Helen Cook

South Africa Correspondent

Helen is a video reporter with EFE based in Johannesburg, South Africa. EFE is the largest Spanish news agency in the world with hundreds of journalists worldwide. Helen is of British decent, but grew up in Madrid. She speaks fluent Spanish.

Tala Dowlatshahi

Creator/United States Correspondent

Tala is a New York based producer, reporter and filmmaker. She currently covers the United Nations for Talk Radio News Service. Since 2002, Dowlatshahi has served as a United States representative for Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans Frontieres) — the Paris-based media watchdog organization. Tala has chronicled stories in Afghanistan, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Eastern Europe, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Turkey, South Africa and Uganda. She has also been featured on CNN International, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, Voice of America, Reuters, and in various humanitarian news programs. She is an associate member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Interactive EMMYs, Foreign Policy Association, New York Women in Film and Television and the Overseas Press Club of America.

Tove Iren Spissoy Gerhardsen

Europe Correspondent

Ms. Gerhardsen's passion for journalism has taken her around the world - and often to places far away from her native Norway. With a keen interest in good stories, people and cultures, Tove has worked for Newsweek in New York, Intellectual Property Watch in Geneva, Scrip World Pharmaceutical News in London, The Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Shanghai and the World Health Organization in Copenhagen. Tove has reported for the BBC and the Norwegian Broadcast Corporation (both radio), but has mainly focused on print. A main area of interest is policy, especially as it relates to access to medicines in the developing world, HIV/AIDS, trade and intellectual property. Her stories on this issue have been widely quoted internationally, including in Salon.com. Tove's interest in this topic is also reflected in her Master's degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics. Tove is based on Copenhagen, Denmark.

Kevin Headley

Islands Correspondent

Kevin is a freelance television reporter with Suriname ATV. He has produced documentaries and workshops which have appeared in the Backlot international film festival and Carifesta 9 in Trinidad and Tobago . His most recent project was a documentary about young performing artists in the Netherlands (a disk jockey, a rapper and a dancer). He also serves as an official correspondent in Suriname for the dutch production company Multiculturele televisie Nederland, Mtnl. Kevin is also a member of the Youth Ambassadors team of Suriname.

Maura Kelly

Executive Producer

Maura is an Emmy-award winning producer and media executive specializing in multi-platform project development, production and partnerships. A former executive producer at PBS, she is well versed in using media to promote social change and has launched numerous public awareness campaigns with Bill Moyers on important social issues. For many years Maura played a leadership role on the annual United Negro College Fund Telethon, and worked on a variety of “live TV specials” and weekly public affairs series: Tony Brown's Journal, South Africa Now, and Caucus NJ. She is based in New York and is originally from Ireland.

Agata Krolikowska

RUTV Correspondent

Agata was born in Poland but raised in France with Hungarian, French and Jewish roots. Agata considers herself a child of Europe. At least she believes this to be true outside Europe, where most people she's met didn't really know the difference between Holland and Poland. She returned to her native country when she was seven years old --15 years ago to be part of the political, economical and social changes. "There was such a buzz here- everything was to be re-created! Now, Poland is part of the European Union, and the average Pole (if there is such a person) is very much about consumption." Agata believes with globalization of the mass media, awareness rises and we slowly start to recycle and worry about more important things than a new car or fridge. "There is still a long way to go."

Mwenya Mukuka

Africa Correspondent

Mwenya is a writer, motivational speaker, broadcaster, journalist and environmentalist. He has a great passion for effective communication of environmental issues. Currently, he is working as a news editor for Yatsani Radio in Lusaka, Zambia. Mwenya recently produced a "Handbook on Effective Communication of Environmental Issues by Broadcasters and Journalists in Zambia. " He also serves as Chairman and CEO of Prominent Media Concepts (PMC) a media consultant firm. His blog, a weekly diary, can be found at: mwenyamukuka.blog.com

Fred Obera

East Africa Correspondent

Fred is a reporter based in Kisumu City, Kenya. He speaks English and Swahili. He is currently a reporter with Good Hands International, a non-profit organization, aimed to support people who suffer from severe drought, aggravated water shortage and health threats in Kenya. The goal of the organization is to enable through community dialogue, the passing of development information from one village to another. Previously, Fred worked with Groundreport.

Samia Rahman

London/Muslim Community Correspondent

Samia is a freelance journalist living in London. She is the former deputy editor of Emel magazine and has written for the Guardian, Prospect and New Statesman. She also worked on the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, Young, Angry and Muslim.

Omoyele Sowore

Africa/Political Analyst, RUTV

Omoyele Sowore is an investigative journalist and human rights activist. He has spent the last 15 years working to promote human rights and democracy in Nigeria, and to stop the militarization and violence that multinational oil companies have brought to his country. He is the publisher of the popular online magazine, Sahara Reporters, which focuses on corruption fueled by petro-dollars in Nigeria.

Sowore's Saharareporters has become the central source of information, breaking news and evidence-backed reports on corruption in Nigeria. He also recently participated in the award-winning radio documentary, "Drilling and Killing: Chevron and the Nigerian Oil Dictatorship" produced by Amy Goodman and Jeremy Scahill of Democracy Now!

Nicolas Landa Tami

Youth Correspondent

Nicolas is a reporter based in Lima, Peru. He is a weekly correspondent with NAPA, which stands for No Apto para Adultos, Not Suitable for Adults — the kids and adolescents news program in Peru. NAPA is a part of the Kids News Network,promoted by the Dutch NGO FreeVoice. The goal of the program is to promote free expression for the under aged: www.napa.com.pe

Agnes Fallah-Kamara Umunna

Women's Issues Analyst, RUTV

Agnes is a journalist, radio producer and presenter and community activist. She helps to record stories from survivors of the war in Liberia. As Executive Director and founder of Straight from the Heart, she engages victims, witnesses and perpetrators. The Project also has a nationwide advocacy radio program for war victims to voluntarily give accounts of their participation in the Liberian conflict. With her extensive engagements she thought it wise to also established counseling for peace building, psycho-social and trauma healing and other aspects of integration, reconciliation, and transitional and restorative justice mechanisms for women and children affected by war and conflict.

Marzieh Vafamehr

Middle East Correspondent

Marzieh graduated in Acting from the Fine Arts Faculty at Tehran University in Iran. A trained filmmaker and director's assistant, she has worked on several prize-winning films that have appeared in major international festivals. At the 2008 Sundance Festival, Marzieh's short film "Wind, Ten Years Old" was selected as one of the top ten shorts.

Maura Whelan

Associate Producer/Content Manager

Maura is an Information Technology Project Manager based in New York. Prior positions include managing strategic IT projects at IBM and Lehman Brothers. Maura will be spreading the word of Reporters Uncensored through our website and social networking channels. Her interest in new media spans the creative and business sectors. Maura is an early adopter of using digital tools to connect disparate groups on key social issues.