SHELINA BEGUM
Shelina Begum, journalist at Asian News, Rochdale

Shelina Begum joined Asian News in 1999 at the age of 19 with no formal journalistic training. A combination of day release training and intensive on the job training enabled her skills to develop rapidly. Shelina has consistently supplied the paper with front-page exclusives, and taken responsibility for the Asian News website, which won the Guardian Media Group's best website for 2004.

In 2005 Shelina was sent on an eight day assignment to cover the earth-quake that devastated the region of Kashmir (over 60% of the paper's readership has roots in the Kashmir region.) Shelina reported back on the devastation that had hit the area and interviewed survivors and leading government officials including the Major General in charge of the entire Pakistani Government. Shelina was taken by a military helicopter to visit the quake devastated areas. On her return she wrote a report for the Manchester Evening News and two supplements for Asian News. Her raw video footage and interviews were edited into a half hour special on Channel M.

Outside of her role as journalist Shelina is a Member of the House of Lords committee to investigate alienation of Bangladeshi youth from mainstream British life and she was recently appointed as the first female member on the executive board of the Bangladeshi Association Community Project in Rochdale. She also sits on the committee of the Oldham Diversity Festival, one of the important initiatives set up after the Oldham riots. Shelina was also chosen as one of the 100 role models in gender/race equality campaign launched by the EU.

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