.Watch the complete episode at our Patreon.

As you become a Patron, your contributions and support show us that the need for quality journalism still exists and this is what keeps us going.

Can you guess this week's riddle?

We should never miss a chance to solve a fun riddle on a Sunday. So, here we go:"I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?”

If you have an answer reply with your best guess. The correct answer will be revealed in our next Newsletter. 😉P.S: The answer to the last week’s riddle is ‘A Journal’. Had you guessed it right?

And that's a wrap for this week! We hope you’re healthy and safe as we updated you on this Sunday while you were having your morning coffee.

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