Journalist hailed a Scots TV trailblazer
TASNIM Nazeer is thought to be the first reporter to appear on TV in Scotland wearing the hijab.
The mum of five from Glasgow appeared on STV news on Thursday reporting on the lack of support for bereaved families.
It is thought to be a first for news aired here, with Tasnim now a trailblazer for equality and inclusion in Scotland.
The journalist and author, who is originally from London, lives with her husband Dr Alfath Nazeer and children – one girl, four boys – in the city’s Darnley.
Off the back of her report on STV, she tweeted: “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.”
And she thanked the broacaster for helping her burst the “glass ceiling”, saying: “Thanks STV for enabling me to break through the glass ceiling I felt I was under for so long.
“Representation is so important and glad to have been taken on based on
BY KEITH McLEOD k.mcleod@dailyrecord.co.uk skills and ability to do the job.” Another tweet said: “It’s important that media outlets in Scotland have representation on screen that reflects the national portrait of the society we live in and bring in different stories and perspectives.”
She told the Record she has had plenty of support within the journalism industry.
Tasnim, 34, said: “I have some great mentors who have supported my career.”
And on her busy family life, she said: “You could say it’s a bit of a balancing act. But I’m really determined and I want to feel that I can achieve.”
Tasnim has a masters degree and has reported for CNN and Al Jazeera. She is also a regular panelist on TV and radio current affairs and talk shows.
But she told the Daily Record she has been told in the past that she did not have the TV “look”.
She said: “However shocking it may seem, I’ve not been able to report some of my stories, sourced from my contacts, because people in positions of power have said I didn’t have the right look.”